A Little About Linda & Doug
Linda
Linda has loved weaving since childhood. The ability to produce a personalized, well designed and executed item that you can either wear or use in your everyday life fascinates her. Once a piece is completed, there is always the what if and then a new idea emerges.
Linda was born in Montreal and moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta in 1978. From there she moved to Ottawa for 2 years, back to Fort McMurray and then to Edmonton until 2014. Fortunately there were weaving guilds wherever she moved and she has been a long time member of the Guild of Canadian Weavers. Linda strongly believes that guilds play a great role in encouraging weavers to grow and she is currently a member of the local Qualicum Weavers and Spinners and President of the Guild of Canadian Weavers. Fellow weavers are always a source for inspiration.
Linda has been teaching weaving since the 1980’s and feels a real joy when she can share her skills with others. It is important to her that weaving students learn how to design and personalize their work rather than just use a weaving recipe they find in a book. Although she has an extensive weaving library and has taken many weaving courses, Linda have always enjoyed producing an item that reflects who she is and tries to impart this on to her students. Linda’s teaching experience includes online teaching as well as face to face.
Currently being retired and finally having a studio to work in she is enjoying exploring new techniques. The idea of texture and colour in cloth intrigues her. Collapse weaves and woven shibori are her two current favourites. Woven shibori enables Linda to play with dyeing, hand painting, and texture.
Doug
Doug started learning about fibre arts when he met his wife and he joined the Edmonton Weavers guild. His first weaving project was to put her weaving loom together from loom parts laying on the basement floor. Around 2006 he purchased his Ashford Traditional spinning wheel and took his level 1 spinning class at Gibsons BC, producing his first homespun and self woven project as his class project. It was a small woven bag and it is now proudly displayed on his spinning wheel.
In 2014 he retired from his job of 43 years and Linda retired from her teaching position and they took up residence on Vancouver Island near the small seaside town of Qualicum Beach BC where they promptly joined the weaving guild there. Besides following his fibre arts passion Doug is half owner with his wife of a 38 foot sailboat which they sail when weather is accommodating. They are also active with the Schooner Cove Yacht Club and the Nanoose Power and Sail Squadron. Doug also enjoys fishing, hiking and scuba diving and keeps active beach combing along the beach across from their house. Doing all these things keeps him very active and he is constantly amazed at people who say retirement is boring.