40 MILE COAT
2024 Award Recipient
We are thrilled to announce that the Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild of Calgary has been honored by Heritage Calgary for our contributions to preserving and promoting Calgary’s diverse heritage.
This award celebrates our guild’s ongoing efforts to keep traditional weaving, spinning, and fiber arts alive, while fostering a deep appreciation for the rich history and cultural significance of these crafts in our community.
We are proud to stand alongside others who work to identify, preserve, and celebrate Calgary’s heritage, enriching our shared home for future generations.
Thank you to Heritage Calgary for this incredible recognition, and to our members and supporters for being part of our journey!
Award Photo Credits: Heritage Calgary, Jillian Faulkner, 2024
Photo Credit: Heritage Calgary, Jillian Faulkner, 2024
How the 40 Mile Coat came to be
To commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the Heritage Weavers and Spinners Guild of Calgary, the guild embarked on a special project: The 40 Mile Coat.
Using material sourced within a 40-mile radius of the Calgary ring road, the guild created a wearable garment suitable for the Calgary climate and style. This project involved both new and longer standing guild members alike, and the sharing of ideas and expertise among our spinners, dyers, felters and, weavers engaged and energized our entire membership, highlighting our guild mandate “to provide a forum for creative inspiration and shared knowledge in weaving, spinning and related fibre-arts”. The learning and peer-to-peer mentoring reinvigorated our group and we saw growth in our workshops and course registrations as well as in our membership at large.
For further information on the creation of this coat, click here.