Craftstravaganza 2019!

Presented in partnership with Manitoba Craft Council with the support of Winnipeg Councillor Vivian Santos

Our much-anticipated, 11th-annual Craftstravaganza is back, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Learn craft practices from around the world! Four free, simultaneous workshops will be offered. All materials are provided, child-minding is available and snacks will be served. Enjoy good food, good company and good crafting. People of all backgrounds, genders and ages are welcome. The event will feature:

Brick-Stitch Beading with Karen Smith

Brick stich is an easy way for beginners to start beadweaving. Also known as the Cheyenne Stitch or Comanche Stitch, it forms a tight, flat panel. Karen Smith will teach how to use this stitch to make beautiful dangling earrings. Smith is a 58-year-old, Ojibwe, 60s-Scoop survivor and beading enthusiast who has created regalia and jewelry and taught beading throughout the community. She is “self-taught” from blood memory and beads with her mother and grandmothers who are in the spirit world.

Henna with Gurpinder Nandha

Mehndi is a form of body art using a paste created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. Ancient in origin, it is still practised in the Indian subcontinent, Africa and the Middle East. Every happy occasion or festivity is celebrated with the application of henna designs to hands and feet. Mehndi brings luck, especially to those getting married. This traditional Indian henna technique will be taught by Gurpinder Nandha, an early-childhood educator who immigrated from Punjab in 2007 and now teaches in Winnipeg.

Bottom-of-the-needle Embroidery with Kadidia Coulbaly Esp Sidibe

This ancient embroidery technique comes from Mali, a region renowned for the skill of its hand embroiderers. Floral and geometric designs in cotton and silk thread are used to decorate garments that can take weeks or months to embellish. Instructor Kadidia Coulbaly Esp Sidibe also hails from Mali, the region called Segou. She came to Canada in 2014 and now works at The Cutting Edge sewing training program and social enterprise. If you prefer to be taught in Bambara or French, she can accommodate!

Mini Medallions with Christine Brouzes

Learn to use leather and glass-seed beads to create a cute, little medallion picturing a heart, a feather or an image of your choosing. The method demonstrated can also be applied to full-sized medallions. No beading experience necessary. Christine Brouzes began beading as a child, when her grandmother gave her a little mixed bag of beads. In 2016, she began to dedicate time to daily beading and has since taught herself many techniques and patterns, her favourite being “tiny art”: meaningful scenes and images on medallions. Brouzes’s fine work has been sold across North America.