FIBRES WEST 2025
INSTRUCTOR BIOS
Shari Bronson. Shari has been a maker since she was a small child. Over the years she has dabbled in numerous crafts, including knitting, crocheting, felting, rug hooking, dying, art journaling and book binding. Her main interests presently are felting, eco printing, and creating altered clothing. She has taught numerous classes to various guilds and school district employees in the Fraser Valley and has exhibited several items in local museums and art galleries. You can find her booth, Gypsy Spirit Designs at many craft markets and local events in the area where she enjoys sharing her knowledge with all ages! She is a lifetime member of the Langley Weavers’ & Spinners’ Guild, and also a member of Fibre Arts Network (FAN). Her instagram page is gypsy.shari which you can follow along for her creations and adventures. gypsy.shari
Sarah Garland. Creating has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember - starting with pre-school arts and crafts classes. My knitting journey began at age 6, with crocheting following soon after. Because I am petite and had to alter the clothing I purchased, I started sewing my own clothes at 11. Then leatherwork, beadwork, macrame, pattern making, hairpin lace, embroidery, wet felting, needle felting, spinning, weaving and pottery all found their way to my hands. It's extremely fulfilling for me to pass on the generational knowledge of making and be of service to the students I've taught. I'm eternally grateful to my mother for introducing me to this magical world of "making".
Sahm Jalbert. Hello! I'm Sahm. I've been drawing and painting forever. I have always loved fabric, design and fibre arts even though I can't knit and only sew on an 'as-needed' basis!
About five years ago I discovered Punch Needle and with it, found the perfect alchemy of design and craft. Now I draw and paint with yarn and with the 'fabrics' I create, design and make a wide variety of beautiful and practical objects.
I love teaching punch needle and am constantly inspired by that 'aha' moment when the rules of punch needle technique really click for a student and they're in the flow with this relaxing, versatile craft. kussenandkiss
Ponnie Matin Pelchat. Knitting Designer, Knitting Teacher, Knitter for Film and TV
I started knitting at about 5. Following my mom, I never used patterns, heck I didn’t even know how to read them… Teaching knitting made it so that I had to learn and be able to explain patterns. This started my journey into writing out my patterns, initially for class use only.
I am a Combined Continental Knitter which means I twist stitches as I knit ‘em and untwist as I purl ‘em. With this in mind I like to teach knitting in your style. Though I am the happy go lucky type, it bugs me when I hear “Oh, you are knitting it wrong” I believe there is no such thing as “knitting it wrong” My Mom will be the testament to that. She makes everything in every gauge conceivable with the same set of 5mm needles.
I adapt the way I knit from one project to the next just like we need to adapt from one situation to the next in life. (I even knit stitches the english way from time to time) I love all yarn! From beautiful hand painted Alpaca and silks to acrylic. I don’t discriminate! I’m an addict… ponniematinpelchat
Diana Twiss. Diana is passionate about fibre, fabric, colour and texture. An experienced teacher with a background in adult education, she has successfully introduced many beginners to the wonders of making yarn and has helped more experienced spinners experiment with technique, colour, and fibre to take their spinning to a new level. Her favourite tools for yarn making are spindles because of their simplicity, beauty and portability. You can see how she combines all her fibre intersets and skills by following her pursuits to make yarn from locally sourced wool, llama, alpaca and mohair on her blog 100milewear. You can find Diana’s patterns on ravelry
Janna Maria Vallee is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in the media of plant dyeing and weft-faced tapestry weaving. In 2008 Janna attended Capilano University's technical Textile Arts program and in 2013 graduated with distinction with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Fibres and Material Practices program at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. In 2016 she returned with her family to her home region, the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, where she runs Everlea Yarn Co. Everlea Yarn Co is Janna's hand-crafted looms and plant-dyed yarn, featuring consciously sourced wool yarn which is spun in Canada and then hand-dyed with plants, as well as handmade looms - all made by Janna. everleayarn