Meet the Makers: Quebec’s Thriving Fiber Community

The rich, jeweltone colors in the rolags from Quebec spinner, textile artist, and artisan dyer Shani Théorêt caught our eye as we were planning the Summer 2024 issue of Spin Off. When I reached out to find out more about this small-business owner and her hand-dyed wools, she pointed me to the work of three additional fiber artists local to her—all who are contributing to the spinning revival in the province of Quebec. Here, we introduce you to the work of Shani Théorêt of Bleu Poussière and Paule Trudel-Bellemare of Les Laines Urso. Then check out Part 2 to meet the rest of the makers. —Debbie

Shani Théorêt

Owner, Bleu Poussière

Shani Théorêt and some of her beautiful batts. Photos this section by Shani Théorêt

What would you like customers to know about your work?

My fiber journey started in 2017 with knitting and natural dyes. Color has always been a passion of mine, and the idea of creating natural colors on yarn that I could use to knit garments for myself was enchanting. It encompasses everything that I love and value: making by hand, ancient knowledge, color chemistry, a sense of place and time, and so much more. Each color has a history and a unique recipe to achieve it. For example, Tyrian purple, also known as imperial purple, is a historic purple dye reserved for royalty because it was made from the oxidized secretions of the murex sea snails. An ancient dye more valuable than gold, Tyrian purple is mentioned multiple times in Homer’s Odyssey, and its discovery by Hercules and his dog has been depicted in art history.

Today, it’s not that colors don’t mean anything, because they still hold a lot of symbolism, but their intrinsic value is not as rich as natural colors. Since 1856, colors have been synthesized in laboratories, and this did great things for the world. Think about the impressionists and how this allowed them to buy paint in tubes for plein air painting instead of making their own expensive pigments. But as an artist, I do believe that natural colors have a meaning and nature that just doesn’t compare to anything else. Producing naturally dyed yarns on a commercial scale is a laborious challenge, but I couldn’t do it otherwise; I love working around the limitations natural dyes impose; the satisfaction of finding the right alchemy for a particular tint to emerge is a magnificent quest that makes me feel a little bit like a magician.

Over the last years, I fell into the world of spinning and carding fibers, and I mainly see this as another way to play with color. Fiber is the medium that I chose to specialize in, but color is and will always be my first love. I really enjoy how diverse the fiber world can be. Whether it’s yarn for knitting, threads for embroidery, or fiber for spinning, I love to work with it all. I especially love the work others such as Mapi, Urso, and A Lair Artifacts bring to the spinning community here in Quebec. They each have a unique sense of color, and I love to include their works in my carding or spinning creations.

Visit bleupoussiere.com to learn more about Shani.

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Paule Trudel-Bellemare

Owner, Les Laines Urso

Paule Trudel-Bellemare and some of her handspun yarn. Photos this section courtesy of Paule Trudel-Bellemare

How did you get into your craft?

It feels like I have been a knitter and a creative since my childhood. When I took some time off from my illustration career for maternity leave, my knitting hobby took a bigger place. I tried yarn dyeing for fun, and it felt like such a natural way of expressing myself and my love of both colors and handknits. Next thing I knew, my little yarn business took over the illustration gigs, and I fell even harder for all things fiber.

I vividly remember learning to spin at the TWIST fiber festival with Alexina Hicks from L’aime Laine. It took me a while to get the hang of it, for my fingers and brain to cooperate, but I was hooked. Dyeing fiber really felt like the next level of fun. I get to imagine not only what my clients and friends will knit but also how they will play and design their yarn.

What would you like us to know about your work?

Alexina was a great mentor. She and her husband Yves-Antoine even designed a great spindle for my Urso customers. I also got to collaborate with them, illustrating for custom Majacraft wheels with wild roses and more. Adding fibers and spindles to my yarn offerings felt so wholesome for me. Just like my illustrations and my knitting designs, these facets are simply different ways of expressing my creativity and my artistic body of work.

Visit Paule on Instagram @ursoyarnco.

Is there a dyer, toolmaker, fiber producer, or mill we should feature? Tell us about your favorite makers—large or small—at spinoff@longthreadmedia.com.

This article was first published in Spin Off Summer 2024.