November 2021 Newsletter

Sharing the Warmth

Eighteen half-pints of applesauce, stored in the pantry. Thanks to a guild member with an orchard, who gifted me with apples! Two towels and four napkins, off the loom, washed, and ready for hemming! This particular red, orange, and green striped warp went on the loom at the beginning of summer … in my favorite weave structure, turned twill. It waited patiently through the summer, but had to come off, to clear my 8-shaft loom for a new project, in my other favorite weave structure, deflected double weave. The study groups I’m a part of are keeping me motivated. Planning my next weave means, I gotta finish the one on the loom; finishing a set of towels means I gotta finish the band that matches them; and working on a group project means when I get stuck, there are five other people working with that same weave structure to ask for advice. I love seeing what everyone else is doing.

Our October program with Tapestry Artist Rowen Schussheim-Anderson is inspiring me to use paint, markers and colored paper collage to design in a playful and intentional way. Color play, the warmth of fiber, creativity and the satisfaction of making our own things is comforting and healing. We can see progress in one row of knitting, one spindle full of yarn, every inch of weaving. Weaving, sewing, knitting and embroidery, even mending are all therapeutic for me, especially when times are uncertain, weather is wet, windstorms, Monday happens…

We are fortunate to have our crafts to share and community to support us. Most Guild outreach has been curtailed for safety reasons during the pandemic, but we can still share resources. One of our members is a High School teacher and leads a weekly Fiber Arts Club at her school. Knitting, crochet and weaving supplies would really help, as many of the students don’t have money for supplies. I hope you will read her request below, and perhaps you can help out. The Snow Hat and Scarf project is underway again, providing a way to move some of our extra yarn out in wearable form to littles and adults who need the warmth. Having a small project to pick up and knit or crochet is a pleasant retreat from worries and bigger projects too, a win-win!

Warmly,

Carol Berry, President

Final Dahlia Bouquet of the Year

Apples and Squash

Cottolin Towels and Inkle Band

Announcements

Monthly Goodie Bag Drawing

Do you have the winning Ticket??? The October Winner is 6037103Save the blue ticket that came in your Guild Mailer because you could be a winner! Starting in October 2021, each monthly Zoom Guild meeting will feature drawing a Fiber-Themed Prize Drawing. Sometimes more than one. The winning ticket will be drawn and announced at the end of the business meeting, and will be published in the next Month’s newsletter, in case the winner is not present at the meeting. If you have the winning ticket, send a photo of the ticket, with the number visible, to [email protected] with “I won!” in the subject line. You have until the next meeting (in this case November 20, 2021) to claim your prize and arrange to pick it up or have it mailed to you. Unclaimed prizes will go back into the kitty for another drawing. The theme for the October drawing was “Shadow Weave” and the Winning number is… 6037103. The prize includes a double spool holder, black and white spools of cotton/linen weaving yarn, two shuttles, a notebook, lama socks, all packed in a handy project bag, decorated by Sheila Atwater. Mucho thanks to October prize donors Sheila Atwater, Nancy Ridenour and Carol Berry.

Monthly Prize Drawing: Donations accepted

Are you a member of the S.A.B.L.E. club? (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) Do you have a small tool, book, piece of equipment, lovely yarn, or other fiber-y item in like-new condition, that you know you won’t use, but another member might love to use? You can be an honored donor for the monthly drawing and join the fun of developing these Goodie Bags! Future themes may be related to any and all Fiber Crafts: Felting, knitting, crochet, spinning, basketry, papermaking . . . the sky’s the limit! Contact [email protected] with questions, ideas or to arrange to drop off a donation.

Resources: Whatcom Weavers Guild Library

The Whatcom Weavers Guild Library is growing! We have acquired a number of new books from generous donors, and now have a collection of over 700 books, magazines and DVDs. Primarily for weaving, but including all forms of fiber art. The collection is listed online, utilizing Library Thing, a free service for libraries of all types and sizes.

The link is https://www.librarything.com/profile/whatcomweaversguild. A password is not needed. This gives you a list of all the books and magazines in the Library. It doesn't sort by topic and doesn't say if the book is checked out or not.

To find out if a book is available for check out, contact Carol Berry at [email protected] or text 360-920-6152. Put your name and WWG in the text, so Carol will know who is contacting her.

Members can contact Carol to check out a book and pick it up pretty much any day between 9 am and 7 pm. It's also possible to visit the Library and sit down and go through the books, most weekdays 9 am - 4 pm, by appointment.

About the Library Thing website:

It can be a little tricky to figure out, if you go to the website without using the link.

Go to Librarything.com, on the home page type whatcomweaversguild into the search box and then click enter. It thinks you are searching for a book, and finds nothing, BUT then has a list on the left, go down the list and see where it says members. Click on that, then Click on Whatcom Weavers Guild, and you will get to the list of books in the WWG Library.

Anyone can view or search the List, no password is necessary. Again the link is here.

WWG Equipment Library

The Guild has equipment for short-term loan to members. Just a few of the items are a yardage counter, bobbin winder, shuttles, reeds in commonly used sizes, shaft table looms and rigid heddle looms. The complete list and the equipment, resides with Sharon Allen. Contact [email protected] for info or loan arrangements.

Annual Show and Sale of the Seattle Weavers Guild

Did anyone go to this event held from Thursday, October 28 thru Saturday October 29 at Bloedel Hall at St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle? If you did, could you consider writing up a short description about this year’s event for the December newsletter? And, you of course can share at the upcoming November Zoom meeting too. And, the newsletter editor will bake you some brownies or a sour cream coffee cake if you took some photos and will send them to her as JPEG files.

Fiber art supplies needed for a high school fiber arts club

My name is Katie Têtu, I'm a teacher at Lynden High School, and am also the leader of the Fiber Arts Club. This group is now about 21 teens and participate by learning crocheting, knitting and weaving and also working on projects. Their smiles and laughter share that they are enjoying themselves, especially with the current Covid-19 and related situations.

Here's how you can help. I'm looking for supplies for the club. If people could keep their eyes out for inexpensive fiber arts tools like spindles, knitting needles, crochet hooks, frame and pin looms, and yarn that would be great! Or, if you have supplies you're no longer using, please consider donating them for the club. Some of the students have limited resources and there is not a budget for this club.

Please contact me with questions and to arrange for pick-up of donations. Thanks for the assistance and support!

Katie
[email protected]

Upcoming Guild Programs

Here’s a reminder about the current plan for meetings. Our Guild meetings begin at 10:00 a.m. with a business meeting. By about 11:00 a.m. there is usually a short break, followed by the program. A Zoom link is sent to members about a day prior to the meeting and program. While online, please keep yourself muted unless you are the speaker. During a program, it usually works best for most to have their device cameras clicked off though presenters sometimes ask for cameras to be on to gauge about questions.

November 20, 2021 - Liz Moncrief - Handweaving Design using a Computer Program

Liz Moncrief and her husband and dog moved to WA from CO in the spring of 2014 after retiring from the US Forest as a Forester and Land Manager. Liz is a frequent Handwoven author for Yarn Labs, project articles and blogs - many of which cover loom mechanics and repairs. She also rehabs 3-4 looms a year and then adopts them out to students. She instructs beginning weaving for Skagit College and tutors individuals, but also offers several more advanced weaving workshops and guild programs. She maintains a studio for teaching and can be found online at www.aweaversway.com.
Intro to the Marvelous World of Computerized Drafting. This program uses the two major drafting programs available for download onto your own system - Fiberworks and Tempoweave. Both programs offer essentially the same tools, just in a different format. This is designed to be an INTRO to computerized drafting to dazzle the newbies and bring them onboard. Current users will pick up a few tricks, too.

December 18, 2021: Study groups show and tell & virtual holiday potluck

January 15, 2022: Kennita Tully – Sumac.
Learn more about Kennita on her website called My Tapestry Journeys.

From members

Ann Hinz

I recently spent a week at the Grunewald Guild in Plain, Washington (near Leavenworth) teaching/facilitating a "Weaving Our Souls" class. The Grunewald Guild is a retreat center which focuses on the connections between Art and Faith and believes that we are all created to be artists. The focus of my class was encouraging people to let go of all preconceived ideas, to let creativity flow through them and see what happens! We worked with chenille, bamboo and cotton with a plain weave, twill pattern. We had 5 days to design, wind a warp, get it on the loom and weave it in to take a scarf home! It was an intense, exhilarating experience. The Grunewald Guild will be offering classes in the spring and summer; you can find out more on their website.

Marion Scichilone

My attention span for projects lately have been with my pin and small looms. To celebrate 20 years of producing various sizes of quilt and multi looms, available in different wood materials, Hazel Rose, one of the co-owners of Hazel Rose Looms, started a 20th Anniversary WAL (Weave-a-long). The project – suitable for a pillow front or a wall hanging – depicts a red cardinal and uses squares and triangles in just a few colors. I relocated to our area in 2005 so am still learning about birds, trees, moss and other outdoor things in Washington state. So, I’ll be able to enjoy this cheerful looking bird via this project as the northern or “red” cardinal can be found in southeastern Canada, through the eastern United States from Maine to Minnesota to Texas, and south through Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. The WAL runs from October 11 to November 11 and information is available at https://hazelroselooms.blog/hazel-rose-20th-anniversary-wal/. There is also a WAL discussion post happening on Ravelry in the Looms to Go group.
Here’s a work-in-progress photo which also shows the two looms being used:

Discovered and Of Interest!

Your newsletter editor is seeking easy content from all members. Contributions are welcome of informative websites, YouTube videos, info on a book used from WWG library or public library, Pinterest pages, or practically anything else that would be of general interest to members and other readers of our newsletter. Two or three will be included in each newsletter.

New book at Bellingham Public Library called Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken

This is a children’s graphic novel whose main characters are a 14 year old girl, a talented weaver, and a 15 year old boy, a magical messenger who depends on his colorful cloaks. Weather and magic play a part in their effort to prevent a war between two medieval kingdoms. Here’s the link in the library catalog. - Marion

From the Jansen

Jansen Hours

Open hours have expanded to 11-7, Tuesday and Wednesday; 11-9 Thursday; 11-5 Friday and Saturday. Check the J's website if you have any questions, www.jansenartcenter.org.

The tradition of "open studio" on Thursdays has returned, 11 to 5. You are welcome to come in and work on projects, and there will be someone on hand who might be able to help if you encounter a problem of some kind.

At this point, masks are required whenever you're inside the J, unless you're in a room by yourself.

Northwest Yarns, 10% Discount for Guild Members

Northwest Yarns in downtown Bellingham is now offering a 10% discount to Whatcom Weavers Guild members, a good incentive to shop locally. They have the Jaggerspun Heather line on hand, Lunatic Fringe cotton, along with other weaving yarns, and a great array of rovings, tools, and knitting yarns. Go to the LYS’s website for more store information and hours.

Classes and Dye Days at the J

The Textile Studio is planning a full schedule of classes for fall quarter:

Weaving Classes:

Color & Weave with Sheri Ward, Nov. 30 - Dec. 21

Felting classes:

Felted Boot Slippers with Donna Hunter, Nov. 13

Dye Days: the first Thursday of the month, plus a special Halloween event:

Variegated wool dyeing, Thursday, Nov. 4
Parfait dyeing of silk scarves, Thursday, Dec. 2.

Check the J's website for details. Class listings will appear on its website in early August.

Holiday Event at the Jansen Art Center

The J will be hosting a holiday event on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10-4. It will include live music, an artists’ market, and the Textile Studio Stash Sale.

The Textile Studio will have lots of great tools, magazines, and books on offer - you’re sure to find something you need. Check it out for some great bargains!

If you’d like to participate in the artists’ market, contact Jansen staff member Chloe Smith, [email protected]. The tables will be in the piano lounge, the fine arts gallery, and other spaces throughout the building. Cash and checks only. For items sold, there will be a 30% commission for the Jansen Art Center.

Classified Ads

For Sale:

Leclerc Mira 4 shaft counter-balance rug loom. Great condition. Comes with 5 reeds, bench, raddle, small accessories and yarn. $1000
Dundas 24 inch table loom, 4 shaft, reed. $200
Majacraft Little Gem, foldable, double treadle, Delta flyer, spinning wheel. No bobbins. $500

Contact: Laurie Parker, 360-632-8958. [email protected]. Lopez Island

Studio Sale – Candy Meacham
Saturday, November 13, 10am to 4pm. 1117 Lenora Ct, Bellingham
Supplies and equipment: Looms, warping reel, reeds, shuttles, needle felting equipment, yarns, fleece and roving, drop spindle, cards, books and more. Open for pre-sales by appt. until the day of the sale. Then everything goes. Just give me a call at 360-220-1203 or shoot me an email at [email protected]
If you have a specific item in mind, contact me and I’ll quote price and send photos.
Sale day procedures depend on weather. Really bad weather: curbside pick up.
Otherwise enter our yard by the Casita trailer and come up the stairs to the porch door.
Please come only if you’re vaccinated. Masks required. Parking is very limited to a few spaces on our little street and the “Park,” same side of the street, uphill – next to our neighbor’s green house, or park on 21st or 22nd.

Submitting content for the newsletter

The deadline for submitting content for the newsletter is 5:00 p.m. on the last Sunday of the month. The newsletter will be on the WWG website around the first Sunday night of each month or in the first few days of the following week. The goal is for members to be reading the newsletter about mid-way between Guild meetings and programs, which are on the third Saturday of each month.

Please send newsletter content to Marion via her e-mail address in the Membership list or to [email protected]. For photos and images, please send individual JPEG files. Text can be typed into the body of an e-mail or be sent as a Word document that is saved as a doc or docx but not as a PDF. Contact her if you have questions.