Lois Belluk :: Meet our new Vice President (2019 - 2020)

Lois Belluk grew up in Winnipeg but has lived on Bowen Island since 2010. Her interest in textiles began in the late 1970s, when as a university student, she bought a loom and taught herself to weave.

The loom sat quiet for several years until around 2001 when she moved to rural Ontario and joined the Burr House Fibre Arts Guild where she soon rediscovered her passion for weaving and spinning. It was here she was first heard about felting.

At first she learned about felting through online research and books. Then in 2011, she met Fiona Duthie at Fibres West in Abbotsford BC. After that she took as many workshops as she could, travelling if needed. She wanted to learn and absorb as many techniques as she could.

Recently we interviewed Lois. We hope you enjoy what she has to say.

Why felt :: feutre canada, and what are you looking forward to sharing with our members?

Happy to be part of F::F, as we expand our vision across Canada in recognition of its place in the world history of textiles, and to support the growth of felting as a means of artistic expression.

What are your looking forward to creating in 2019? 

Hmmmm, plans for this year… I have child number two leaving for university in the fall and I am trying to savour every moment but my heart aches daily. So if I’m able to accomplish anything, a great thing will have happened.

That said:

I received a hundred pounds of raw, dirty and moth-y wool from a Bowen farmer, six bags of which currently sit in the greenhouse. My plan next month is to lay the wool out on a tarp on the floor of the garage, and make a rug, using my bare feet and ample quantities of dishsoap. I made a small sample with the wool and it’s a gorgeous taupe, with gentle curls and not terribly coarse.