Understanding Fiber

Tuesday, March 2, 2027
Hospitality 7pm, program 7:30pm

HCAC and Zoom 

Program by Jill Duarte

Program Overview

Skilled craft draws on an intimate understanding of materials as well as technique. By better understanding the materials we use in the practice of our craft, we are empowered to design with intention, execute with ease, and troubleshoot without tears. Jill will dig into the material properties of the different fibers we use and how that relates to their use. Why does one wool have elasticity and other wool has drape? What’s the difference between Mulberry silk and Tussah silk? Why is one type of cotton easier to warp with than another? Jill believes that understanding your materials is key to being able to use them as desired in our craft or artistic practice.

About the Artist

Jill Duarte is a dyer, a spinner, an equipment aficionado, a fleece sniffer, a former academic and an unabashed fiber nerd. Jill is one half of the duo behind HipStrings and spends their days geeking out about all things fiber, diving into the nuances of fiber preparation, color, and the act of spinning.

Since picking up spinning over a decade ago, and then starting HipStrings a decade ago, Jill has taken an approach to spinning that is grounded in a technical approach married to historical context and a lot of curiosity as to how things work. In other words, they read all the books and tried all the things and made lots of mistakes so that you don’t necessarily have to.

As an instructor, Jill excels in explaining the “Why?” of spinning, whether it’s exploring the relationship between fibers and spinning techniques, the physics of handspinning and the tools we use for spinning, or providing insight in how to make something work for you. Jill challenges students to try fibers new to them, explore novel fiber blends and techniques, revisit things they’ve tried before and to step out of their comfort zones in order to expand their horizons as spinners.

Jill’s workshops are focused on encouraging spinners to try new fibers and learn more about the wide, wild, and wonderful world of fiber through a framework of fiber structure and characteristics. With the information presented, students should leave with the confidence to explore new fibers, to seek out new challenges and fiber blends, to boldly go where no spinner has gone before.

Artist’s website: www.hipstrings.com
Artist’s instagram: @hipstrings

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