Blog Posts - Whatcom Weavers Guild

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.

April 2018 Newsletter

3/31/2018

Spring Weaving, for Summer Singing

I have volunteered to weave 10 yards of wool cloth, for use in the “Waulking the Wool” demonstration at the Skagit Valley Highland Games. Waulking songs are traditional, as the singing helps create a rhythm for the time it takes a group to full the yardage. Getting into my yarn closet for some “spring cleaning”, I came across 20 skeins of Scottish Shetland wool, in 15 different shades, ranging from mauve to ocean to moss to plum, 150 yards each. At 12 epi, 22”wide, this is just enough for an 11 yard warp, and that cone of black heather, also from Scotland, will work for the weft. The yarns were all gifted to me from weaver’s estates or over-stashes, and I’m thrilled to be using them up. The warp is measured, see the photo! I have two months to weave the cloth, in time for the 24th annual Skagit Valley Highland Games. I may or may not have Celtic ancestry, who knows? – And I don’t sing, but I love to weave and can’t wait to get going!
I can’t wait to see what you are weaving, knitting, spinning, felting, stitching this spring.

Best,
Carol Berry
Program Chair

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.

March 2018 Newsletter

2/27/2018

Happy March! Although winter isn’t quite finished with us, the bulbs are beginning to poke their heads above ground and buds are beginning to set, and in no time, our days will be longer, warmer, and brighter with the colors of spring. Great inspiration for a fiber project, don’t you think?
Our Saturday Guild meetings are going well. Join us to share your work and ideas, learn more about what’s going on in the fiber community, and make new friends. If you have questions about weaving or a loom, bring them; if you have an idea you’d like to share, share it; if you have a challenge you’d like to start, bring it. Let’s all make the best guild, ever!
This coming month, we will be taking a field trip to the Whatcom Museum to see “Rooted, Revived, Reinvented: Basketry in America”, and hear Polly Adams Sutton talk about her cedar bark basketry.
I hope to see you all, soon. In the meantime, create!

Kathy Hutchinson
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.

February 2018 Newsletter

1/31/2018

Hello Fiber Friends:

It is nice to see new and returning members with interest in varied fiber related creations all of which are shared at each meeting.

Your membership keeps you connected with this great group of makers and collectors of fibers and string; expensive, shinny, dull, lumpy, fuzzy, soft, scratchy, stretchy, colorful, others left overs, you name it, we are into fiber & string. Making amazing towels, scarves, shawls, garments, rugs, wall hangings, and blankets to name a few. Looking forward to another year of fun and interesting times together.

Cathy Thompson
Treasurer/Librarian

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 2018 Newsletter

12/31/2017

Hello Fiber Friends:

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope your holidays were filled with peace and joy.
Have you made your New Year resolutions, yet? I hope you included “create and share the craft I love with others”, as one of your resolutions. I know I am grateful to all of you who have inspired and shared your craft with me over the years, whether it be weaving, spinning, knitting, felting, carving, beading, basketry, or other fiber related crafts. And, I know as Guild members’, we inspire others in the community to learn, inquire, and appreciate our craft.

One of the ways we can continue this is through outreach events. Last year, we participated in 5 exhibits, and we are starting this year with a bang, also! In March, members will be holding a skill share event at the Everson Library for children and adults to learn more about weaving. There will be hands-on demonstrations of weaving projects that participants can take home, and hopefully be inspired to continue to learn more about the craft. If you would like to join us, please let us know: we will be talking about it again at the January meeting.
I look forward to seeing you at the January meeting!

Best,
Kathy Hutchinson
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 2017 Newsletter

12/12/2017

Happy Holiday season to everyone! Not too much snow so far, lots of rain and wind—and the grandkids want a White Christmas of course. I hope your creative efforts, whether for gifts or shows, are successful. This will be my last newsletter as your editor— after five years, time to hang up the keyboard and camera. Our Guild is very fortunate, amongst our new members, to have great talent to move us into the next phase—updated website and a blog! Thank you, Katia Paroczi. More information will be coming your way to help you use the new tools. Being your Newsletter Editor has been most fulfilling and I am very thankful for all the encouragement and contributions.

Happy Weaving and Happy Holidays to all.

Pat Fisher, Newsletter Coordinator

To read the entire newsletter please click here.

November 2017 Newsletter

11/4/2017

What more can be said? We had a wonderful Fibers & Beyond Show, the weather is still with us and the colors are a great inspiration for creativity. See inside for news on more shows by our fellow artists and crafters; if you missed F&B, find photos of the fun times. And take a look in our classifieds—some irresistible new offerings! It’s our time of the year, folks—happy creating for the Holidays.

Happy Weaving!

Pat Fisher, Newsletter Coordinator

To read the entire newsletter please click here.

Congratulations to Charllotte Kwon!

11/4/2017

"A business leader, teacher, promoter, non-profit founder and a textile artist in her own right, Kwon has worked for over 30 years to advance the practice and appreciation of textile arts here in Canada and across the globe. An expert in natural dyes, she has traveled the world, studying, teaching, and working with artists in traditional techniques in India, Peru, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and here at home in Canada. Through documentaries, books, workshops and symposiums, she shares her love of textile arts with an audience both in and outside of the craft community.
Through the many branches of her Maiwa organizations, including a Research Library and Textile Collection, the international Foundation, Production company, School of Textiles, and three retail stores, Kwon’s work is felt on every level of craft, assisting international artists and Canadian artists in exchange, professional development and market access.
Described as “passionate, generous, indefatigable, and always proudly Canadian” by her nominator, tapestry artist Barbara Heller, Charllotte is “a visionary who consistently puts her philosophy into practice. Her work in craft education and sustainable production has inspired Canadian textile artists for decades.”
Having gone above and beyond to connect and support artists and to draw incomparable attention and engagement to the textile arts, Kwon has made a lasting impact worthy of national recognition.
The 2017 award was presented on September 14th, 2017, during the Canadian Crafts Federation’s Community Craft Social, during the CCF’s annual conference, “Intersections & Interconnexions”.

October 2017 Newsletter

10/2/2017

It’s October! Lovely crisp fall air, still sunny days but we all know the rain can’t be far away. The buzz is building—Fibers & Beyond is only 10 days away. Are you ready? Signed up for classes? Ready for the sale? What can you do to make this an even greater show than last year? You too can help advertise our fabulous event— see page 7 for ideas. Host your friends and family—many of them would love the opportunity of not only visiting our show, but maybe even a first time trip to the inspiring Jansen Art Center. Do you have some spare time to help out at the Sale? Marilyn Olsen would love to hear from you—see her note on page 3.

All sorts of news inside on shows being hosted by our sister ANWG Guilds—don’t miss out! And the Small Looms Group is back in operation on Saturday, October 7th—see Sharon Allen’s note on page 3. And of course, if you are looking for a loom to purchase, we have them in our Classifieds at the end of newsletter, with photos!

Happy Weaving!

Pat Fisher, Newsletter Coordinator

To read the entire newsletter please click here.

September 2017 Newsletter

9/4/2017

And here we are, off to a brand new Weavers Guild year, with a fabulous Fibers and Beyond event coming up in October and an incredible list of programs stretching into the New Year.
But let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. The newsletter is crammed with inspiring news about events, near and far—take a look and find just what you are looking for. Big News! We are changing our monthly meeting, after much discussion. We are now meeting on the third Saturday of each month, with a plan for every month, 10am to 2pm, in the same locale (St James Church on 14th Street in Fairhaven aka Bellingham). See page 4 for details of our upcoming exciting programs.
Have you registered to be a part of Fibers and Beyond? Classes, exhibit or the sale? See pages 5-7 for the latest on classes and registrations. And yes, there is still time to register for any of exhibit, classes and sale. Talking of classes, the list of the Jansen fall sessions is on page 10—a full page! Deciding which one or ones will be the tough part. Looking for a new loom (particularly a starter loom) - check out our classifieds, pages 17 and 18.
OK Fall, we’re ready!

Pat Fisher, Newsletter Coordinator

To read the entire newsletter please click here.

Midsummer Newsletter

8/3/2017

I hope everyone is enjoying a great summer! It’s going by too fast, of course. Just a short newsletter this time, but with lots of events to think about:
Stash Sale, Dye Studio and open house at Jansen—August 5
The Wool Show—August 14—19
Fibers and Beyond - October 11—14

Lots to think about, be in and go see!

Pat Fisher, Newsletter Coordinator.

To read the entire newsletter please click here.