November 2018 Newsletter

The rains have come, punctuated by glorious color in the trees, and truly wonderful mossy greens underfoot. November can be a perfect time buckle down, take an inventory of projects to start and projects to finish, even take a few hours (or days) to go through the yarn stash, sorting out odds and ends for hats and scarves. It’s nice to slow the pace a bit after all of October’s high-fiber activities. October was exciting! Warp painting, tablet weaving, ply splitting were all new skills for me, learned at Fibers & Beyond. The next weekend, Fiber fusion was amazing! I talked with several fiber farmers, admired the most adorable silver-fleeced baby llama (JNK Llamas, from right here in Whatcom County) and purchased natural-colored Wensleydale/Teesdale cross yarns for a deflected double-weave project. At the Jansen Center Textile studio, a sample of Skagit Valley wool from Harmony Fields is on the big Glimakra loom in preparation for a full-width blanket, in twill blocks, two colors of gray plus natural white. There are now 8 shafts on the big loom, and thanks to the Countermarche workshop in October, it only took me two tries to get the tie-up right. Tip 1: when using all eight shafts on the big loom, 10 treadles must be tied up for balance. Tip 2: re-read the instructions before starting the tie-up. Marilyn Monahan’s big Finnish loom has found new life at the Lummi Tribal Center! A 48” wide robe is being woven on it, in a traditional twill design.
Last week I visited Lydia and Jared Strand’s farm, where their Icelandic and Fine wool Shetland sheep will be expecting lambs in the spring. Wool - the renewable resource so dear to knitters, weavers, felters, is in abundance. Fiber life is good!

All the best,

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

Upcoming Programs

November 17 - The Ann Sutton Collection of NUNO Japanese textiles
The November 17 meeting will have opportunities for outreach and community warming with the hat and scarf project, plus discussion of goals and activities for 2019. Our program speakers will be Diana Sanderson of the Silk Weaving Studio, and her Staff, the Ann Sutton Collection of Nuno Textiles “Team.”

See whatcomweaversguild.org/events for further program information or contact as at [email protected].

Program Notes

Looking Back, October Field Trip
A number of members chose to attend The October 20 field trip to Fiber Fusion Northwest, at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, in Monroe. Fiber Fusion is an annual event, held in October, open to the Public and free of charge. Over 60 vendors, showing and selling dyed yarns, fleeces, fiber, tools and equipment beyond expectations! Lots of fleeces, fleece judging, and lots of workshops and demonstrations, including how to evaluate, choose and prepare a fleece for spinning; and an ongoing spinning circle – you don’t have to wait to try out that gorgeous washed fleece (from Merino to Yak, and everything in between) that hand-carved drop-spindle you couldn’t resist, or test a new wheel. Hope to see you there next year! https://www.fiberfusion.net/

Looking Ahead, November 17
The November WWG meeting will feature Diana Sanderson and staff artists from the Silk Weaving Studio on Granville Island, Vancouver, BC, showing NUNO Japanese textiles from the Ann Sutton Collection.
Nuno is the Japanese word for ‘cloth’ or ‘fabric.’ Nuno textiles are at the forefront of contemporary textile design. They represent a convergence of centuries-old traditions with advanced technologies ultimately transforming how we think about textiles today. Junichi Arai started NUNO in 1984 and in 1987 Reiko Sudo took over as design director. She has continued to push boundaries with contemporary textiles. Reiko is involved in many projects creating small runs of textiles in collaboration with mills and factories in Japan in an effort to keep alive the strong textile skills and traditions in the country and make them available around the world. Ann Sutton is a weaver, prolific writer and active educator who specializes in the use of computerized looms. Ann began collecting Junichi Arai’s work in the early 1980’s and went on to produced textile collections with him in the late 1980’s. In 2013, Diana Sanderson acquired the Ann Sutton collection of Junichi Arai and Nuno works with the promise that it would be made available for viewing to anyone interested. https://www.silkweavingstudio.com/ann-sutton-collection.html
You will not want to miss seeing these amazing textiles and talking with the Ann Sutton Collection Team at the WWG meeting.

Thanks!
Carol Berry, Program Chair

Our guild does outreach in the community through the monthly “Small Looms Clinic” at the Bellingham Library, exhibits at other Libraries, leads programs in schools, and demonstrates during the Wool Show at the Fair in Lynden every summer. We answer questions about how cloth is made, where fibers come from, and share our enjoyment of creating textiles. A recent article in Forbes shares the thought behind a new program emphasizing textiles in the education of future designers. It gives us another reason to demonstrate at the Fair and all the other outreach activities in which a guild can participate. Check out the article, on why textiles matter by clicking here.

And check out this video, about an art school graduate who is finding fulfillment and making her living as a small industrial wool processor. See also the October 10, 2018 post and photos on Fibershed Website.

Jansen Fall Textile Classes, from Sheri Ward

Painting on Fabric, Nov. 6, 11 am – 4 pm with Marilyn Olsen; $55 plus $15 materials fee per session
Felted Boot Slippers, Thursday, Nov. 15, 11 am – 3 pm with Donna Hunter; $45 plus $12 materials fee
Vessels of Light, Saturday, Nov. 17, 10 am – 5 pm with Kay Harradine; $80 plus $35 materials fee
Beginning Weaving, Fridays, Nov. 30 – Dec. 21, 1-4 pm with Sheri Ward; $145 plus $15 materials fee
SpiNit nights, 3rd Thursdays of the month, 6-8 pm; $8 drop-in, $40 for an 8-session punch card

To see details and to register, visit https://www.jansenartcenter.org/textiles-studio

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].

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

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!

Peace Arch Weavers & Spinners, from Donna Hunter
Shop for unique fashion accessories, baskets and home décor, at Fibre Flare, November 9 & 10, 2018 Peace Arch Weavers & Spinners 35th Annual Artisans Sale. Special Features include: Silent Auction, Guest Artisans, demonstrations, Café and Free Parking!
Located at the Turnbull Gallery, South Surrey Recreation & Arts Centre, 14601 20th Avenue, Surrey, B.C.

Announcements

Snow Cap Project 2018 (from B. Snow and K. Hutchinson)
The weather is changing, so get out those knitting needles, crochet hooks, and looms to make something warm for those in need. Please bring them to the November Guild meeting or contact Barbara Snow at [email protected] or Kathy Hutchinson at [email protected]. You’ll be glad you did!

Confluences 2019 Prince George, BC (from Kathy Hutchinson)
The Prince George Fibre Arts Guild invites you to join us for the 2019 ANWG Conference:
The Prince George Fibre Arts Guild is excited to welcome all fibre enthusiasts to join us in our lovely city (the largest city in Northern BC) for Confluences: ANWG 2019 Conference, coming June 11-16th, 2019. Our guild members were inspired by how weaving, spinning, knitting and felting merge together to create unique and beautiful textiles, and want the conference to explore the confluences of these crafts, and celebrate our diversity of skills and knowledge. The theme also reflects the nature of our city, which is located at the confluence of the Fraser River and the Nechako River, is where Highway 97 crosses with Highway 16, and embraces the gathering of many cultures and traditions.
Visit the website for the 2019 ANWG Conference at www.anwgconference2019.com. To view the website, use Edge, Chrome, Foxfire or Safari (Internet Explorer is not supported).
To keep up to date with what is happening, join the mailing list by contacting [email protected].
Presentation given at the AMM 2018 meeting on the ANWG 2019 conference: PDF | PPT

The blog for the 2019 ANWG Conference in Prince George is now up and running! Please check it out for the latest information on the conference. Here is the link: http://confluences2019.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-passion-for.html
The first blog post went live on Saturday and the blog will be updated each Saturday so you will want to keep coming back.

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.

For Sale

Nilus Leclerc 4 harness, 6 treadle 36" beautifully cared for loom.
This is Jo Morgan's loom for sale, submitted by Sharon Allen.
I am asking $300.00. Phone 360 305 0111.

From Nancy Bjerke:
I’m downsizing, and after much consideration, I’ve decided to SELL my Babywolf 8 Harness Loom. Here are the details:
8 shaft Baby Wolf with STROLLER and HIGH Castle TRAY: $1,500.00 comes with 2 reeds.
Schacht Weaving Bench, Maple with 2 side bags: $250.00
All in excellent condition, like new. Great workshop loom because of the WHEELS attached! Fits in the back of SUV’s easily (my Subaru forester, for example).
Please contact me at the following:
Phone and text: 360-201-5141
Email: [email protected] or [email protected].

Wanted

Hello Weavers! I am looking for a 24" Rigid Heddle loom to buy. Dana Zia, [email protected].