October 2019 Newsletter

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

PS – Done! 24 bobbins of handspun cotton from Niger, an empty spindle, and fine cotton thread for warp.

Upcoming Programs

Oct 26 - WWG Meeting with Christine Mauersberger
Christine Mauersberger will lead a workshop on Eco Printing at the Jansen Art Center Oct. 23-25. Saturday, Oct. 26 she will give a presentation on Eco Printing, which will be the guild’s October program.
This guild meeting will be at the Jansen Art Center, 321 Front Street, Lynden. The guild meeting will start at 11 am, and the program will start around noon.

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

Program Notes

Looking Back: Saturday, Sept. 21LEFTOVERS AGAIN? WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER HANDWOVEN FABRIC with Daryl Lancaster.
Fun and fabulous, Daryl Lancaster, a hand-weaver and fiber artist known for her hand-woven, pieced garments, inspired us with her work, and her working process, giving us very good reasons for never throwing out a single scrap of fabric. Daryl hails from New Jersey, and kicked off her latest NW Adventure with the WWG September program! Followed by a week-long tailoring workshop, including participants from WWG, who had woven fabric to make into personally-fitted jackets, guided by Daryl’s expertise.

Looking Forward: October Guild Program
ECO PRINTING PRESENTATION with Christine Mauersberger, Saturday, Oct. 26, 12pm
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, and eco-dyed textiles.
PLEASE REMEMBER: This guild meeting will be at the Jansen Art Center, 321 Front Street, Lynden. The guild meeting will start at 11 am, and the program will start around noon.
ALSO: Please note that this meeting will be on Oct. 26, rather than Oct. 19, our usual meeting time.

Thanks!
Sheri Ward, Program Chair

Upcoming Classes at the Jansen Art Center

Tapestry Explorations, Thursdays, Oct. 31 – Nov. 14, 1 – 3:30 pm with Joyce Noordmans; $90 plus $15 materials fee
Weaving with Fabric Strips, Saturdays, Nov. 2, 9, 23 & 30, 11 am – 2:30 pm, with Marcia Ford; $145 plus $10 materials fee
Felt “Painting” with Wool, Friday, Nov. 15 (SOLD OUT) or Friday, Dec. 6, 11 am – 2 pm with Donna Hunter; $35 plus $10 materials fee
Beginning Weaving, Tuesdays, Nov. 26 – Dec. 17, noon – 3 pm with Sheri Ward; $145 plus $15 materials fee

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

Jansen Art Center News

FALL FIBER SHOWCASE EXHIBIT AT THE JANSEN ART CENTER
The Fall Fiber Showcase exhibit continues through November 28, 2019 This exhibit features work from Linda Rees and Nancy Bjerke, and includes pieces from Donna Hunter, Sharon Allen, Chris Paul, Mary Oates, Jane Kroger, Sheila Atwater, Carol Berry, and Sheri Ward.

YOU ARE INVITED!
Saori Weaving and Fiber Exhibit Mingle with Nancy Bjerke
Nancy Bjerke, long-time spinner, weaver and supporter of the NW regional fiber scene, will be at the Jansen Arts Center on November 2 from 2:00-4:30pm. Nancy will greet friends and admirers in the Library Gallery, where she is one of the featured artists, and will demonstrate Saori Style weaving in the Textile Studio. Bring a snack to share, and enjoy a fiber afternoon with Nancy and friends on Saturday, November 2, 2:00 – 4:30 PM

JANSEN ART JINGLE
On Saturday, Dec. 7, the Jansen Art Center will be holding an Art Jingle event, to include all the studios at the center. For the Textile Studio, this event will include an open house of the studio and an opportunity to sell your creations, like we have at Fibers & Beyond in Past years. WWG and the Textile Group will handle Fiber Show & Sale cashiering. The Jansen will handle all PR and Advertising. A commission of 30% will go to the Jansen Center. Combining these events promises lots of foot traffic for our sale. The Fiber Open House and Sale will take place in the Downstairs Textiles Studio, Classroom and Foyer.
Jurying, drop-off dates, tagging, and more details will be announced. Please let Sheri or Carol know if you plan to participate. It will be a fun day!
As a fund-raiser for the Jansen Textile Studio, the plan is to make small textile items such as Christmas decorations, mug-rugs, and other small items for sale, and donate the proceeds to the Textile Group. “Make-it” days at the Textile Studio will be held during the fall, if you’d like to participate in the fund-raising portion. This opportunity exists for the Guild as well, as a fundraiser for workshops and scholarships.

COMING IN THE SPRING!
Laurie Duxbury will be offering a workshop on Early American Textiles at the Jansen Art Center March 10-12.
Come learn how to weave textiles that were in common household use during the 18th and 19th centuries. Students will weave a number of samples, depending on class size, of different fabrics. These can include cotton toweling, linsey-woolsey, wool blanketing and overshot. In this three day workshop we will weave on pre-warped looms in round robin style.
Stay tuned for more details!

NOTE FROM CHRIS PAUL & CYNTHIA POPPE:
Yes!! SpiNit begins again this Thursday (the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month through the end of March 2020!
The time is 6-8pm in the Textile Studio (where the spinning wheels are!) And it is with Cynthia Poppe and me!
Buy a punch card for $40 at the "j" gift shop for 8 visits!

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.

Save the date!
16th annual Whidbey Weavers Guild Sale. Unique locally handcrafted wearables, home decor and more.
November 1 & 2, 2019. Nordic Hall, 63 Jacobs Road, Coupeville, WA, 98239
Friday 10-7, Saturday 10-4.

Small Looms Group, from Mary Oates
Small Looms Group will be meeting the first Saturday of each month at the Bellingham Public Library from 12-3. Please come to support this popular monthly outreach event. Bring what you are working on to demonstrate, as well as anything you’d like to make available for our guests to have some “hands on” experience.

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; Sprang, Small Looms, Inkle, Tablet weaving, Finger Weaving, Rigid Heddle, garments, knitting, crochet, tapestry… what is your thing? Find a mentor or be a mentor. Shout it out and share the learning, practice and fun.

Announcements

Spincycle Yarns - Open House and Pop-up (from Sharon Allen)
They get a lot of requests for mill tours, and unfortunately they are almost never able to give them, so this is a rare opportunity to come and see where they dye and spin the yarns!
Monday, October 7th, from 10am to 5pm. For more information click here.

Fiber Fusion Northwest, October 19th & 20th, 2019
Enjoy all things fiber art at this two-day event featuring demonstrations, classes, vendors, a live animal fiber exhibit, an art show, spinning and knitting circles, and more. Admission is free, and so is parking! Fiber Fusion Northwest is a 2-day event, Saturday and Sunday October 19th and 20th, focusing on natural fibers and fiber arts. Their goal is to support fiber artists, local breeders, and fiber related businesses by increasing public awareness of natural fibers. Located at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, in Monroe, WA. For workshops, event schedule, and list of vendors click here.
Note! This is NOT our October Meeting Weekend. The WWG meeting has been changed to the next week to accommodate our October Speaker and Workshop.

Maiwa
Textile Workshops and Lectures are going on this fall, many lectures have tickets available. For a view of the workshops, lectures, handmade goods and supplies that Maiwa offers, go here.

Warped For Good
Karen Isenhour’s blog provides tips and insights, and a view of her own handweaving journey. She has learned by working through all the projects in the BIG BOOK OF HANDWEAVING by Laila Lundell, and shows details of her progress, as well as videos, rag rug tips, and a weaving glossary. Sign up for her Blog, and get periodic posts that will inspire and inform your own handweaving.

Knitting and Physics (from Sheri Ward)
Here's a fun read, which connects knitting with physics and computer programming.

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!

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.