Gather in the County - modern textile market
Saturday June 13th, 2026 10am-4pm
Crystal Palace, Picton ON
Gather in the County is in its third year taking over the historic Crystal Palace, an idyllic spot in the heart of Prince Edward County, a cultural destination made famous by its award winning wineries, natural beauty and diverse arts community.
Our indoor/outdoor market provides visitors with an exciting and innovative gathering of 90+ textile makers, art installations, small batch producers, indie dyers, artists, collectors and community guilds producing a wide range of handmade and vintage textile wares + supplies for sale.
Gather in the County is a curated event by Bay Woodyard & Bear Epp, both local PEC textile artists and experienced event builders committed to showcasing the cultural value of craft and the rich tradition of textile arts through this annual market.
Saturday June 13th, 2026 10am-4pm
Crystal Palace, Picton ON
Gather in the County is in its third year taking over the historic Crystal Palace, an idyllic spot in the heart of Prince Edward County, a cultural destination made famous by its award winning wineries, natural beauty and diverse arts community.
Our indoor/outdoor market provides visitors with an exciting and innovative gathering of 90+ textile makers, art installations, small batch producers, indie dyers, artists, collectors and community guilds producing a wide range of handmade and vintage textile wares + supplies for sale.
Gather in the County is a curated event by Bay Woodyard & Bear Epp, both local PEC textile artists and experienced event builders committed to showcasing the cultural value of craft and the rich tradition of textile arts through this annual market.
Meet our installation artists for Gather 2026!
Julie Jenkinson
Julie Jenkinson is a British-born, self-taught multidisciplinary artist and designer living in Toronto and Northumberland County. Julie has exhibited internationally in group and solo exhibitions. In 2018 she held her first solo sculpture exhibition Continued Existence in Toronto at VERSO Gallery @Inabstracto. Her work is included in public, corporate and private collections and commissions including: Douglas Coupland, Cutler and Gross, Hanabi Art & Artists, Netflix, The Gladstone Hotel, Taylor Hazell Architects, RH Gallery, TAP Art Projects, Yabu Pushelberg. BLACKBONES is her collection of sculptural jewelry for all sexes.Her drawings were included in The Drawing Centre’s (NYC) Viewing Program in the early 2000s.
"Salvaged objects have an unspoken history and memory in their very substance. Transforming them into a novel form and context does not negate this history, but rather, envelops it into a deeper layer of the aesthetic language. While I rarely have a specific vision for found objects’ end use, there’s a feeling, a pull, an inherent pulse and intuition driving me toward their continued existence in new abstract constructions".
“Still Life”, was made entirely from salvaged and found materials including rubber, leather and antique brass objects. As air moves through the installation, the components interact, producing a gentle, resonant chime akin to ringing bells.
Part of a customizable collection, this series of wall hangings was featured at The Artist Project and The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, and has since been commissioned for residential and curated spaces.
"Salvaged objects have an unspoken history and memory in their very substance. Transforming them into a novel form and context does not negate this history, but rather, envelops it into a deeper layer of the aesthetic language. While I rarely have a specific vision for found objects’ end use, there’s a feeling, a pull, an inherent pulse and intuition driving me toward their continued existence in new abstract constructions".
“Still Life”, was made entirely from salvaged and found materials including rubber, leather and antique brass objects. As air moves through the installation, the components interact, producing a gentle, resonant chime akin to ringing bells.
Part of a customizable collection, this series of wall hangings was featured at The Artist Project and The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto, and has since been commissioned for residential and curated spaces.
Julie Jenkinson's work is sponsored by Shed
Allison Lynn
Allison Lynn is a Kenhtè:ke-based multidisciplinary artist, educator, and mother of 4. Born in Belleville, Ontario, Allison pursued post-secondary fine arts studies at OCAD-U and York University, prior to embarking on her teaching career in her home community of Kenhtè:ke. She now lives in Toronto and Northumberland County. Her practice spans installation, textile, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media with a visceral authenticity, high contrast, and a nod to history through the use of nostalgic ephemera. Her experience as a woman of Kanyen’kehá:ka and mixed descent features prominently in her visual explorations as she finds ways to connect and create a dialogue between the past, the present, and possible futures. Allison lives with her family on Simcoe Deed land. She has also served on the Woodland Cultural Centre Board of Directors since 2016, and currently holds the role of Chairperson.Seven Star Dancers is a mixed media collage depicting the Pleiades constellation, which figures prominently in Haudenosaunee legend and cosmology. The legend describes how the people had lost connection with their ways, and with each other - particularly in how the adults neglected their children. The children seeked guidance from their adults, and as the legend says, they were guided by dreams to meet, share pieces of traditions they remembered and dance together. Finally, they danced so hard they rose up towards Sky World to create the constellation we see in the wintertime. This legend is a reminder to renew our commitments to each other, to raise up our children together with good intention and attention, and to consider the generations to come in our actions.
Woven together with deer hide, each of the 512 tiles has been individually treated and collaged with ephemera ranging from WWII-era newspapers, sewing patterns, maps, textiles, texts and illustrations from vintage children’s books and toy inserts, and collected pieces of personal significance to the artist.
Many of the snippets of paper ephemera make connections to the land, like the maps of traditional areas of the Haudenosaunee, and their contemporary names. Sewing patterns and images of x-rays speak to the intertwined relationship between body and land. Settler relationships also centre prominently in the paper pieces, with stereotypes of North American Indigenous cultures in children’s stories, news reports, and descriptions of events from old history books. Reclaimed and repurposed materials also speak to the relationship and responsibility we have with/to the land
For more information on Allison, please visit www.allisonlynn.ca.
Woven together with deer hide, each of the 512 tiles has been individually treated and collaged with ephemera ranging from WWII-era newspapers, sewing patterns, maps, textiles, texts and illustrations from vintage children’s books and toy inserts, and collected pieces of personal significance to the artist.
Many of the snippets of paper ephemera make connections to the land, like the maps of traditional areas of the Haudenosaunee, and their contemporary names. Sewing patterns and images of x-rays speak to the intertwined relationship between body and land. Settler relationships also centre prominently in the paper pieces, with stereotypes of North American Indigenous cultures in children’s stories, news reports, and descriptions of events from old history books. Reclaimed and repurposed materials also speak to the relationship and responsibility we have with/to the land
For more information on Allison, please visit www.allisonlynn.ca.
Allison Lynn's work is sponsored by Books and Company
Jody Pilon - Boro Bower
Jody Pilon is a mixed media & textile artist who produces primitive and evocative works influenced by heritage domestic and textile craft. Pilon lived in Espanola for almost 20 years and currently resides and creates in her home studio in Kingston, Ontario. Primarily self-taught she uses simple materials and techniques to respond to 20th century life, social responsibilities and women-centered stories. As the founder of the Espanola Fibre Arts Festival, Jody learned first hand the importance of creating in community. She fostered several fibre arts engagement activities that resulted in community exhibitions, installations and significant human connections for participants. In 2019 Pilon hand stitched a 10’X10’ textile chamber titled Boro Bower.
The Boro Bower is a human size bird house that speaks of belonging and connecting. This international community engagement project was first exhibited in Winnipeg Beach Manitoba and has subsequently been exhibited locally and provincially. This effort was supported by an exhibition grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Currently, Jody is working on a textile project featuring les filles du roi. Through the act of hand stitching and use of domestic textiles, Pilon pays homage to over 700 women who were sent to New France (Canada) between the years of 1663 - 1673 as wards of the king to marry and populate the new colony.
The Boro Bower is a human size bird house that speaks of belonging and connecting. This international community engagement project was first exhibited in Winnipeg Beach Manitoba and has subsequently been exhibited locally and provincially. This effort was supported by an exhibition grant from the Ontario Arts Council. Currently, Jody is working on a textile project featuring les filles du roi. Through the act of hand stitching and use of domestic textiles, Pilon pays homage to over 700 women who were sent to New France (Canada) between the years of 1663 - 1673 as wards of the king to marry and populate the new colony.
The Boro Bower is sponsored by Kokito
Valerie Carew
Carew is a Canadian interdisciplinary artist working with body-based fibre sculpture,
installation, performance and painting. Rooted in the settler cultures of Newfoundland
and New Brunswick, her practice explores relationships between land, dwelling, and
identity. Through immersive role-play and sculptural rug-making designed for physical
interaction, Carew uses memory and touch as tools for world-building, seeking to re-wild
land-based narratives and unsettle colonial frameworks.
Carew holds an Interdisciplinary Master’s in Art, Media and Design from OCAD
University (2016) where she received two scholarships and the Outstanding Exhibition
Award for her thesis Enclosure Movement: Comparative Dwelling and Embodiment. She
holds a BA in Drawing and Painting (2014), is a recipient of grant funding from Canada
Council For The Arts (2020), and exhibits and delivers art talks internationally. Her work
can be viewed at the Craft Ontario Shop in Toronto and Partial Gallery.
In her body of work Shoreline Roamers: Lore and Embodiment, Carew
recalls and interprets textile craft and folklore to speculate: How might tactile art and
embodiment provide a path to connect with, and move through landscape to tell stories
about resilience? Her textile work describes a performative interplay between the body,
wild land and domestic objects. Traditional hand hooked rug making, characterized by
utility, material reuse, and pictorial storytelling, is re-configured into land immersive
wearables and three dimensional sculptures. As a collection, the pieces transport the
viewer to wild Canadian dreamscapes and shorelines.
Material preparations such as sourcing plants for natural dying, processing and hand
spinning sheep’s wool, seed work and fish leather tanning are added to her signature
use of repurposed household textile, metallic textiles, beading and whip stitched
components.
installation, performance and painting. Rooted in the settler cultures of Newfoundland
and New Brunswick, her practice explores relationships between land, dwelling, and
identity. Through immersive role-play and sculptural rug-making designed for physical
interaction, Carew uses memory and touch as tools for world-building, seeking to re-wild
land-based narratives and unsettle colonial frameworks.
Carew holds an Interdisciplinary Master’s in Art, Media and Design from OCAD
University (2016) where she received two scholarships and the Outstanding Exhibition
Award for her thesis Enclosure Movement: Comparative Dwelling and Embodiment. She
holds a BA in Drawing and Painting (2014), is a recipient of grant funding from Canada
Council For The Arts (2020), and exhibits and delivers art talks internationally. Her work
can be viewed at the Craft Ontario Shop in Toronto and Partial Gallery.
In her body of work Shoreline Roamers: Lore and Embodiment, Carew
recalls and interprets textile craft and folklore to speculate: How might tactile art and
embodiment provide a path to connect with, and move through landscape to tell stories
about resilience? Her textile work describes a performative interplay between the body,
wild land and domestic objects. Traditional hand hooked rug making, characterized by
utility, material reuse, and pictorial storytelling, is re-configured into land immersive
wearables and three dimensional sculptures. As a collection, the pieces transport the
viewer to wild Canadian dreamscapes and shorelines.
Material preparations such as sourcing plants for natural dying, processing and hand
spinning sheep’s wool, seed work and fish leather tanning are added to her signature
use of repurposed household textile, metallic textiles, beading and whip stitched
components.
Valerie Carew's work is sponsored by the Royal Hotel.
Pop Up Exhibits
Society of Stitchers
The Society of Stitchers is a community embroidery club. They have been coming together as a group over the past 11 winters to produce a collaborative artwork featuring hand embroidery. They are an inclusive group welcoming folks from all ages and lifestyles to come together and share their thoughts. They also encourage shared skill building, helping each other from beginners to experienced to learn new embroidery techniques. They have partnered with The Department of Illumination over the past few years creating pieces and building an archive of embroidered community projects.
They will be displaying the new Society of Stitchers quilt produced this year! They always have some stitching demonstrations for anyone to participate. This year the quilt is themed around the future. The images explore their hopes and fears for the future.
The Society of Stitchers is sponsored by Magpie
The Society of Stitchers is a community embroidery club. They have been coming together as a group over the past 11 winters to produce a collaborative artwork featuring hand embroidery. They are an inclusive group welcoming folks from all ages and lifestyles to come together and share their thoughts. They also encourage shared skill building, helping each other from beginners to experienced to learn new embroidery techniques. They have partnered with The Department of Illumination over the past few years creating pieces and building an archive of embroidered community projects.
They will be displaying the new Society of Stitchers quilt produced this year! They always have some stitching demonstrations for anyone to participate. This year the quilt is themed around the future. The images explore their hopes and fears for the future.
The Society of Stitchers is sponsored by Magpie
The County Museums
The County Museums includes five sites that preserve and bring to life the unique cultural heritage of Prince Edward County. They will be bringing recent textile donations/discoveries, including a quilt made by a women's group in Big Island.
The County Museums is sponsored by The Studio PEC
The County Museums includes five sites that preserve and bring to life the unique cultural heritage of Prince Edward County. They will be bringing recent textile donations/discoveries, including a quilt made by a women's group in Big Island.
The County Museums is sponsored by The Studio PEC
Museum of Uncommon Phenomena
The MUP is an eccentric, handmade museum established for the preservation of the barely believable. It was founded upon the archive of curiosities left behind by two itinerant showfolk known as Floss & Tann, whose mysterious disappearance the museum’s curators are currently investigating.
Our traveling museum will feature a small selection of textile related curios: likely to include a lesser seen specimen of Tooth Fairy, botanical zoology in the form of a vegetable lamb & the remains of the world’s smallest mermaid, aka a Minnowmaid, caught in fisherman’s nets off the coast of Newfoundland in the late 18th century. New acquisitions, including some ceremonial regalia believed to be from the Society of Speculative Supposing, may be forthcoming.
The MUP is sponsored by City Revival
The MUP is an eccentric, handmade museum established for the preservation of the barely believable. It was founded upon the archive of curiosities left behind by two itinerant showfolk known as Floss & Tann, whose mysterious disappearance the museum’s curators are currently investigating.
Our traveling museum will feature a small selection of textile related curios: likely to include a lesser seen specimen of Tooth Fairy, botanical zoology in the form of a vegetable lamb & the remains of the world’s smallest mermaid, aka a Minnowmaid, caught in fisherman’s nets off the coast of Newfoundland in the late 18th century. New acquisitions, including some ceremonial regalia believed to be from the Society of Speculative Supposing, may be forthcoming.
The MUP is sponsored by City Revival
Youth Craft Academy
Youth Craft Academy's mission is to support and grow the legacy of craft for future generations. YCA is a charitable and educational initiative that engages young learners in craft through workshops, mentorship and classes. They engage youth to develop their creativity, gain confidence and understand how craft-based skills can lead to rewarding futures.
They will showcase the fabulous textile creations created during the Textiles course plus their wheelbarrow boat. The boat will be auctioned as a fundraiser for the program.
Youth Craft Academy is sponsored by Slumber and Shine
Youth Craft Academy's mission is to support and grow the legacy of craft for future generations. YCA is a charitable and educational initiative that engages young learners in craft through workshops, mentorship and classes. They engage youth to develop their creativity, gain confidence and understand how craft-based skills can lead to rewarding futures.
They will showcase the fabulous textile creations created during the Textiles course plus their wheelbarrow boat. The boat will be auctioned as a fundraiser for the program.
Youth Craft Academy is sponsored by Slumber and Shine
Bridging Communities Art
Bridging Communities, led by artist Emebet Belete, is a vibrant public art project that transforms Belleville’s Upper Front Street Bridge into a colourful, textured display through thousands of handmade crochet pieces. This collaborative effort brings together students, community groups, and individuals of all ages in Crochet Circles, where everyone can learn, contribute, and connect. In June-July 2026, the project will have a Crochet Art Exhibition at the Parrott Gallery, Belleville, showcasing the collective work and celebrating the creativity, and community spirit behind the initiative. Through open workshops and community involvement, Bridging Communities is creating something beautiful one stitch at a time.
Bridging Communities Art is sponsored by Three in PEC
Bridging Communities, led by artist Emebet Belete, is a vibrant public art project that transforms Belleville’s Upper Front Street Bridge into a colourful, textured display through thousands of handmade crochet pieces. This collaborative effort brings together students, community groups, and individuals of all ages in Crochet Circles, where everyone can learn, contribute, and connect. In June-July 2026, the project will have a Crochet Art Exhibition at the Parrott Gallery, Belleville, showcasing the collective work and celebrating the creativity, and community spirit behind the initiative. Through open workshops and community involvement, Bridging Communities is creating something beautiful one stitch at a time.
Bridging Communities Art is sponsored by Three in PEC
Department of Illumination
The Department of Illumination is a multi-disciplinary arts organization based in Picton.
Their display will be 6 banners hand painted with local species and the names appearing in both English and Mohawk.
The Department of Illumination is a multi-disciplinary arts organization based in Picton.
Their display will be 6 banners hand painted with local species and the names appearing in both English and Mohawk.
Cabin Boy Knits
CABINBOYKNITS...a naturally woven story rooted in colourful tradition, passionate history, cultured knowledge and boundless love for people and places...defining and embracing an all inclusive openness and united community.
CABINBOYKNITS creates naturally dyed yarns with a vision to bridge together the farmer, the spinner, the weaver, the knitter, the arty and the curious while nurturing frienships along the way.
Cabin Boy will be conducting video interviews for their popular YouTube channel all day.
Cabin Boy Knits is sponsored by Savon Du Bois
CABINBOYKNITS...a naturally woven story rooted in colourful tradition, passionate history, cultured knowledge and boundless love for people and places...defining and embracing an all inclusive openness and united community.
CABINBOYKNITS creates naturally dyed yarns with a vision to bridge together the farmer, the spinner, the weaver, the knitter, the arty and the curious while nurturing frienships along the way.
Cabin Boy will be conducting video interviews for their popular YouTube channel all day.
Cabin Boy Knits is sponsored by Savon Du Bois
Guilds, Groups and Schools
Prince Edward County Quilters Guild
The PECQG meets once a month for educational programs, our group makes quilts for community organizations and members who are in need of comfort, such as cancer care, dialysis. Their group donates annually to the hospital build fund and all food banks.
The PECQG will be displaying a selection of quilts.
South County Stitchers
A community drop in stitch group that meets Mondays in Milford. Participants will be actively knitting, sewing, crocheting during the day and willing to answer any questions about their group and what they do.
Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt Guild
Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt guild supports and encourages the growth and development of modern quilting through art, education and community. They will demonstrate skills such as boro stitching, English paper piecing, and hand piecing.
Quinte Needlearts Guild
Quinte Needlearts Guild is a group which encourages the embroidery arts. Meeting once a month, they work on their own and group projects, teach needlework skills, and support each other's work. Members will be working on a variety of projects. They will also have a display of finished work.
Kingston Handloom Weavers & Spinners
They are a dynamic group of spinners and weavers honouring traditional skills in modern ways. They love to create, connect, contribute, learn & share. They will be having a variety of items made by guild members for sale and a display showcasing practical and modern pieces. They will be demonstrating spinning and weaving.
Belleville Weavers and Spinners Guild
They aim to promote weaving, spinning and other fibre arts in the Quinte area. They will have members spinning fibre and weaving on a table loom.
The Cordwood Folk School
Their homestead is on traditional and unceded Omàmiwininì territory. They are grateful to the ancestors who cared for the land and water that surrounds them since time immemorial. They recognize the injustices of the past and today, and the need to reconcile. The workshops and courses that they offer are guided by the following three categories: Traditional Craft, Folk Art, and Practical Skill. The techniques, skills and artforms learned in any one class will help you follow a more capable, confident, resilient and creative path forward. Their instructors are highly skilled and passionate about their craft. Each class offers a unique experience in that people from all walks of life can join through a common interest and be in community for a period of time; sharing stories, knowledge and home cooked meals. You can find The Cordwood Homestead's 2026 course listing on their website at www.thecordwoodstudio.com. There, you will also find details on camps, fundraisers, bursaries, community involvement and the products they sell. They will have various works in progress and finished projects on display, so that visitors can get a sense for the diversity of courses that their folk school offers.
County Spinners
Their spinning group meets every month to share techniques and celebrate the art of turning raw fibre into unique, hand-spun yarn. It is a welcoming space where they connect over their latest projects and find inspiration as they spin together. They will be demonstrating yarn spinning, and a few items will be available for sale.
Sheridan College/Bachelor of Craft & Design - Textiles
The Honours Bachelor of Craft & Design -Textiles is a 4-year specialist degree program in textile design, based at Sheridan College, Trafalgar Campus in Oakville Ontario. They will bring a display of student work from their program.
The PECQG meets once a month for educational programs, our group makes quilts for community organizations and members who are in need of comfort, such as cancer care, dialysis. Their group donates annually to the hospital build fund and all food banks.
The PECQG will be displaying a selection of quilts.
South County Stitchers
A community drop in stitch group that meets Mondays in Milford. Participants will be actively knitting, sewing, crocheting during the day and willing to answer any questions about their group and what they do.
Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt Guild
Bay of Quinte Modern Quilt guild supports and encourages the growth and development of modern quilting through art, education and community. They will demonstrate skills such as boro stitching, English paper piecing, and hand piecing.
Quinte Needlearts Guild
Quinte Needlearts Guild is a group which encourages the embroidery arts. Meeting once a month, they work on their own and group projects, teach needlework skills, and support each other's work. Members will be working on a variety of projects. They will also have a display of finished work.
Kingston Handloom Weavers & Spinners
They are a dynamic group of spinners and weavers honouring traditional skills in modern ways. They love to create, connect, contribute, learn & share. They will be having a variety of items made by guild members for sale and a display showcasing practical and modern pieces. They will be demonstrating spinning and weaving.
Belleville Weavers and Spinners Guild
They aim to promote weaving, spinning and other fibre arts in the Quinte area. They will have members spinning fibre and weaving on a table loom.
The Cordwood Folk School
Their homestead is on traditional and unceded Omàmiwininì territory. They are grateful to the ancestors who cared for the land and water that surrounds them since time immemorial. They recognize the injustices of the past and today, and the need to reconcile. The workshops and courses that they offer are guided by the following three categories: Traditional Craft, Folk Art, and Practical Skill. The techniques, skills and artforms learned in any one class will help you follow a more capable, confident, resilient and creative path forward. Their instructors are highly skilled and passionate about their craft. Each class offers a unique experience in that people from all walks of life can join through a common interest and be in community for a period of time; sharing stories, knowledge and home cooked meals. You can find The Cordwood Homestead's 2026 course listing on their website at www.thecordwoodstudio.com. There, you will also find details on camps, fundraisers, bursaries, community involvement and the products they sell. They will have various works in progress and finished projects on display, so that visitors can get a sense for the diversity of courses that their folk school offers.
County Spinners
Their spinning group meets every month to share techniques and celebrate the art of turning raw fibre into unique, hand-spun yarn. It is a welcoming space where they connect over their latest projects and find inspiration as they spin together. They will be demonstrating yarn spinning, and a few items will be available for sale.
Sheridan College/Bachelor of Craft & Design - Textiles
The Honours Bachelor of Craft & Design -Textiles is a 4-year specialist degree program in textile design, based at Sheridan College, Trafalgar Campus in Oakville Ontario. They will bring a display of student work from their program.
To see all of our vendors please visit our Instagram page or our Facebook page
Other events by Gather:
Outliers - Artists Talking to the Archive
on until June 15, 2026
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Click here for Volunteer form
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Produced by Common Craft and Honey Pie Hives & Herbals
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