- Knitting Circle: an ongoing gathering for fiber artists of all sorts
- Facilitator: Beth Roy
- When: Wednesdays 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
- Cost: No charge, donations are always welcome

- Registration: No registration necessary, come as often as you like.
- Description: Join with other fiber enthusiasts once a week to knit, crochet, spin, hook, embroider, or work on any other portable fiber project. We offer assistance, instruction, inspiration, conversation and community. Beginners are welcome. Don't know how to knit? We'll get you started. Bring a project and a lunch. Questions? Call CCLC @ 733-2233 or Beth @ 454-2194.
Down East Fiber Enthusiasts are also invited to join an email listserve, organized by knitting enthusiast Barbara Baig. This is a local listserve and is intended for fiber enthusiasts to get to know each other, network, send out information of mutual interest, share ideas, problems, solutions, questions, enthusiasms, places to shop, and so on. To subscribe to the list, please send an email to Barbara at
downeastfiberfabric-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
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- Traditional Hide Tanning
- Instructor: Lew RichardsLew Richards is an accomplished beadworker, quillworker, and leather worker. He has been fascinated with American Indian art since childhood when he accompanied his parents to Yale University's Peabody Museum, where there are some fine exhibits of Indian art and artifacts. Richards is a contributing editor for Whispering Wind Magazine, a periodical devoted to the art, history, and culture of the American Indian. He has taught Indian art and culture in various settings over the past thirty years.
- When: Three Saturdays in September: the 6th, 13th, and 20th, from 9:30 am to noon.
- Registration Deadline: One week prior to start date.
- Description: Participants will learn how to tan deer hides using the traditional brain tanning method. In place of actual brains, participants will learn this method using vegetable oils. Over three sessions, participants will practice scrapping, stretching and softening and will transform a fur-covered hide to a supple piece of leather.
- Cost: $0 - $25 - $49 ~ Course fees are based on a sliding scale, click here for more info.
- Materials: N/A
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- Plains Indian Beadwork Pouches
- Instructor: Lew RichardsLew Richards is an accomplished beadworker, quillworker, and leather worker. He has been fascinated with American Indian art since childhood when he accompanied his parents to Yale University's Peabody Museum, where there are some fine exhibits of Indian art and artifacts. Richards is a contributing editor for Whispering Wind Magazine, a periodical devoted to the art, history, and culture of the American Indian. He has taught Indian art and culture in various settings over the past thirty years.
- When: Three Saturdays in October: the 4th, 11th, and 18th, from 9 to 11 am.
- Registration Deadline: One week prior to start date.
- Description: Participants will learn about traditional beadwork designs and techniques of tribes such as the Arapaho, Cheyenne and Sioux, and will design their own beadwork project. Potential project include a mini pipe bag, a small knife sheath, or a necklace pouch.
- Cost: $0 - $21 - $42 ~ Course fees are based on a sliding scale, click here for more info.
- Materials: $20
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- Wrapped Porcupine Quill Work
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- Fiber Arts Week
- Instructor: Susan Barrett MerrillSusan Barrett Merrill is a life-long weaver and spinner who holds professional certifications in education, career development, and life coaching. Her unique and powerful woven masks have been exhibited and collected worldwide, including the Fiber Biennial in the ancient weaving city of Chieri, Italy. She is a pioneer in fiber arts for people with disabilities, representing the United States at the Saori conference on arts and disabilities in Kobe, Japan, and Very Special Arts in Washington DC. She is the author of ZATI: The Art of Weaving a Life and numerous articles on weaving as a means to personal integration.
- When: October 6 – 11, 2008
- Registration Deadline: One week prior to start date
- Description:
Fiber enthusiasts have a new reason to come to the CCLC this October. During the week of October 6 – 11, celebrated fiber artist Susan Barrett Merrill will be at the CCLC leading a week of fiber arts instruction. Up to eighteen participants will spend six days working together in the traditional arts of hand weaving, spinning, and natural dyeing. Using Washington County island sheep fleece and local plants, participants will weave three distinctly different projects of progressively wider scope. First, everyone will weave an individual piece on a small, portable tapestry loom – known as a journey loom. At this stage, people will learn basic weaving and tapestry techniques while creating a personal weaving that can have symbolic meaning for them as individuals. They will also learn to drop-spin yarn from fleece using ancient methods, to dye fibers using local plants as natural dyes, and to incorporate their spun yarns into their weavings. They will then join their processes together by creating a group weaving on a free-standing indoor loom. Finally, on the last day of the event, they will build and warp a large outdoor EarthLoom and facilitate a collaborative weaving involving people from the community.
This final day will serve as the grand opening of the CCLC’s new fiber arts studio and will include demonstrations and opportunities to learn and to participate in the community weaving project. “The entire community is invited to the grand opening, and we encourage people to come take part in the group weaving,” says CCLC Program Director, Kara McCrimmon. “That will be a big day at the CCLC, as we’re also dedicating and celebrating our fantastic new bandstand that same day. It will be a day of art, music, food, and fun.”
Since 2006, the CCLC has hosted a weekly fiber arts group. In addition to sharing and practicing their skills and passions, group members have been active in planning the creation of the studio and discussing how it might best be utilized to increase community access to this art form. This group did much of the work behind envisioning a kickoff celebration to introduce this new community resource to the public.
This event is made possible by an Artists in Maine Communities grant from the Maine Arts Commission.
The cost for participation in the week-long course is $250 per person. As always, the CCLC is committed to access to programming for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and so full and partial scholarships are available.
- Cost: $0 - $125 - $250 ~ Course fees are based on a sliding scale, click here for more info.
- Materials: N/A
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- Scrapbooking Saturdays
- Facilitator: Michelle Moores
- When: Most Saturdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
- Cost: No charge
- Materials: Please bring your own supplies.
- Description: Are you looking for something fun to do on Saturdays? Then join us in a day of scrapbooking on most Saturdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Group scrapbooking is a great place to get new ideas and make new friends. Please bring your own supplies. Everyone is welcome. There will be a few snacks available and feel free to bring something to share. RSVP's are appreciated as there may be a Saturday that the scrapbooking group may be unable to meet.
- For more info call Michelle at 733-2233
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- Basic Blacksmithing
- Instructor: Sidney Hughes
- When: New courses will be scheduled in spring 2009. Please check back, call 733-2233, or join our mailing list to be notified of new courses.
- Saturday 9am to 3:30pm
- Sunday 9am to 3:30 pm
- Where: Sid’s Blacksmith Workshop in Lubec (click here for directions)
- Cost: $0 - $120. Please click here for more information on the CCLC’s new sliding scale format for course fees.
- Materials: $15
- Registration Deadline: One week prior to the start date.
- Description: Bring a lunch, water, and safety glasses. Blacksmithing blends skill and art in a functional and traditional
craft. Learn all the basics and forge your own piece during one of two
weekend workshops. Registration is limited to 6 participants per course.

Intermediate Blacksmithing
- Instructor: Sidney Hughes
- When: New courses will be scheduled in spring 2009. Please check back, call 733-2233, or join our mailing list to be notified of new courses.
- Where: Sidney’s blacksmith workshop (click here for directions)
- Cost:$0 - $120 including materials. Please click here for more information on the CCLC’s new sliding scale format for course fees.
- Materials: $15
- Description:
- Open to those who have already successfully completed the basic blacksmithing class.
- 2 people at a time for each lesson.
- You will learn things such as– forge welding, heat treating, building blacksmithing tools such as a punch, chisel, and tongs, and complete a project such as a knife.
- Click here for registration form.
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