Earlynn Collier has taught knitting, crochet and needlepoint and has been active in arts and crafts for many years. Learning kumihimo was a natural extension of her interest in making jewelry and it was with delight that she realized that much could be done with this braiding technique. She looks forward to sharing her interest in this craft with others.
Donna Jo Copeland, farmeress/fiber artist of Breezy Manor Farm, has been a textile artist for over 40 years using mainly the wools she raises for her creations and winning many awards. She has also written eight books on angora bunnies, farm life, and knitting. She writes for several publications as well. A master of knitting, spinning and weaving, she has taught classes all over the midwest. Donna Jo was one of the first to be accepted into the Indiana Artisans program and has won the Traditional Arts Indiana State Fair Master Award (with a short documentary of her farm and work.) Rug hooking with woolen yarns has been practicied in her family for many generations and the designs she uses are her own.
Robin Edmundson is an award winning fiber artist specializing in color. She has extensive experience teaching and lecturing on spinning, weaving, dyeing, color theory and creativity. She was a recipient of an Indiana Artist Grant by the Indiana Arts Commission and her work has been shown in many fiber arts exhibitions and fine art/craft shows. She has a Ph.D. in linguistics and writes and teaches for the School of Continuing Studies at Indiana University.
Boyd Hastings is shepherd and fiber artist at Morning View Farm, near Brookville, Ohio. His unique compositions in 'flat pad' needle felting have earned Best of Show awards at Indiana and Michigan fiber festivals. A retired teacher, Boyd loves to share his best-kept secrets, creative techniques, and vivid imagination with anyone interested in natural fibers and felting. Using basic skills in unusual ways to achieve extraordinary results, Boyd's goal is to excite and enthuse the artist within each of his students. He often says, 'When this happens, our perception of natural fibers, and our perception of our own skills and abilities will change forever.'
Patti Hodge began her lifelong love of fiber and felting fifteen years ago with a small herd of alpacas and one llama. The herd quickly grew along with the fiber. Patti has studied and taken classes from some international felters and fiber artists, along with spending many hours of experimentation and reading wonderful felting books from all over the world. Currently some of her felted creations are on display at the Monroe Bank in Bloomington, Indiana with the Indiana Fiber Producers Association exhibit.
Stefania Isaacson has been a life-long knitter, and started spinning and dyeing to supply herself with 'the best yarns in the world!' She got her Certificate of Excellence in Handspinning from the Handweavers' Guild of America in 1997. Since then she has opened her own business called Handspun by Stefania and taught numerous workshops dealing in natural dyes, spinning and basket-making. She has spoken about the fiber arts to numerous groups, and has appeared on Home & Garden TV as a guest on the Carol Duvall Show. She sells handspun, natural hand dyed yarns, original knitting kits using her own yarns and patterns, hand dyed roving dyed with natural dyes, and handmade baskets. She was previously a high school English teacher and now enjoys teaching spinning, dyeing and knitting to fiber enthusiasts.
Galina Khmeleva, owner of Skaska Designs and author of Gossamer Webs: the history and techniques of Orenburg lace shawls and Gossamer Webs, the Design Collection, has earned the reputation as one of the most respected and knowledgable lace knitting instructors in the country. As a former clothing and costume designer who worked with the 'aristocracy' of St. Petersburg's music and theater society, Galina was a pioneer in breaking down barriers in the 'new' Russia that allowed Russian women the opportunity to achieve ownership status in private companies. As the principal student to Orenburg's lace knitting elite, Galina brings the classic style and revered traditional knitting techniques of Russian lace to her classes. Her unique, inspiring and fun-loving teaching style has made her the guru of lace enthusiasts across the US And as an extra bonus, Galina's classes are an awesome, unforgettable cultural experience.
Kate Larson is a knitting and handspinning instructor from the Alexandria, Indiana area. A former SOAR scholarship recipient, she teaches regularly at Knit Stop in Indianapolis and is the current chairman of SWIFT (Spinners and Weavers of Indiana-Fiber and Textiles). She modeled techniques for Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning (McCuin, 2007) and has been published in Spin-Off Magazine. When she isn't teaching, she can be found in the barn with her ever growing flock of Border Leicester sheep.