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Artscene Oakville Beaver · WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2007 By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF www.oakvillebeaver.com 20 Festival exhibits share a common thread Threads of all kinds are all over town. Wedding dresses through the ages, clothing, framed embroidery, quilted chairs, hats, sculptures and more are all part of the fifth biennial World of Threads Festival. Nine exhibits are up across Oakville for the Festival of Textile Arts, including a world premiere: Threads of Remembrance. It's a never-before-seen collection of embroidered postcards courtesy of collector Liz Benneian. "They're hard to find," Benneian said of the postcards, a collection she's been able to grow to hundreds thanks to eBay. "Why I liked them was because I knew immediately women had made them. I liked the fine stitching." Her interest was piqued after finding four of the silk postcards framed at an antique shop. The postcards were at the height of their popularity during the First World War and Benneian, a reporter for the Canadian Forces from 1985 ­ 1990, was drawn to the cards because of her interest in the military and its history. While most make no mention of the war and instead have embroidered messages like Happy courtesy of Sheridan College textile students ­ everything from lamp shades, boots and hats to a laptop cover and a spine made of felt ­ and a Common Threads international juried art show. "And for the first time," said festival steering committee chair Jane Coryell, "We're also displaying what the jurors turned down." That's in the Salon de Refuses, also at Sheridan College. The five venues housing the festival's exhibits ­ Sheridan, Town Hall, Abbozzo Gallery, Ristorante Julia and Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate ­ include the work of six local guilds: weaving, lace-making, embroidery, quilting, hooking and knitting. Mayor Rob Burton cut the red ribbon Friday to officially open the World of Threads Festival, while Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn unveiled The Sixteen by 18, a thread work created to celebrate Oakville's 150th Anniversary. It will be sold for $500 as a fundraiser to help with next year's festival. The show boasts works including a painted and quilted chair made by the mother and son team of Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate, collages of fabric, quilts, hats, coats, vests and more. "It's definitely our biggest yet," ASHLEY HUTCHESON / SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER WORLD PREMIERE: Liz Benneian talks about her never-before-seen collection of embroidered postcards, which were very popular during the First World War, at Friday's opening of the Festival of Textile Arts at Sheridan College. Benneian's exhibit is one of several on display across town for the Festival, which features nine exhibits at five venues. Christmas, To My Sister and Good Luck along with embroidered pictures, a few of the cards do shed light on war time experiences. "You can read between the lines how scared to death he was and what was going on," Benneian said of one card sent from a soldier to his mother. One card reads, "Terrible. It was like a smack of thunder and I thought I was gone. I shut my eyes and lay still." "Those are unusually graphic," Benneian said. Another sent from a soldier named Pete says, "Cheer up old kid. Not dead yet." The cards also shed light on the war through the changes to certain buildings, Benneian says, depicted in the embroidery. "Before everything was bombed you have pictures of buildings. Later on in the war it was bombed and you get pictures of them burning up and in ruins." The cards were popular souvenirs during the First World War, but rare by the time of the Second World War, Benneian said, adding their production ceased around the 1950s. Her Threads of Remembrance is one of a number of exhibits at Sheridan, including thread works See Five page 21 Looking For Something Fun for the Kids for March Break? Stage West is THE place to go During March Break. Reduce Reuse Recycle Adventure getaway package Wizard Wizard School ­ back by popular demand! Classes run daily March 12 to 16. A full day of fun yet educational Witch and Wizard classes plus lunch and 2 snack breaks. 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