Whatcom Weavers Guild - News(letters)

Newsletters

The Whatcom Weavers Guild publishes a monthly newsletter September through June of each year with periodic updates and supplements sent to the group. Newsletters are sent to members via e-mail whenever possible. Members without e-mail addresses receive the newsletter in the postal mail. Submissions of items of interest are encouraged. Please e-mail your submission to the Newsletter Publisher by the 25th day of the month to be included in the following month's newsletter which is typically distributed during the first week of each month.
Members may advertise in the newsletter for free. A $5 minimum donation is requested for any non-member (non-commercial) wishing to advertise, payable to the Guild Treasurer prior to publication. Commercial entity rates are $5 minimum donation for members and $7 minimum donation for non-members -- payable prior to publication.

February 2020 Newsletter

2/3/2020

The snow melted in the nick of time for many of us to make it to our January 18 meeting! A few discoveries made during this week of snow covered isolation: I can shovel snow. Snow is heavier when it’s starting to melt. When the best choice is to stay inside, I can weave a towel in an afternoon, and sew the finishing edge on a rug in a day. I discovered I can weave on my rigid heddle loom while a small dog naps on my lap. Even though daffodil fronds are very cute poking up through a blanket of sparkling white, I’m glad it’s gone. Even though shoveling snow for an hour earns 10 WW fitness points, I’m glad it’s gone. Even though I wove two towels and a scarf while “trapped” inside, I’m glad it’s gone. Even though my new snow boots tested well for warm and dry in the snow, I’m glad it’s gone.

Before the snow, when people could still travel, I had help getting 10 yards of warp on my 8-shaft loom, for a block twill towel project. This is the structure we’ve been weaving as a group at the Jansen Center, but I had not done a block twill project at home for a couple of years. The draft is from Madelyn van der Hoogts’s Weaver’s School samples and creates an optical effect. Block twill is a straightforward threading and I have a system for managing the threading units, so imagine my consternation when I made a major mistake threading the blocks! After taking out three-fourths of the threads, rearranging the heddles and re-threading, the pattern is worth the wait. An extra block appeared somehow in the treadling of the first towel. After that I took a break to rewrite the treadling diagram larger and clearer, and tape it to the castle, with a pencil handy for marking off each block as I weave it. This is not a pattern that lends itself to a lot of playing around with stripes and color variations so it is a good discipline practice for me, using just one color for each towel.
After the snow, a small group of WWG members traveled north and were welcomed by the Greater Vancouver Weavers Guild. Toby Smith presented a delightful slide talk, showing the way that stories can inform the design of our ordinary weaving, embedding information about home and the visual experiences of travel. We plan to invite Toby to present a program for the WWG in 2020. In the meantime, thinking about color and story, I am working on my 2020 Color Challenge project, based on Linda Rees’s yarn wraps. I am eager to see what everyone creates!

At home, or out and about, here’s hoping that your projects are satisfying, your companions are compatible, and your boots are dry.

Warmly,

Carol Berry,
2019-2020 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

January 2020 Newsletter

12/30/2019

I don’t care if it rains or freezes,
As long as I have my yarns and fleeces
Piled up on my loom and at my wheel.
I can wile away many an hour
As winter wields its mighty power,
Sitting at my loom and by my wheel…

This year starts with gratitude for my yarns and fleeces, and a lovely warm, light and larger space for weaving and sewing. The hours of daylight are short, but not getting any shorter. With the holidays past and outdoor work not viable for a while, this is my favorite time of year for fiber work. Come to find out, January is officially “knit for yourself month” where we let go of the projects for loved ones, and settle into some restorative knitting, on projects that may have been put aside or put off in favor of getting the gifts finished. From now until the daffodils start coming up, it’s weaving time for me! Getting serious about my color challenge project: I have the inspiration, the yarns, the plan, and the loom I want to use. Which has a project on it: a painted warp that didn’t turn out as originally envisioned. Sampling now, with four yards of opportunity to adapt something ventured into something useful, in a timely manner.
The new studio space also provides room for more than one person at a time, and a table for meeting and finishing. Friend and neighbor Judy asked to learn to weave in November, has now completed two scarves on the rigid heddle loom. We are setting up a course of study, and she’ll be introduced to the four-shaft floor loom next week (weaving with hands AND feet!) The guild has welcomed several new members recently, and that may include Judy in the year to come.
Other regional Guilds are talking about a “Noh Coat Challenge” for 2021, based on fashion icon Bonnie Cashin’s design, and this will be introduced at the January WWG meeting. January 18 will find us meeting in Bellingham, at St. James Presbyterian Church, for a warm picture show, with hands-on textiles, recounting members Marilyn Olsen and Sheri Ward’s amazing month-long trip to India, on a Maiwa Textile Tour. We will also talk about programs and activities for 2020. The meeting starts at 10 am, bring your sack lunch, and whatever is hot off your needles, spindle or loom!

Warmly,

Carol Berry,
2019-2020 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

December 2019 Newsletter

12/6/2019

Is it really December? - The last Newsletter of 2019, looking ahead to 2020.

Well, it is cold dark and wet outside, nights are long, and I am spinning my fleeces! Okay, last night I got the spinning wheel upstairs, picked out an already carded bat, spun two bobbins full, and plied them into a pretty nice 75 yard worsted weight skein. It’s a start. My Ashford traditional, a wedding present from Great-Aunt Bertha (yes, I really did have an Aunt Bertha, a supporter of handcrafts) is still in good shape. I’m not ready to enter my yarn in the NWWA FAIR, but I have time to work up to that. We are not officially thinking about the Fair just yet. As I write, the pecan pie has not yet been baked for Thanksgiving, though it will have been consumed by the time you read about it. It is past time for me to pick out a pattern and measure a warp for holiday towel gifts. Speaking of towels, a new group project is starting at the Jansen Center. Folks can’t get enough of the 8-shaft block twill towels in cottolin, so we are doing it again! The loom is scheduled to be warped December 12. My towels at home are going to be a four-shaft M’s & O’s, in bright stripes this time. I want to see bright patches of color with plain weave color blends. The waffle weave washcloths of last month are ready and waiting to be hemmed. Many of us are still floating on a cloud of inspiration from visiting Anita Mayer’s studio and Anacortes in October, the WWG fall field trip. Anita generously opened her studio, sharing her artistic process, highlights of her life and travels, and showed her latest projects. At 87 , she is still working on new projects! We were joined by new WWG members and a number of Jansen Center affiliates, and had a great time. The December meeting promises to be just as much fun, with Donna Hunter leading a hands-on activity, of felted ornaments. We meet in Bellingham at St James Church on 14th street on Saturday December 21. Bring your show and tell, and a hot dish, appetizer or dessert to share for our annual holiday potluck meeting.
I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

November 2019 Newsletter

11/3/2019

Double Gratitude! For the reprieve from rain that allowed me to plant daffodil and tulip bulbs that have been resting in the refrigerator crisper drawer since September...And for the back healing that allows for shoveling and raking! Then, to work on a set of waffle weave washcloths. DH (darling husband) mentioned earlier this summer that the face cloth supply in our bathroom was running low and threadbare. Who knew he paid attention to these things? And continued with an observation as to someone he knew could probably weave some really nice replacements… well, it’s been a few months. One has to think these things through. First thought: red cottolin warp, 24 ends per inch, with a variety of colors as weft, because I love red, and it’s so fun to see the color variations in waffle. Then some math, working out the stripes, waffle units, warp with two colors in each pass, or three? This somehow evolved to organic natural colored cotton, because I have some in 8/2, and of course we want soft organic cotton on our faces. The Swedish cottolin is GOTS eco-certified, but I do love the American Maid Organic Cotton from Lunatic Fringe. ...Making yarn selections based on USING WHAT I HAVE, letting the planning evolve... I “discovered” two 8 oz cones of 3/2 natural cream colored organic cotton on the shelf. Really. And happened to have two 1.5 oz cones of 3/2 natural colored organic cotton in dark brown and dark green. What about switching to 15 ends per inch and using the 3/2? These will be some plushy, cushy waffle washcloths. Has anybody besides me been coveting a waffle weave bath towel? Washcloths are a good start. To be done before Thanksgiving, for host/ess gifts, as well as our own use. If they turn out well, I will have to make more!

Hoping you are enjoying your own fiber projects, and that we see each other soon, for some show and share.

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

October 2019 Newsletter

10/1/2019

Two surprise gifts showed up in my life in late September. One, injuring my back – not permanent but painful, and demanding of gentle attention and care. Two, yarn (of course). The more welcome gift is a large spindle full of fine single-ply cotton from Africa, reportedly spun by a woman with a “cotton tree” in her yard. The spindle is broken, which makes winding the cotton off to use it a slow, careful process. A task I would be likely to leave until “later” except that sitting and slowly winding for 30 minutes at a time fits into my physical therapy. After a week of this, I am sure I’ve been given a magic spindle, because the yarn never ends! I have filled 17 bobbins, have an idea for a scarf to weave using this cotton as a decorative weft, and there is still yarn on that spindle! The back is healing, and I am learning “core confidence” with the help of an awesome physical therapist.
Are you planning to come out to Fiber Fusion October 19 and 20? October is a bit of a change-up, with our meeting held on October 26 (the fourth Saturday), to accommodate the teaching schedule of our October program presenter, Christine Mauersberger. That means October 19, normally the WWG meeting day, is a Fiber Fusion field trip opportunity! Over 70 regional vendors (plus fiber animals, classes & exhibits) will be there, including two WWG members: Kelley Dragon, creator and purveyor of fine carded wool, and spindle maker and shuttle carver Allen Berry. I will be there both days, volunteering in some capacity, and hope we can meet up!
Looking forward to a warm and fuzzy October, working on my color challenge project, planning scarves and towels for sale at Jingle Arts in December, and finding the end of the magical African cotton spindle. See you soon,

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

September 2019 Newsletter

9/2/2019

Fleeces are wonderful…to a point, as I think about fairy tales and legends where the heroine is overwhelmed to the point of despair by the fiber piled up around her. Can anyone else relate to this tale of material abundance and self-imposed woe? This is the time of year when, between canning and freezing produce from the garden (plums this week), it’s time to look forward to those fall and winter projects. All my fleece is now washed! Now to schedule and stick to a day for drum carding. Then, I really am going to spin that wool into yarn. No deal with Rumpelstiltskin will I make, and no sticking my finger with a spindle and sleeping for 100 years. Of course, an abundance of yarn can be an issue too. The natural gray and dark brown fingering and lace weight I bought from Wild Rose Farm at Fiber Fusion last year, with a glowing idea for a deflected double weave scarf, is still on the table in my studio. It has to be up next, so I can show the final product to the folks at Wild Rose Farm at Fiber Fusion THIS year. And, I really need to make towels in the colors of my zinnia flowers. So gorgeous and bright! But first, I’m off to work with the Jansen Textile team to install the Fall Fiber Showcase, featuring local weavers Linda Rees and Nancy Bjerke, along with Weavers Guild and Jansen Textile Group members. The showcase in the Library Gallery will be continued in the downstairs Textile Foyer. Opening Reception on September 5, and the exhibits will be up for viewing through November 28. See you soon!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

August 2019 Newsletter

8/3/2019

Hello Fiber Friends,
Other than the basil in my garden (come and get some - I have already put up 6 jars of pesto) it isn’t harvest time yet - feels like summer just started, actually - but the “getting the crop in” work of getting entries ready, and all the organization for the Fair is in full swing now. I am busy! We’ll be weaving rugs on the big loom, weaving with kids, demonstrating tapestry weaving, spinning, felting, and more. New this year: There are now added Divisions and Ribbons for Basketry, Weaving, Macrame in cotton, linen, hemp, wood, bark, cane, along with the traditional wool and animal fibers. Cotton and linen towels, table linens, scarves, plus baskets, caning, and macrame all have a place at the Fair! Featured will be Linda Rees, a nationally known artist, writer, and a founding member of the Whatcom Weavers Guild. We’ll show six large tapestry rugs from Linda’s 50 year career.
Thursday, the Felters will give a hands-on demonstration; Friday, Lydia and Jared Strand will be there to present a “Meet the Shepherds” Q & A session. They will leave the sheep at home, but bring fleeces, yarns, and answer your questions about local yarns and sustainable fiber systems. Of course, there will be spinners and weavers every day. That’s what we do!

See you at the Fair August 12-17!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

July 2019 Newsletter

7/7/2019

Summer is here! July brings rhubarb custard pie, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, basil pesto, Dye Days outside in the garden, and...weaving wool yardage for the Skagit Valley Highland Games! The 25th Annual Skagit Valley Highland Games are July 13th & 14th, 2019, at Edgewater Park in Mount Vernon, WA. The traditional practice of fulling yardage accompanied by singing and scottish music is amazing! The finished yardage comes back beautifully fulled and ready for sewing. Who else would like to weave wool yardage for this festival next year? How about a wool weave-along this winter!

The Lummi Nation will host the Paddle to Lummi from July 24 to 18, Sqweshenet Tse Schelangen/Honoring Our Way of Life. Nine WWG members have created 80 handwoven gifts in support of this event. In the Lummi Traibal Center, weaving of traditional shawls and robes has been happening all year. We are honored to add our smaller handwoven pieces, in the tradition of the Lummi and Barber handweaving connection, to the hundreds of gifts that will be given to guests at the ceremonies and potlatch.

The Fair is coming! Are you ready to enter? - New! This year the Wool Show, is now Wool and Natural Fiber Weaving and now includes plant fiber as well as sheep wool and animal fibers, in on and off-loom weaving, caning, basketry basketry and knotting. All the weaving you’ve been doing in cotton, linen, hemp, rayon, bamboo and tencel, now has divisions and classes listed. I expect we will have some wonderful entries, and great fun at the Fair in August.

In closing, I would like to share with you a beautiful statement from The Woven Road (thewovenroad.com), a fiber art podcast and blog. “When we engage in fiber arts, we are creating something, but we’re also participating in historic traditions tens of thousands of years old. You are not only making art for your soul and for future generations, you are embodying the work of our ancestors.”
May you have all the lovely string you need, to keep you happy and connected this summer!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

May/June 2019 Newsletter

5/27/2019

My apologies for the lack of a May WWG Newsletter. I’ve been traveling since April 15, with less internet connectivity and free time than I had expected. To get to my 40th college reunion, we rode Amtrak on a circular route that included Chicago, Kansas City, Santa Fe and Los Angeles. Awesome textiles and more were seen along the way! Some of the highlights included Peruvian textiles, North American native textiles, baskets and beadwork, a tour of the Textile Arts building and student studios at the Kansas City Art Institute, the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe, the Fashion District and LACMA in Los Angeles. Not only were the museums amazing, but there was awesome food at every stop. We found farm-to-table restaurants and lovely museum cafes, keeping us sustained between feasting our eyes on the exhibits. We saw lambs in the fields from the train windows on the way home, and returned to a flourishing garden, including the weeds. Inspiring and refreshing as travel can be, I’m glad to be home!
On another trip, I’d like to get off the train in Minneapolis, for the Textile Center, Swedish/American Institute, and more… If you are interested in a group tour, let’s talk!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.

April 2019 Newsletter

3/31/2019

Spring is really here! Tulips are coming up, lambs are romping around, my madder plants are emerging showing little red sprouts, rhubarb is coming out of the ground looking like an alien. And, I don’t mean to scare you, but April is National Moth Hatching Month. It’s true. I read it on the internet, along with tips from Textile conservators, the Smithsonian Institution, and Martha Stewart, for preventing, and dealing with wool moths and carpet beetles. For the clothes moth, the larval stage (larvae is the form that eats your fiber) will last between two months (a warm humid climate) and six months (a cool climate). So April isn’t the only month when we worry about these things – but here we are.
In Brief: Moths like dirty or dusty wool and dark, warm spaces best. Carpet beetles especially love beer or tomato juice-soiled textiles. Who knew? Cellulosic fibers are not immune. The larvae will munch whatever is in their path. The old saying is “Air and light are the enemy of moths.” So, sorting your stash, cleaning and vacuuming the closet/room/building where you keep your yarns and fleeces, are recommended activities, BEFORE the temperatures get up in the 70’s. Vacuum up dust – the critters can live on wool dust, hair and dead insects (ick) for months, even in a sealed space. Avoid moving questionable fibers into other areas of the house before cleaning. Wash the vacuum nozzle with dish soap and dry it between cleanings, to make sure the tiny eggs aren’t transported.
Alert! Mothballs are not recommended. There are two forms of mothballs: Naphthalene and Paradichlorobenzene (PBD). Both are known animal carcinogens and possible human carcinogens. Check out the websites below for full information, and you’ll know all of what I know about moth prevention and damage control. Happy Spring cleaning! Sorting and caring for your yarn and fiber is always a responsible activity. Using it is the best!
Happy spring spinning and weaving, and don’t forget to practice your knitting outside – World Wide Knit in Public Day is coming up in June!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

To read the entire newsletter please click here.
To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here.
To see who our board members are please click here.
To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.