Helen Mawdsley is a Winnipeg fibre artist and woodturner. Her work has appeared in publications around the globe, including Spin Off magazine and Piecework magazine by Long Thread Media, as well as through Digits & Threads a Canadian fibre arts online magazine, and Laine Publishing Oy in Finland. She enjoys being curious and exploring history, traditions, and new forms of craft. Learn more at mawdsleyfibrearts.ca

Project: I designed this garment, Indigo Borders, as a cowl knit in the round with colour-block sections in contrasting textures. The cowl begins with a familiar ribbing stitch in the indigo-dyed wool, then moves into a spiral ribbing stitch with the alpaca wool, and then another blue ribbing section in the indigo-dyed wool completes the garment.

Materials: Wool from Seine River Shepherds purchased at the St Norbert Farmers Market in 2021 which I dyed with Japanese indigo I grew in my garden from seed in 2021. I also used alpaca wool from Perimeter Alpacas, purchased at the Manitoba Fibre Festival in 2021.