144 studios, farms take part in Open Weekend Aug. 4-6

Cashmere growers, silk painters, specialty yarn shops, primitive rug hookers, handspun yarn spinners, and art quilters are just a sampling of the sights you’ll see when using Maine Fiberarts Tour Map: Studios and Farms. Nearly 150 fiber destinations are listed on the map and can be visited all year long.

As a special event, all sites listed on the tour map will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an Open Studio & Farm Weekend August 4, 5 and 6. More than 100 fiber demonstrations are planned for the three-day weekend at places throughout the state to show curious visitors what “fiber” is all about. These include demonstrations in rug hooking, felting for children, using a Navajo spindle, cultivating natural dye gardens, viewing a collection of antique spinning wheels, and sewing techniques and tips. Demonstrations are detailed on the Tour Map, which can be obtained in several ways. Free copies can be found at State Visitors Centers, Tour Map sites, six Convention and Visitors Bureau locations in Portland and Maine Fiberarts’ Center in Topsham. To have one mailed to you, send $5 to Maine Fiberarts at 13 Main St., Topsham, ME 04086.

The Open Studio & Farm Weekend is a chance to see firsthand the treasure trove that is Maine fiber. Both Tylerfarm in Limington and Shearbrooke Farm in Standish will host craftspeople demonstrating rug hooking, felting, knitting, dyeing, and crochet. Nancy Young of Winthrop has invited several rug braiders to her studio to display work and offer tips and techniques.

French Hill Farm in Solon will bring a group of spinners and knitters to the farm where more than 100 sheep are pastured. Husband and wife art quilters Gayle Fraas and Duncan Slade of Edgecomb will talk about their art-making process. Tapestry weaver Morris David Dorenfeld will welcome visitors to his home in Spruce Head to see his beautiful woven work. Kathleen Colton will demonstrate the art of embossing velvet in her Matinicus Island studio.

Sandy Spiller will show the art of felting in her studio filled with fibers, handmade slippers and artwork. Jill Snyder Wallace of Minot has invited a group of embroiderers to share work and skills. Studios of papermakers, knitters, weavers and seamstresses will be open as well as those who farm sheep, llamas, alpacas, goats and rabbits. Spinneries, processing mills, yarn shops and fabric stores round out the offerings.

The fiber scene is hot in Maine and includes artists working with fabric, collage, thread, paint or paper. These artists paint quilts, stitch books, coil baskets, felt masks and knit sculpture. Small farms producing mohair, alpaca, llama and wool are also a part of this scene. Curious travelers can find wool sweaters, handspun yarns, and other handmade collectibles or experience craft demonstrations, working studios, or farm chores firsthand.

Maine Fiberarts Tour Map presents both the makers and the producers a chance to open their doors and be discovered. The tour map was created by the nonprofit organization Maine Fiberarts, with funding and support from the Maine Office of Tourism, Maine Community Foundation, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, and the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources. Details about the tour map and Open Weekend are available on the group’s web site at www.mainefiberarts.org.