Members of the
Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild were on hand at
Memorial Hospital's Earth Day celebration on April 22 to demonstrate spinning, weaving and machine quilting. Hospital employees and visitors enjoyed the midday demonstrations on these fiber arts techniques and the other displays featuring earth-friendly products and energy conservation.
At the Fiber Arts table, people had the opportunity to see samples of alpaca fibers, a present-day spinning wheel, hand-spun alpaca yarn, a table-top inkle loom, inkle woven straps and bands, and free-motion machine quilted quilts up close.
Many who stopped at the table shared their personal experiences with knitting, crochet, quilting and other needle arts or reminisced about watching family members—mothers, grandmothers, and aunts—doing needlecrafts. A few visitors were fascinated to see present-day applications of time-honored crafts and how both manual processes (hand spinning and hand weaving) and machine processes (free-motion machine quilting) are used to create contemporary pieces.
Many of the visitors expressed appreciation for the skill, talent and time required to create the spun, quilted and woven pieces. Some individuals were even inspired to go home and dust off their needles or sewing machines to get back into yarn and fabric creations.
Members of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild were on hand at Memorial Hospital's Earth Day celebration on April 22 to demonstrate spinning, weaving and machine quilting. Hospital employees and visitors enjoyed the midday demonstrations on these fiber arts techniques and the other displays featuring earth-friendly products and energy conservation. 
At the Fiber Arts table, people had the opportunity to see samples of alpaca fibers, a present-day spinning wheel, hand-spun alpaca yarn, a table-top inkle loom, inkle woven straps and bands, and free-motion machine quilted quilts up close. 
Many who stopped at the table shared their personal experiences with knitting, crochet, quilting and other needle arts or reminisced about watching family members—mothers, grandmothers, and aunts—doing needlecrafts. A few visitors were fascinated to see present-day applications of time-honored crafts and how both manual processes (hand spinning and hand weaving) and machine processes (free-motion machine quilting) are used to create contemporary pieces.
Many of the visitors expressed appreciation for the skill, talent and time required to create the spun, quilted and woven pieces. Some individuals were even inspired to go home and dust off their needles or sewing machines to get back into yarn and fabric creations.
