By Chelsea Royer
Valerie Fox-Armes’ fascination with artistry began as a young girl. “We had art supplies everywhere growing up. My mother made many of our clothes and much of my passion for art came from my mom,” says Valerie. Now, many years later, Valerie is inspiring others with her own homemade creations. Her favorite of which involve dyeing yarns and silk in the upstairs studio of her home.
“I fell into the hobby by accident. I used to do pen and ink drawings and when I turned 40, came up with a design and looked up silk screening on a website. I accidently stumbled upon the art of silk painting and bought a starter kit. My husband built me the frames I needed because he’s an enabler,” Valerie chuckled. “It’s all his fault. Crafting supplies are now all over my house.”
Valerie now owns a dyeing business named, Fiber Play. She works with other fiber artists, like Lynn Lypski, who spin their own yarns, and dye these quality fibers in vibrant colors. She also enjoys the art of Shibori, which Valerie describes as the “classy, great, great grandma of tie-dyeing. It is an old Japanese technique.”
Valerie is a member of the Schafer Meadows Art Guild along with Lynn and dozens of other members. These two talented women are the co-coordinators of the upcoming Schafer Meadows Fiber Arts Festival. “It’s our 12th festival this year,” says Lynn. “It’s grown a lot in the last decade and we will be partnering with the Alpaca Ranchers of the Northwest. They will be in the building with a couple of alpacas and represent the husbandry of alpacas and where some of the fiber arts begin.” Read more here: http://www.graysharbortalk.com/2015/09/27/schafer-meadows-fiber-arts-festival/