May / June 2019 Newsletter

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

Upcoming Programs ​​

June 15  -  ​WWG Meeting /  Stash Sale 
​Annual cornucopia of magazines, books, yarns, tools & equipment! The public is also invited to shop at this event, supporting WWG events and programs.
See whatcomweaversguild.org/events for further information or contact us at [email protected].

Program Notes

Looking Back 
April Meeting - Katherine Larson, Author of “The Woven Coverlets of Norway”
​Kay Larson presented a wonderful overview of Norwegian weaving traditions from the time of the Vikings forward, and along with that, an understanding of the history of textiles in northern Europe.  
The Norwegian weavers, due to the physical isolation of many of their villages, retained a strong and continuous home-based weaving tradition.  In contrast, most other northern European weavers were profoundly impacted by the Industrial Revolution through the change it brought to textile production.  
She described a range of weavings from the humble boat rya, used to protect fishermen in cold open boats, to the more elaborate coverlets woven to decorate the home and display the skill of the weaver.  Kay brought a number of textile pieces she has woven in the Norwegian tradition, and we were inspired to see these pieces.

May 18, 2019   -   Marcia Adams, Twisted Strait Fibers Co-op.
Shepherds, Farmers, Makers and Shop owners are working together to build a cooperative wool processing and spinning mill on the Olympic Peninsula. WWG has featured their lovely video in our newsletter. Check it out here https://www.twistedstraitfibers.com/ 
Marcia Adams, a founding member, presented a thorough background and up to date information on progress, goals, and challenges the Co-op is facing. Three WWG members were inspired to join the co-op at the May meeting. As Marcia stated, this is a "patient money" investment, supporting the goal of bringing locally-grown and spun yarn from farms to shops and makers. 
Looking Forward, June 15, 2019
Get your old and unused yarns, tools and equipment ready to bring to the annual WWG Stash Sale. Let me Carol Berry or Barbara Young know if you want your own table, or donate your oldies to the Guild, as a fund-raiser. If you bring items to donate, if possible please mark them with a "suggested price" as an opening bid, and a "market value" as a "buy it now" price. We will sell these items using a silent auction format. Barbara has silent auction forms, if you have a lot of stuff and can pre-mark it for the sale. Leftovers at clean-up will be donated  to charity. Bring your $$, because there are always awesome bargains to be had. One’s oldie but goodie is another’s awesome! 
Maiwa Field Trip, July 13
The guild’s July meeting will be a field trip to Maiwa Handprints on Granville Island in Vancouver BC, on Saturday, July 13. This is different from our normal meeting time, which would normally be July 20, the third Saturday of the month.
The Netloft at Maiwa is a treasure of textile collections and reference books. Charllotte Kwon, the owner of Maiwa, will talk about some of the textiles from their historical, regional, and artistic perspectives. After that, you can choose to do some shopping downstairs, have lunch on Granville, or visit some other special places on the island.
There is a limit of around 20 people, due to the size of the room. If you would like to attend, please email me to reserve your spot, [email protected]. If you could help by driving please let me know that, along with the number of passengers you could carry.
We’ll plan to be at Maiwa by 10 am, so a departure time from Bellingham should be no later than 8:30 am, and earlier if you want to account for border delays.
Internet Resources/Of interest:
Sew4Home: Learn about fabric weaves
https://sew4home.com/tips-resources/fabric-color-texture/learn-about-fabric-weaves
Informative article with well-written information on the various basic weave structures. Diagrams and photos, including photos of the Jacquard and Dobby Looms currently in use at the Pendleton weaving mill in Washougal, WA.

Contemporary Turkish Weaving
A small group of fine artists are bringing renewed attention to a nomadic practice of weaving by incorporating it into their artworks.
https://hyperallergic.com/499580/weaving-a-new-future-for-a-traditional-turkish-craft/

Loom Manuals: The Weaver’s Friend
The Loom Manual Library was launched in 1990. It is a collection of antique pamphlets and instructional manuals originally printed by small patient loom manufactures who produced and sold 100s of sturdy factory built hand weaving looms to rural America during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Hundreds of these looms are still in use. Many more are waiting to be discovered and used again. Check out the website for manuals and more about these amazing old home production looms. http://www.weaversfriend.com/page1/page1.html?fbclid=IwAR0QbhP0LCJnk4yWzxHmPjsRi1qJf1BV9b0LKn43y55KCKI7CuNIoUqTCy4
Summer 2019 Travel, Connect, Relax, and Learn
June offers two regional opportunities to get away and immerse yourself in an intensive fiber experience: The ANWG Conference in Prince George, BC “Confluences”, and the Stehekin Spinning Rendezvous Revival. If you have questions about the Rendezvous activities, contact Molly Gerhard at [email protected]

Thanks!
Carol Berry, Program Chair

Jansen Summer Textile Classes, from Sheri Ward

  •  ​Beginning Weaving, Wednesdays, May 29 – June 19, 1-4 pm with Marcia Ford; $145 plus $10 materials fee
  • Sewing with Handwovens, Wednesdays, July 10-24, 2-4 pm with Sheri Ward; $90
Summer dye days
We are planning some dye days at the Jansen Art Center over the course of the summer. If you’re interested in any of these, put the dates on your calendar now, and after June 1, visit https://www.jansenartcenter.org/textiles-studio/ to register.

  • Tray dyeing with cotton scarves, Tuesday, July 9, materials fee to include the cost of the scarf plus dyes
  • Parfait dyeing with silk scarves, Tuesday, July 23,materials fee to include the cost of the scarf plus dyes
  • Block printing on small cotton squares, Tuesday, Aug 6, using thickened Procion MX dyes, materials fee to include cost of the fabric squares plus dyes
  • Wool and silk variegated dyeing for yarns, Tuesday, Aug 27, materials fee to include the cost of the dyes. Participants should bring their own prepared skeins of wool or silk yarns
  • Ice dyeing with cotton scarves, Tuesday, Sept 24, materials fee to include the cost of the scarf plus dyes. Participants may bring their own prepared skeins of cotton yarns
  • Cotton variegated dyeing with yarns, Wednesday, Sept 25, materials fees to include the cost of the dyes. Participants should bring their own prepared skeins of cotton or linen yarns
For all dye days 
  • Scheduled for 11 am-4 pm
  • Ages adult and 13+ are appropriate
  • Fee is $10 plus materials fee; $10 paid at time of registration, materials fee paid on the day of the workshop
  • Registration deadline is 4 days prior to the event

Some classes in the planning stages for fall quarter are:
  • Beginning Weaving with Marcia Ford
  • Rag Rug Weaving with Marcia Ford
  • Double Weave with Sheri Ward
  • Rigid Heddle Weaving with Kelley Dragon
  • Felting with Donna Hunter
  • Tapestry with Joyce Noordmans
  • Spinning with Chris Paul
To see details and to register, visit https://www.jansenartcenter.org/textiles-studio. Beginning Weaving is listed on the Jansen's website at http://www.jansenartcenter.org/textiles-studio/  Around June 1. Sewing with Handwovens will appear, and classes planned for fall will appear around Aug 1.

Two New Group Projects at the Jansen Textiles Studio

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Block Twill Tea Towel
The 2-block twill "window pane" draft from the “18 Towels on 8 Shafts” book is on the loom! This warp offers many pattern variations. Cost is $10 loom use fee per person, and $5.00 per towel for warp materials.  Provide your own weft. Suitable wefts are 22/2 cottolin, 16/2 linen, 8/2 and 5/2 cotton, or similar weights in cotton or linen. We put 20 yards of warp on the loom, to accommodate the 10 people who have signed up to weave one or two towels each. A waiting list is forming for the next warp. Contact Carol Berry with questions. [email protected]
 
Wide Wool Blanket Project
Plans are being made for weaving wool blankets in 2-block twill, on the 60” wide Glimakra Loom. Cost will be $20 loom use fee per person, and each person will purchase their own warp and weft materials. “Tuna” Swedish wool blanket yarns from Glimakra is recommended. The threading will be 10 EPI, (600 ends) and the warp for each blanket can be 3 or 4 yards long. We will measure each warp separately and tie on to a dummy warp for each blanket. Each weaver will be able to choose their own colors, from the 100+ colors available. A group meeting will be scheduled to discuss the project, decide on a threading pattern, and plan a group order for the yarns.
If you are interested, Contact Carol Berry with questions. [email protected]

Jansen Art Center News

Eco Printing Workshop and Presentation
Christine Mauersberger will be offering a 3-day workshop at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden. Before her visit here, she’ll be leading two workshops for the Whidbey guild, and after her workshop here, she’s going to Maiwa to teach a workshop as part of its School of Textiles. The other workshops will focus more on mindful stitching and personal journal-keeping. This workshop is the only one that will focus on eco printing, with stitching included.

ECO PRINTING ON SCARVES, PAPER AND HAND STITCHING
with Christine Mauersberger, Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 23-25, 9 am – 4 pm
Eco-prints are created by layering wool scarves or paper with local leaves. Then bundled together, tightly bound and boiled in water. This process creates a permanent transfer of pigment from the leaves to the material. No external dyes, inks or paints are used in eco printing. All color and pattern come from the plants themselves. Days one and 2 will be spent eco printing on wool scarves and paper. Day 3 will be spent hand-stitching on our eco printed scarves and paper. Participants will take a short hike or bring wind fallen leaves to the studio. Each participant will be able to print several scarves, up to 4 each. Students should wear comfortable clothes and sturdy walking shoes.
About Christine:
Christine Mauersberger is known for her hand-stitched work that evokes singular moments in time. She uses the form of the humble stitch as a tool for inward as well as an outward expression of her inner life and as a message to the external world. The workshop is based on her own studio practice in which she uses photographs, drawing, and thinking as a tool to inform an intuitive style of hand stitching. You will be guided through exercises to translate what you see, think, or dream into hand stitched work.
For this class, registration is $295, $265.50 for Jansen Art Center members, and there is a materials fee of $40.
More information about this workshop is on the Jansen’s website.
She will also present a program on Eco Printing, which will be the guild’s program and meeting for the month of October. Please note that this meeting will be on Oct. 26, rather than Oct. 19, our usual meeting time. The program will be presented at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden, and admission is by donation.

ECO PRINTING PRESENTATION
with Christine Mauersberger, Saturday, Oct. 26, noon – 2 pm
Christine Mauersberger is internationally known for her hand-stitched work that evokes singular moments in time. Her work ranges in size and media from stitching on found leaves to creating room-sized installations. Christine will share stories of her career in contemporary textile art through the use of the ubiquitous stitch.
“When I was young, the sound of my mom at the sewing machine was the sound of comfort in the evening; it was the sound of home and that all was well. It is not surprising that the act of sewing is deeply rooted in my work and that it draws on the memory of earlier times.”
Admission is by donation.
More information about these workshops is on the Jansen’s website.
Announcement
Note from Chris Paul & Cynthia Poppe: SpiNit won't be meeting at the Jansen Art Center from April through September but plan on starting up again in October.  Will keep you posted on that for sure.

From other guilds and Study Groups

Spindrifters Meetings: 
Spindrifters meet the 2nd Saturday of the month and share with Skagit County. To be added to their e-mail list contact Tina [email protected]. There you have it: You are always welcome at the "J" on Thursdays which is open studio from 11-7. Happy Spinning!! Chris Paul. [email protected].
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Workshops in Fibers and other interesting stuff: 
Dyeing, soaps, lotions, felting, spinning, weaving, botanicals… Please check my website as my schedule is always changing and usually current.
Liz Moncrief, www.aweaversway.com, 970-692-3949
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From the Whidbey Weavers Guild: 
Meetings are on the first Thursday of the month and run from 10:00 to 2:30, bring your brown bag lunch and cup. Meeting place: 15 NW Birch Street, Coupeville WA 98239, www.whidbeyweaversguild.org.

Small Looms Group, from Sharon Allen 
First Saturday of every month at Bellingham Library for the active Small Looms Group. Join in on the fun with your Inkle, tapestry, tablet weaving, rigid heddle or any loom small enough to bring to the library!
Pacific NW Wool Drop-In Studio
Kelley Dragon, WWG member, spinner, and owner of Pacific NW Wool (Awesome Carded Fiber for spinning and felting) is opening her work studio the fourth Sunday of every month, from March through October. Drop-in times are Noon to 4 pm. Bring something you are working on, buy wool, see the machinery, spend time with other lovely, artistic people. The Pacific NW Wool work studio is located in the Grandview Business Center, on Portal Way between Ferndale and Custer. Suite 102. Please email Kelley if you have questions, [email protected].
www.pacificNWwool.com
Interest Groups and Mentoring
Are you interested in a technique, weave structure, type of loom, particular fiber? A countermarche loom group is starting, members get together for plant dying and eco-printing; spinners love to spin together, folks are weaving gifts for the Salish Canoe Journey, Sprang is a thing; Small Looms, Inkle, Tablet weaving, finger Weaving, Rigid Heddle… what is your thing? Find a mentor or be a mentor. Shout it out and share the learning, practice and fun.

Announcements

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Confluences 2019 Prince George, BC 
​Conference begins in 6 weeks!Registration continues. There is something for everyone with a great choice of Pre-Conference Workshops and Conference tickets available. Tickets still available for 15 workshops and 63 seminars. Opening & Keynote, Fashion Show, Exhibits, Market Hall, Special Interest Meetings and more.

What’s New – keeps you up to date with a series of blog posts on Masters of the Craft instructors and other information.
Volunteer Form is available for those interested in giving us a hand with many of the front line and behind the scenes activities that make an extraordinary conference for the attendees.
Market Hall - check out the updated list of Vendors, more are being added as they confirm attendance.
Consignment Booth in the Market Hall for used fibre arts equipment only. There will also be a bulletin board to post your used fibre arts equipment at no cost. Contact Birthe at [email protected] for more information.
Prince George – Something for Everyone has Where To Stay, What To Eat, Things To Do, Services and more.

Fluff and Stuff there will be fibre available to spin and to knit with the end product being a 15 cm or 6 inch knitted square. The squares will be donated to our local Cancer Agency Center of the North to be sewn together as lap blankets for patients to use while receiving treatment. So bring your patterns and knitting needles, some needles will be available. If you wish to donate a knitted square or two you have already completed they can be dropped off while registering. Thank you for supporting our local Cancer Agency.
Thank you to all those who have registered and we look forward to seeing you in June.
NW Art Beat (from Liz Moncrief)
NW Art Beat is a free, self-guided tour of Skagit Art Studios; Inviting juried artists from Skagit, Island, San Juan, Snohomish and Whatcom Counties to show their work and process.
We have an exciting and diverse line-up of artists showing work in acrylics, ceramics, clay, drawing, encaustics, glass, fiber arts, found & recycled objects, jewelry, mixed media, oils, pastels, photography, sculpture, watercolor, wearables, wood and furniture.
Here is a special invitation from me, Liz Moncrief, Studio #2 on the tour, to drop in for a short glass of wine or tasty treat.  I’m located on the north end of Skagit Valley with easy access.  
Go to NWArtBeat.com for a map and list of studios.
Knitting and Physics (from Sheri Ward)
Here's a fun read, which connects knitting with physics and computer programming.
Sapori & Saperi, Flavors and Knowledge of Italian Artisans is a blog/newsletter, website, and tour company you will want to know about. Go to https://www.sapori-e-saperi.com for Textile Tour opportunities in Italy, fascinating info about Italian textiles and artisans, and yummy photos featuring fiber, dyes, spinning, papermaking, baskets, felting pasta, and more
Heddlecraft (from Sharon Allen)
Have you seen Robyn Spady’s digital weaving magazine Heddlecraft?  It is a six times a year resource jam packed with information, samples, .wif files, book reviews, all tailored for weavers using four to eight shaft looms and more.
I recently discovered that Robyn on her Heddlecraft  website  has created a link for all Upcoming Conferences for 2019, and what is known so far for 2020!  
An additional link for On-line Learning Resources is full of access to tutorials, classes, Weave-a-longs, and you guessed it, MORE!
Tempestry Project (from Carol Berry)
Climate Change made visible https://www.tempestryproject.com/
One of the ongoing problems inherent in discussions about climate change is the vast scale of the conversation. The goal of the Tempestry Project, is to transform climate data into something that is accurate, tangible, relatable, and beautiful, by providing data, yarns and instruction for creating a temperature record of a place and year. The Tempestry Project blends fiber art with temperature data to create a bridge between global climate and our own personal experiences through knitted or crocheted temperature tapestries, or “Tempestries.” Each Tempestry represents the daily high temperature for a given year and location. A collection of Tempestries showing different years for a single location creates a powerful visual representation of changing temperatures over time.
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Woven Tempestry Project (modified by Sheila Atwater)
This project was inspired by The Tempestry Project in Anacortes, WA. It was designed for knitting or crocheting to make a visual record of temperatures. It provides a color graph of daily temperature changes over the period of one year. Picking more than one year, several years apart, would show changes in climate.
Being a weaver and not a knitter, I have modified the plan in a few ways to utilize my loom and tapestry yarns to their best advantage. Daily temperatures would create a weaving too long for my loom or such a mash up of colors that they would not accurately show changes from month to month. The “project” also showed temps. From Dec through Jan, so I flipped it around to follow the calendar more closely and went from Jan to Dec, top to bottom.
You can read  the whole article by clicking here.
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Norwegian Textile Letter (from Sharon Allen)
​The Norwegian Textile Letter (NTL) is a quarterly publication for fans of Norwegian (and other Scandinavian) fiber activities, published since 1994. Scholarly or informational articles aim to raise the level of knowledge about historical and contemporary weaving and other textile techniques in Scandinavian countries, and highlight related activities in the United States.
Service Projects (from Carol Berry)
The WWG website will be adding a page especially featuring service and community projects for your reference. Please bring fiber-related service projects to the attention of the guild by making an announcement in a meeting, and sending a note to the WWG board through the website contact page.
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​Wool and Natural fibers at the NWWA Fairs!
August 12 - 17, 2019
Starting in 2019, the Wool show, is more than just wool! Entries into The Wool and Natural Fibers Show, in addition to Wool and natural animal fibers, will now include divisions for Spinning, Weaving, Macrame and Basketry using natural plant fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp, as well as Basketry, using natural plant fibers, including reeds, grasses, wood, cane, bark, etc. These additions to the natural fiber categories will not replace the existing needlework categories. Knitting, crochet and embroidery will continue to enter in the Needlework Department.The Weavers Guild will create and distribute a “Tip Sheet” to aid in preparing your entries for the Fair, including dates, Categories, Divisions, classes and step-by-step instructions.
​Spend a Day at the Fair!
Start thinking about what you might like to demonstrate or help with at the Fair this year. The Rotary building is a lovely and cool place to be in August, with moo-wiches just up the way! Spinners, weavers, felters, basketmakers, make plans to show your stuff, and help the public learn more about fibers and what we love to make out of them. The Fair is August 12- August 17, 2019. Some help is needed the previous week as well, for taking in entries, set-up, and display. Hope you can be there, it is such fun! Yes, the big Swedish Loom will be set up again this year. We hope to have a flax spinning demonstration, and chair caning too! It’s easy to drop of your spinning wheel and materials right at the Rotary Building, and Volunteers get free admission to the Fair.
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Corazon Journey: Women’s Work in the Oaxacan Highlands
Oaxaca, Mexico
Wednesday, October 9th -Saturday, October 19th, 2019

Explore and Learn
Nine Nights and Eight Days
Cost: $1895 (If deposit is made by July 10th 2019)
Includes a $200 donation to the Oaxacan programs we will be visiting.
Final payment is due on August 25th.
Deposit:  $800 to secure your place. (nonrefundable)
$2095  after July 10th, 2019
Included: lodging, all in country transportation, guides, entrance fees, cooking class, all breakfasts, three lunches and three dinners, $200 donations to local programs.
Excluded: air transportation, meals not included in the program, activities during free time, travelers’ insurance.
Highlights:
Oaxacan city tour, including an overview of its history and culture, with stops at the beautiful Santo Dominqo Church and the Santa Domingo Museum.
Two days with the women of Vida Nueva, where we will learn about their rug weaving techniques, including the use of natural tints.  We will also learn about their activism in their community.
​Observation of the Festival of Rosario, noteworthy for its traditional dance and parade.
Time to enjoy the nightly festivities and dancing at the Oaxaca Zolcolo (city square.)
Day trip to CEDICAM (Centro Educativo Desarrollo Integral Campesinos Alta Mixteco) to learn about their women’s greenhouse program, farm tour and overview of sustainable farming strategies.
Cooking class with Chef Gerardo Aldeco Pinelo at La Cocina Oaxaqueña will feature an early morning market visit to select fresh food for the day’s preparations and will include instructions on making Oaxacan's world famous moles.
Visit to the ruins of Monte Alban. 
Daytrip to village of San Martin Tilcajete to visit the studios of Alejbrije artists.