The Citizen, 2016-10-13, Page 11THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2016. PAGE 11.
Ryerson University class visits Blyth, garden
The experience also featured
Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks, the
founder of the Peggy Sue Collection
Inc., a clothing company.
Deaven-Smiltnieks' goal, through
her company, is to help revitalize the
North American farm and fibre
industry.
"Peggy Sue was a wonderful
addition to the trip," Lafrenz said.
"She told us about her experience
with starting from everything being
local, to the environmental impacts
of clothing to winning the Toronto
Fashion Incubator New Labels
Fashion Design Competition."
Lafrenz said she hopes that
Deaven-Smiltnieks will have the
opportunity to talk to her first-year
students and expose them to all the
aspects of the fashion industry she
has worked with over the years.
The trip hopefully won't be the
last, Lafrenz said, as she and
Triemstra-Johnston are discussing
potential experiences for other
classes. Lafrenz also said the
students were impressed with the
vision that Triemstra-Johnston has
with the FACTS program.
A real take -away lesson
When students from the Ethics and Sustainable Design Course, part of Ryerson University's
School of Fashion, visited The Garden at Blyth as well as Blyth's Trinity Anglican Church to
learn about natural dyeing, the group went away with both a proof of concept and the
knowledge to create and use natural dyes. Associate Professor and School of Fashion
Program Director Doctor Lu Ann Lafrenz worked with Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity
instructor Jennifer Triemstra-Johnston to create a program for the students which saw them
learning at Blyth's Trinity Anglican Church and finding natural dye components in The Garden
at Blyth. (Photo submitted)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Blyth, through the Canadian
Centre for Rural Creativity (CCRC),
played host to 14 Master's students
from Toronto's Ryerson University
last week who were learning about
natural dyes.
Jennifer Triemstra-Johnston,
whom has been running the Fashion
Arts and Creative Textiles Studio
(FACTS) program through the
CCRC and is also an instructor at
Ryerson, welcomed the students to
the Blyth Trinity Anglican Church
and The Garden at Blyth to explore
what kind of natural colours can be
made through various plant
materials. The day ended with each
student taking home a scarf they
created using natural dyeing
techniques.
The students were members of
Doctor Lu Ann Lafrenz's Ethics and
Sustainable Design course and,
according to Lafrenz, enjoyed the
opportunity immensely.
She said that, after the trip,
students thanked her for the
opportunity and said the field trip
was amazing. Students also
commented on how great it was to
see Blyth, which is completely
different from the lives the students
lead.
"It was an amazing experience for
my students," she said. "I know the
students had fun in the community
garden, a world away from the
cement "gardens" of downtown
Toronto"
Also involved in the trip was Dr.
Alison Matthews, the MA Fashion
Program Director for the school who
said the day was fun. She said she
has witnessed students wearing the
scarves they had made.
Lafrenz and Triemstra-Johnston
connected when the latter was a
Master's student under the former.
Triemstra-Johnston, a professional
costume designer, also speaks to
Lafrenz's first-year students due to
her work experience.
"I was her supervisor so we have a
professional connection in several
ways," she said. "We were at a
Fibreshed presentation recently...
and we decided we should do this in
Blyth. That all started in the spring
and then I came and took the natural
dyeing workshop that Triemstra-
Johnston ran in Blyth and we put our
heads together to figure out how it
works"
From there, Lafrenz said it was
just a matter of finding the best time
for it and fitting it into her program.
"This course is an elective course
for Master's students, so it's students
that want to learn and are interested,"
she said. "Some of these students
don't come from a design
background, so this was a wonderful
experience for them and made for
wonderful exposure as well."
Finding the right colour
As Canadian Centre for Rural Creativity instructor Jennifer
Triemstra-Johnston will explain, naturally dyeing fabrics is
an exercise in experimentation. Triemstra-Johnston
welcomed students from Ryerson University's School of
Fashion to the village of Blyth to teach them about natural
dyes and one of the first lessons was that what worked
before might not work again. Students are shown above
trying to perfect their dyes. (Photo submitted)
The Garden as a classroom
Jennifer-Triemstra-Johnston, second from right, welcomed students of Toronto's Ryerson
University's Ethics and Sustainable Design Course to visit The Garden at Blyth as well as
Blyth's Trinity Anglican Church and instructed them in natural dyeing tecniques. Triemstra-
Johnston, who is also an instructor at the university, has been running the Fashion Arts and
Creative Textiles Studio (FACTS) program through the Centre for Rural Creativity which lead
to the students coming to the village. (Denny Scott photo)
Purses
Bainton's
Old Mill
Downtown Blyth
519-523-4740
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Fawlily Kestaurapit
All -Day Breakfast
NEW HOURS: Closed Sat.;
Open Mon.-Thurs. 11-7; Fri. 8-3; Sun. 9-2
1083 Centre Street, Wroxeter, ON NOG 2X0
519-335-8500