Barbara Heins
I think once you start getting involved in fibre, it becomes a big part of your life. Fibre is part of everybody's life. But you just don't realize it. And so once you start making your own fibre, you do want to do more things. So this summer I did plant flax, I planted woad, I planted indigo, I planted a bunch of dye plants. My whole house has become a studio. I've got an Indigo pot going in the kitchen, I now have a loom in my dining room. So it's part of everyday life.
Barbara Heins joined Kingston Handloom Weavers and Spinners in 1984 to take weaving workshops when she moved to Kingston for a teaching job. She has contributed to the Guild in many ways—initiating the programming committee, participating in study groups, and organizing the Guild Challenge—and helps to maintain a vibrant membership.
After completing the Master Weavers Course at St. Lawrence College in Brockville, Heins began teaching workshops for the Guild in the early '90s. Her unique skills in basketry have also led her to teach this craft.
Even thought there is a lot of interest in basketry, it is not as easy to find as the other fibre arts in Ontario.
Heins explains how she first learned basketry and her general practice, trends in using local materials, as well as the satisfaction of making a basket from start to finish.