The crafting tradition continues at the St. Peter’s Abbey with the Saskatchewan Stitches Conference returning for its sixteenth year hosted by Haus of Stitches.
Fourteen instructors from Canada, United States, and one from Australia brought a variety of different skills and crafts to 250 conference participants from across Canada and the United States, says Wendy Toye with Haus of Stitches.
While some of the 48 workshops are tried and true favourites, like bra making with Beverly Johnson from Hamilton, Ont. and pattern alterations with conference favourite and renowned Canadian fashion designer and Saskatchewan raised Ron Collins, Toye is always looking for new workshops to bring in for participants.
This year, felting, fabric painting, and even more fashion workshops were added to the mix.
“The students set the classes year to year because they’re put on their evaluations what they want to take next year.”
Toye says that fashion based workshops are especially popular with conference goers, especially with Collins and Jan Bones instructing the classes.
Linda Pringle always finds interesting classes to take, making the trip to Muenster from the Yukon for the past four years. Even if she has been knitting for the past 60 years, Pringle always finds something new to learn at the conference, even in the knitting essentials workshop.
From spectacular teachers to like-minded people to share in the camaraderie, as long as she is mobile as she gets older, Pringle will continue to make the trip to Muenster.
“It’s like an empowering environment. It’s women who are pleased with what they’re doing and willing to learn something new and willing to share with others.”
Pringle says she learns just as much from the crafter beside her as she does from the instructor running the workshop. Students also learned from nightly seminars to cap off their day of craftwork.
Sally Melville spoke on June 8 about why it is people get into working with their hands. For Melville, it is knitting.
Crafting can put people in the right mindset where they are relaxed, open to new ideas, and more creative.
Besides the physical benefits, like crafting as a stress relief by lowering the blood pressure, boosting the immune system, and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, the social benefits are also an important part of the activity, which is one of the many reasons people were at St. Peter’s Abbey.
“People with supportive and social activities and relationships live longer and healthier. Supportive and positive social relationships have health benefits equal to quitting smoking and drinking,” says Melville.
For people who find frustration in crafting, Melville says it is all about surrounding yourself with people to help you. If that does not work, the internet is a wonderful place, she says.
