2018 Instructors

(In Alphabetical Order)

Fran Bowman

Draw String Project Bag

Fran Bowman became a full time Huntingdon County resident 6 years ago, coming from Lancaster County.  About four years ago she wanted to relearn how to knit and crochet.  Fran met a wonderful group of women that are very knowledgeable and encouraging everyone to attempt new skills.

Her experience with clothing construction has provided Fran with an interest in knitting vests and sweaters that fit her shape.  She looks forward to sharing her understanding of how to get a better fit.

Oneta Carter

3-D Frosty Ornament
Embellishing Felting with Cookie Cutters

Oneta Carter is a newly transplanted Fiber Artist to Pennsylvania! Hailing from the deep South,  with over 10 years of  bringing her creative imagination to life with her award winning 3-D needle felting creations !

Oneta loves to play in fiber from spinning, knitting , crochet and of course felting !!

 

Marie Campbell

Mariner's Art Cuff

Marie has taught classes in beading for 20 years, mostly to chapter, regional and national seminars for The Embroiderers’ Guild of America, as a follow up to her former life as a professor of American culture.  She has exhibited wearable bead art and bead sculptures throughout the country.

 

 

Barbara Dann

Rangeley Star Wall Quilt

Barbara Dann is a passionate quilter with too many ideas and never enough time! She's a Certified Instructor for Studio 180 Design and Sue Pelland Designs. She teaches at guilds, quilt shops and quilt shows. Barbara's classes are relaxed, informative, and fun. She enjoys teaching quilters of all skill levels and shares many tips and techniques that make piecing and applique easier, faster and more accurate.

 

Cindy Felisberto

Tricot: Portuguese Knitting

Cindy enjoys both the process of considering creativity and the act of (hopefully) producing creative results. Rarely satisfied with doing the same thing today as yesterday, she is often tackling a new stitch, designing a new pattern or experiencing a new medium.

Most days Cindy prefers multi-media collage and knitting, some days it’s jewelry making, writing, origami, crochet, stick weaving, sewing, or day dreaming.

Think-Create-Joy.

Sarah Goslee

Sticks & Strings
Sprang Bags

Sarah Goslee  has been studying and teaching fiber arts for over twenty years.

Her expertise is in obscure historical/ethnographic techniques like tablet weaving, sprang, and ply-split braiding, but she's dabbled in nearly everything. She has a special fondness for methods that produce complex structures with little or no equipment.

Sarah has taught at guilds and workshops around the Northeast and writes about fiber arts at: www.stringpage.com.

Diane Kelly

Beginning Tapestry Weaving

At the age of three, Diane was entertained with a bag of fabric scraps while her mother sewed. That was the beginning of an ongoing love of fabrics and fibers for her. She has been weaving for over 20 years and was a technical editor for Interweave Press and XRX for 12 years, working on both Handwoven magazine and numerous books. Diane has written articles for both Weaver's and Handwoven, and currently edits ebooks. She teaches weaving, spinning, and knitting.

Diane owns Firesong Studio, a weaving studio and yarn shop, in Bedford, PA (in the old county jail!) and lives on a farm where she raises purebred Bluefaced Leicester and BFL crossbred sheep.

Tom McClain

Decorative Knot Tying

Tom McClain was interested in knots and ropes at a very young age.  He was fascinated with ropes enjoyed “rigging” block and tackle systems using toy  pulley he built or found in science kits or plundered from toy construction sets.

Scouting provided Tom with ample opportunity to further his interests in knots.  He joined Cub Scouting and then continued into Boy Scouting, obtaining Arrow of Light and the Eagle Scout rank, respectively.  He excelled in the areas of Scoutcraft (Pioneering) and Handicraft (Indian Lore).

Tom served 9 years on Camp Staff at Seven Mountains Scout Camp (1987 - 1995).  Much of this time devoted to work in the Handicraft and Scoutcraft areas.  At this time, he was exposed to several  nautical and decorative knot boards and a life-long exploration (obsession) of applied/practical knots ensued.

Tom blended his love of the outdoors, geology, and knot tying through rock climbing/rappelling endeavors which further expanded his “knot knowledge.”

Today, Tom continues his zeal for decorative knotting, climbing anchors/rigging, and has furthered his “studies” into the areas of braided leather/horse tack and paracord art.  He is still active in Scouting and commonly found drinking coffee and tying knots at events.

Anita Nwaobilo

Impromptu Appliqué

Recently retired from nursing, Anita Nwaobilo is a native of Huntingdon and was introduced to sashiko as a member of the Huntingdon Chapter of Embroiders’ Guild of America when the group took a correspondence course.

Anita loved the technique and took another course given by Pepper Cory at the PA National Quilt Extravaganza in 2012.  She completed a quilt and received a ribbon for it at the local quilt show.

Anita is the mother of five grown children, and enjoys stitching, singing, and relaxing with her family.

 

Shelley Shaffer

Lace Triangle Shawl
Modular Knitting

Shelley Shaffer, is the owner of B’ewe’tiful Knits Yarn Boutique in Clarion, PA. She started knitting as a young girl with her grandmother and has been in love with fiber ever since. Since opening the yarn shop she has engaged young and old alike into the wonderful world of fiber. Taking them from knitting or crocheting scarfs to I’m ready, let’s go! Currently she is also teaching fleece to fiber classes. With the opportunities afforded of the surrounding fiber farms, Shelley am able to engage students to learn how yarn is truly created.

Shelley has taught at the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet for the past 5 years.  These classes have ranged from learning to knit to designing your first sweater.

Lissa Walker

How to Take a Sweater Apart

Lissa's introduction to fiber began at an early age. When she was 7 years old, her mother showed her how to embroider. She was hooked on fiber! She was shown how to knit at age 10, and then from books. Sewing, crewel work, needle point, cross stitch, taught herself from crochet books, learned how to quilt and the latest is spinning.

Her hands are busy most of the time. Too many ideas and what's next, and how will it work out? Thinking how she will want it to look and be and then get it started.

She started Thriftyworks  and has been vending and has continues to help people with knitting, spinning and gifts.

Sharon Wall

Designing Fabulous Fabric

Sharon Wall is a mixed media fiber artist. One of her art quilts, "War Horse" was exhibited at Penn College in Williamsport as part of a SAQA exhibition and was the subject of her "The Last Word" article for the February/March issue of Quilting Arts Magazine.

 She recently retired as a high school art teacher, but continues to teach workshops on surface design on fabric.