Weaving
We are very excited to have a Weaving demonstration in the Living Village section of the festival. The weavers will be demonstrating some of the aspects of the history of weaving in Celtic Culture.
Mara Riley
Mara Riley, author of "Whatever Shall I Wear, is an independent researcher who has been interested in historic costume for as long as she can remember. She has undergraduate degrees from Mary Washington College in History and Religion. She is a database manager and lives in Waldorf, MD with her husband, two dogs, and an increasingly large collection of textile tools, costume books and fabric.
She will be weaving a diamond twill fabric in wool, and talking about fabrics and dyes in 18th century Scotland.
Annette Ehly
Annette Ehly for the past 30 years whether I have been an artist in a gallery, an instructor, or a student my passion has always been fiber & color. There is nothing more satisfying than creating a functional or decorative item by hand from start to finish. Often the process is more satisfying than the finished product. My experience of using fiber has tapped into my passion for shared cultures, history, & art. To create with fiber is a magical experience! I have fallen down the rabbit hole of spinning & weaving. My weaving experience is with all small looms. I enjoy the simplicity of the loom and the complexity of the weavings I can create. These simple looms have been used throughout history by many cultures but have been updated for the modern weaver. I will be weaving Crios (pronounced Kriss) with a rigid heddle loom & wool. Which is a modern method of weaving Crios. Originally these band woven belts were woven using hands, feet & a stick. The warp was circular & you used your foot & a stick to hold the warp while you wove. The earliest known Crios is 1600 & in the National Museum of Ireland made of horsehair. In the 20th century people on the Aran Islands wore the Crios. These were made of wool.
Today not only are Crios worn as belts. They are also used as hand fasting cords.
Diana Buck
Diana Buck has been involved in fiber arts for most of her life. She grew up in a family of knitters, crocheters, quilters, needle workers, and sewers, and learned these crafts as a child. As an adult, she continued to expand her knowledge and experience, until she found her true calling to research and teach the history of textile arts. She has been involved in living history for over 35 years and has focused
her studies and activities on both women’s roles and historic textiles of the early 18th Century through the early 19th Century time periods. As co-founder and co-leader of Njordhr’s Wanderers, her current focus is on the agency of women in textile production and commerce in the North Sea region during the Early Medieval period (Viking Age). In partnership with her husband Krag, they have conducted experimental and reconstructive archaeological projects in textile production. These efforts have
focused on re-creating tools and equipment based upon excavated examples, and through the redevelopment of skills and techniques to create the different textile examples found in excavations. In addition to historical activities, Diana is co-founder of the Carroll County Fiber Artists Guild, providing a space for fiber artists across disciplines.