*_Natural Fibers Group Sponsors _*

*_Open Pine Needle Basket Workshop_*

*October 26, 27 & 28*

contact: Lynn Hoyt, email: lynnhoyt@lynnhoyt.net, 252 945-6774 or
Pamela Zimmerman, zbakerz@coastalnet.com

Many people in Eastern North Carolina use pine needles to mulch their garden…but some know they make great baskets! If you would like to learn more about pine needle basketry, here’s your chance. The Natural Fibers Group, a Beaufort County-based fiber arts guild, is offering a very unique and affordable workshop right here in Washington.

Taught by Natural Fibers Group founders Lynn Hoyt and Pamela Zimmerman, the workshop will teach all the basics of “wide raffia style” pine needle basketry. Both Hoyt and Zimmerman are award-winning fiber artists and have taught at the North Carolina Basketmakers Association convention. This is your chance to learn from an experienced teacher for very little cost. Open to the public, the techniques taught in this workshop are simple and yet offer sufficient variety for completion of complex projects. This will be an “open” workshop, which allows participants to work at their own pace, and come and go as they please. Hours will be Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 26-28, from 9 am to 5 pm, at the Washington Civic Center. Participants will be free to come when they can, leave when they need to, and work on the basket shape of their choosing, for part or all of the three days.

“This is really individual instruction in a group setting,” says Zimmerman. “We want to show people how easy this is to do on their own. There is so much that can be done with just basic skills and the willingness to try. We hope that participants will be excited enough to continue weaving on their own after the workshop is over. Someone who stays the entire three days will probably complete several projects.”

Participants will be provided with a bundle of pine needles, raffia, a sewing needle, and specific, one-on-one instruction in the wide raffia technique for the very nominal fee of $30 (for all or any part of the three-day workshop.) Beaufort County Arts Council Members registration fee is $20. Additional pine needles will be available for a nominal fee. Registrants should bring a pair of scissors and perhaps a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Advance registration is preferred, but not required. (Advance registration secures your spot; walk-ins will only be accepted if there are enough additional materials to accomodate them.) Contact Lynn Hoyt for registration form/flier, email: lynnhoyt@lynnhoyt.net or Pamela Zimmerman, email: zbakerz@coastalnet.com

This workshop will run during the Beaufort County Arts Council’s Annual Fine Arts Show. Participants will be able to browse the Art Show during breaks from their weaving. Workshop space is graciously provided courtesy of the Beaufort County Arts Council, in their continuing support of the Natural Fibers Group. The Natural Fibers Group is a private, non-profit organization (501-c3.)

Natural Fibers Group https://naturalfibersgroup.tripod.com/