Paula's Bio

pjvester@worldinaspin.com

Paula is a Handspinner who can demonstrate and talk about textiles to any age group in connection with a wide variety of subjects. She has a number of hands-on workshops that are adaptable to several age groups.

Paula has presented programs to sewing and knitting groups in the Metro Atlanta Area. Taking her spinning to science classes she has shown them how to spin the cotton they grew in class; English classes have learned about myths and legends connected with textiles and been shown interpretations of 17th Century poems. She has discussed spinning and weaving in relation to conservation and ecology. Spinning and weaving have been introduced as art to classes of various ages. History has come alive for many groups as she has woven tales of a time when spinning and weaving were common in everyday life.

Paula is a native Californian who moved to Georgia with her husband and two sons in 1979. After answering an ad in the Savannah paper for someone to "spin, weave, cook on a hearth, and plow with mule", Paula was hired by the Board of Education as a Heritage Farm Interpreter. She learned to spin, weave and cook over an open fire pit, but as the mule never got the hang of pulling a plow, she never had to learn. She started demonstrating to the public while still at Oatland Island Education Center and found it to be gratifying.

In 1983 the family moved to Stone Mountain, GA. She discovered that she had been hooked and spinning was not something that she just did at work. She continued to demonstrate spinning, and to perfect her craft. In 1985 she was one of the founding members of the Peachtree Handspinners Guild. Paula served as its President in 1987, 1988, 1994 and 1995. While a member of the Handweavers Guild of America, she volunteered in their mentoring program, "Teaching and Learning Through Correspondence", and was one of the chairmen of the Spinning Learning Exchange.

In 1987, Paula started teaching at Dreamweaver in Atlanta, a shop for those interested in fiber arts. She led workshops at art centers and shops around the Southeast. Paula was the keynote speaker at the 2016 conference of the Northwest Regional Spinners Guild in Lewiston, Idaho. She speaks to groups of all ages, from pre-school to adult, public schools and organizations, like the Georgia Sheep and Wool Growers Association at their annual meeting in 2017. She has organized and presented an educational exhibit at the Georgia Renaissance Festival since 1987 and has set up, demonstrated and talk as "The Wool Story" at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA since 1993. Paula loves to travel and during her travels teaches workshops and talks to people about her love for fiber. She has taken her adventurous spirit to The Estes Park Wool Market in CO and taught at the Florida Tropical Weavers Guild's conference. She is listed in the 25th edition of Who's Who in American Women and the 60th edition of Who's Who in America.

Paula has published a number of books, please check the Book section of her website, WWW.WORLDINASPIN.COM. She has also published articles for SHUTTLE, SPINDLE AND DYEPOT, the publication of the Handweavers Guild of America.