Creative Fibre event set to return

An open day to promote Creative Fibre Thames is set to return after Covid-19 unravelled the event in the past two years.
Secretary Lyn Barbour said the event, to be held at Thames Elim Church on October 17, was the annual fundraiser for the group and a way to boost membership.
“A lot of our membership is quite elderly and the young ones are starting to become interested but they have to work so we’re just trying to attract some new members,” she said.
“Creative Fibre involves knitters, crocheters, spinners, felters, and weavers and if anybody’s interested in learning these skills, there are ladies available who can help them get started.
“All money raised [at the event] goes towards club funds so we could provide demonstrations and workshops throughout the year.”
Lyn said the event would feature morning tea, an exhibition of fabrics made by the club’s 32 members, 13 traders and a people’s choice vote to determine the best item in the club challenge category.
“With the exhibition this year, because we haven’t had an open day for two years, it covers anything members have created in the past two years,” she said.
“Traders come in with products to sell such as wool, fleece, yarn or dyes and the traders like coming to Thames because it’s always a profitable outing.
“Our theme for the club challenge is the 1950s because we had our 50th birthday earlier in the year, so we’re looking for accessories of the 50s including gloves, scarves, hats and bags.”
Lyn said the event, held from 9:30am to 2pm, also attracted Creative Fibre members from Tauranga, Waiuku, Cambridge, Hamilton and Whangamatā.
“You meet all the other people you know from different clubs so that’s a nice thing and we’ve got some new ones who haven’t been to our open day before,” she said.
“The ladies are always excited with all the different traders because they don’t see [the traders items] in a normal shop.”
Lyn said the door charge for the event was $3 and raffles were $2 for a single ticket and $5 for three tickets.