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Focus on Fiber, a “Fair within the Fair”, made its debut at the Madison County Fair in 2009.  Llamas, alpacas, angora rabbits, and cashmere goats were on hand, spinners and felters demonstrated their crafts, and vendors offered fleece, yarn, and products made from natural fibers.  Educational exhibits were available and visitors could watch videos on fiber processing.
The 2010 fiber fair will offer even more educational opportunities for anyone interested in fiber arts.  All three days, there will be demonstrations of spinning, weaving, wet felting, carding, and needle felting.  For anyone interested in more focused learning, four workshops will be available. 
On Friday and Saturday afternoon, July 9th and 10th, Mindy Laymon from The Olde Homestead in Brookfield will lead workshops on needle felting.   Needle felting is a technique for fusing layers of fiber (yarn, roving, or felt) together, using a single barbed needle or a set of needles in a plastic sleeve.    By poking the needle into a ball of wool, one can “mold” the wool into the desired shape.   Needle felting can also be used to make designs on a background of cloth or felt.    Pre-registration is not required for these workshops.   Mindy will welcome beginners as well as experienced felters looking for ideas.  A $10 fee for materials is all that is required, and Mindy will be found with her Baby Doll sheep near the fiber pavilion.
On Saturday, Nancy Morey from Shadeyside Farm in Oxford, will offer two workshops.   Nancy raises sheep and goats and has been teaching workshops and producing Rainbow Dyed fibers for fiber artists for 25 years.   Silks and silk blends are a specialty at Shadeyside Farm, and the workshops at the fiber fair will draw on this expertise.   The morning class, from 10:00 – 12:00, will be on Spinning Silk, and the afternoon class, from 1:00 – 3:00, will focus on Blending Fibers.   Pre-registration is required for each class, and can be accomplished by contacting Nancy Morey at 607-843-8243 or at info@shadeysidefibers.com.
On Sunday, July 11th, fair visitors will have an opportunity to make a felt hat or scarf in an all-day workshop in wet felting with instructor Denise Tarbox.  Denise comes to the fair from Fat Yellow Dog Farm in Newark Valley, and will have some of her own felted woolen goods and hand dyed silk scarves for sale in the pavilion.   Students in her workshop may bring their own fiber or use the hand dyed wool, silk and alpaca she will provide.  No felting experience is required.  Anyone wishing for more information or to register may contact Denise at 607-642-5568.   
Not ready to commit to attending a workshop?  There will still be plenty of opportunities to learn about the world of fiber animals and fiber arts in the Focus on Fiber buildings.  Breeders of fiber animals, from fuzzy angora rabbits to stately llamas, will be glad to show off their animals and talk about their care.  There will be displays of exotic fibers and information on some of the less common uses for fiber.  Focus on Fiber will be open to visitors from 10:00 – 6:00 on July 9 – 11 at the Madison County Fairgrounds in Brookfield.  For more information, see www.madisoncounty-fair.com or contact Pam Haendle at Pamela.Haendle@bnymelon.com
 


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