This is a photo of our guild’s booth at the Association of Northwest Weaver’s (ANWG) Conference that was held in Salem, OR in June 2011. The theme was “Exploring Fiber Horizons” and we came up with the idea of using the explorations of Lewis and Clark, their adventure is big around here, as the basis of our booth.  Our display was awarded with the “People’s Choice” award, we were thrilled!

The display depicts the travels of Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River, through Montana.  It is made of wool, batts for the base and background, and needle felted Corp of Discovery members (and dog – Seaman), numerous animals, native Americans, teepees, fort, river, trees, etc.   The animals include bears, elk, bison, horses, rabbits, and more.  One of our members, Laurel Orthmeyer, is a renowned needle-felter and made larger versions of the Lewis and Clark characters, which are holding the banner in the photo.  The remainder was a group effort and we were really happy with the results.

--Kathy O'Hern, Helena Weavers and Spinners Guild