Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
Textile artists and farmers shared woven wares Sunday as dozens turned out for Fiber Fair in Winooski.
The event, held at the Winooski Farmers Market, celebrated Winooski’s mill town history, providing a space for community members to learn about and purchase handmade goods that were once a city staple.
The Heritage Winooski Mill Museum next door, which organized the fair, brimmed with posters, story quilts, blankets and more as exhibits traced the threads between modern Winooski and its history as a wool manufacturing hub.
The story quilts were created by residents at the Winooski Senior Center and Heineberg Community Senior Center. Taught by quilter Lisa Therrien, the residents had crafted personalized quilt squares that were joined together to display each of their lives and stories.
The blankets were knit by members of the Stitch Together program, an organization for members of the Association for Africans Living in Vermont to work on yarn projects together.
Outside the museum, visitors could immerse themselves in the mill’s past with group mandala-making and weaving. Local weavers set up shop throughout the farmers market to sell their goods and share their stories.
Ellen Rose of St. Albans, one of more than a dozen vendors that day, has been weaving for her retirement job. She’s loved crafting since she was a little girl.
“My mom bought me every arts and crafts kit there was,” she told Community News Service. “And she bought me a little loom, and I started with pot holders.”
Rose has been running Handwoven in Vermont for the past 15 years, weaving everything from baby blankets to dish towels, which she sells online.
“This is all me,” she said, motioning to her stand of wool and alpaca fleece goods.
She fuels Handwoven in Vermont by helping other local businesses.
“I really like to support the local yarn shops, so I buy as much as I can from them,” she said. “My son lives in Colorado, so we stop at every yarn store. It’s wonderful.”
Kristen Gallagher, owner of Aurora Spinnery in Berlin, is newer to the fiber game. She’s just about to celebrate the first anniversary of her business.
“We raised sheep for 10 years and used small mills to process our wool,” she said, gesturing to her parents, who sat next to her at the stand. “And I was curious about the mill process, so I went to work at a mill in Waitsfield and worked there for a year.”
After the woman who trained her retired, Gallagher bought textile equipment for her family’s farm. She hopes her work can assist in bringing Merino sheep back to the community.
“Vermont has a big history with Merino sheep, and they’ve moved out west,” she said. “They’re a luxury breed, and it’s harder to raise their fiber, so the smaller farms in New England can’t compete. And so I’m trying to give them a market.”
Kristen has teamed up with local sheep and alpaca farmers to make her business flourish.
“Working with them is very inspiring and rewarding,” she said.
Fiber Fair provided a space for locals to fuel their interests in weaving, even if they don’t do it professionally.
Mae Simon, a college student, drove past a sign for the fair and was excited to get supplies for their knitting, crocheting and embroidery projects.
“I got yarn and some stitch markers,” they explained, pulling a variety of colorful materials out of a bag. “Very cutesy.”
Simon and their friend, Cedar Huish, were thrilled by the fair’s array of activities and stands. The pair were hoping to get in on the community weaving later in the afternoon.
“I feel like there’s been a really nice diversity in the stands here,” Simon said.
“It’s been good,” Huish added. “It’s been cute and fun and sunny.”