September 2019 Newsletter

Fleeces are wonderful…to a point, as I think about fairy tales and legends where the heroine is overwhelmed to the point of despair by the fiber piled up around her. Can anyone else relate to this tale of material abundance and self-imposed woe? This is the time of year when, between canning and freezing produce from the garden (plums this week), it’s time to look forward to those fall and winter projects. All my fleece is now washed! Now to schedule and stick to a day for drum carding. Then, I really am going to spin that wool into yarn. No deal with Rumpelstiltskin will I make, and no sticking my finger with a spindle and sleeping for 100 years. Of course, an abundance of yarn can be an issue too. The natural gray and dark brown fingering and lace weight I bought from Wild Rose Farm at Fiber Fusion last year, with a glowing idea for a deflected double weave scarf, is still on the table in my studio. It has to be up next, so I can show the final product to the folks at Wild Rose Farm at Fiber Fusion THIS year. And, I really need to make towels in the colors of my zinnia flowers. So gorgeous and bright! But first, I’m off to work with the Jansen Textile team to install the Fall Fiber Showcase, featuring local weavers Linda Rees and Nancy Bjerke, along with Weavers Guild and Jansen Textile Group members. The showcase in the Library Gallery will be continued in the downstairs Textile Foyer. Opening Reception on September 5, and the exhibits will be up for viewing through November 28. See you soon!

Carol Berry,
2018-2019 WWG President

Upcoming Programs

Sept 21 - WWG Meeting with Daryl Lancaster
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 1 pm.
Explore and experience creative ways to use every precious bit of hand-woven scrap.
Daryl Lancaster, a hand-weaver and fiber artist known for her hand-woven, pieced garments, has been sewing for more than 40 years. She gives lectures and workshops to guilds, conferences, and craft centers all over the United States.

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

Program Notes

Looking Back: August 12-18 at the Northwest Washington Fair: Wool and Natural Fiber Weaving.
With many, many thanks to all who helped set up, entered work, demonstrated fiber crafts, welcomed the public, showed kids (of all ages) how weaving and spinning works and helped take down, the Wool and Natural Fiber Weaving Show 2019 was agreed to be a success! After a bit of rest, planning is beginning for next year!

Looking Forward: September 21, 1-3 pm
LEFTOVERS AGAIN? WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER HANDWOVEN FABRIC with Daryl Lancaster
Explore and experience creative ways to use every precious bit of hand-woven scrap. Some techniques require sewing, some a hot glue gun. Some ideas become great garments, some can be sent through the mail! Learn how to use some of the fusibles and stabilizers available, and learn to look at everything from old work, to the smallest scrap as an exciting new raw material.
Daryl Lancaster, a hand-weaver and fiber artist known for her hand-woven, pieced garments, has been sewing for more than 40 years. She gives lectures and workshops to guilds, conferences, and craft centers all over the United States. The former Features Editor for Handwoven Magazine, she frequently contributes to various weaving publications.
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 1 pm.

Thanks!
Sheri Ward, Program Chair

Jansen Summer Textile Classes, from Sheri Ward

Ice Dyeing, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 11 am – 4 pm with Marilyn Olsen & Sheri Ward; $10 plus $10 materials fee
Variegated Dyeing, Cotton, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 11 am – 4 pm with Marilyn Olsen & Sheri Ward; $10 plus $2 materials fee
Double Weave, Fridays, Sept. 27 – Oct. 18, 1 – 4 pm with Sheri Ward; $140 plus $15 materials fee
Intermediate Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom, Saturdays, Sept. 28 & Oct. 5, 11 am – 5 pm with Kelley Dragon; $135 plus $15 materials fee
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 will be opening on Thursday, Sept. 5. 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. It will be on display through November.
The opening reception on Sept. 5 is from 6-8 pm at the Jansen Art Center. Hope to see you there!

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, an opportunity to sell your creations – items you might have brought to Fibers and Beyond – and a modest fund-raiser for the studio.
For the fund-raiser portion, we plan to make small textile items – Christmas decorations, mug-rugs, small items – and donate the proceeds to the Textile Group. We will be holding a few “make-it” days at the Textile Studio during the summer and fall, if you’d like to participate in the fund-raising portion. Stay tuned for dates, to be announced.
For sale of your items, the sale will be processed through the Jansen gift shop, and there will be a commission of 30%. Yes, more than it’s been in the past, but the guild will not need to organize cashiers, reconcile accounts, and pay artists. That will all be handled by the Jansen staff.
Be thinking of how you might want to participate. It will be a fun day!

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!

Kelley Dragon is weaving curtains on her 30” Rigid Heddle Loom. The warp is 8/4 cotton, Weft is 8/2 cotton. Starting with Brooks Bouquet, then Leno, alternating with Spanish Lace. Inspired by the sampler Kelley made for the Rigid Heddle 2 class she is teaching at the Jansen Center in September, Kelley says she might have the curtains done by the September WWG meeting.

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

From the Skagit Weavers Guild:
Skagit Valley Weavers Guild has a couple of openings for the Lace Weaves workshop with Robyn Spady on 7-8 September. Loom-controlled lace weaves explored will include huck, Swedish, Atwater-Bronson, and bead leno. Weaver-manipulated lace weaves, such as leno, Brooks Bouquet, Spanish lace, and Danish medallion will also be included.
The workshop will be held at the Fire Hall on Peterson Rd. in Burlington. Cost is estimated about $125-$150 contingent upon the number of attendees.
Whatcom guild members who would like to sign up, please contact me SVWG Workshop Chair Nancy Deitch at [email protected].

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
During the Summertime continue to connect with your friends from the guild as well as demonstrate your weaving during the First Saturday Small Looms Group at the Bellingham Public Library. July 6th, August 3rd, September 7th. All times are Noon to 3 pm.

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

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.

Paddle To Lummi 2019 Videos of the Landing and Lummi Protocol
“The Lummi People are honored to welcome all our relations traveling the traditional highways of the ancestors.” The Traditional Salish Sea Canoe Journey was reinvigorated in 1989, and now rotates to different destinations along the Pacific NW coast. This year the Lummi Nation welcomed over 100 canoe groups from throughout the Salish Sea, many paddling for days to get here. On July 24 they arrived at Lummi, and asked permission to come ashore, for three days of speaking, dances, and gift-giving. Videos documenting the canoes landing, and the Lummi Protocol can be viewed here.

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.

For Sale

I am assisting a friend to sell two weaving looms and accessories:

1)LoomCraft 45 inch, hard rock maple, 4S6T, beautiful condition, comes with a 12 dent reed in excellent condition

2) LoomCraft 40 inch, hard rock maple, 4S6T, great condition, comes with a 10 dent reed that is just 24 inches…but there may be another to go with it.

Additional accessories include a well made bench with storage, lots of extra heddles, warping board (believe that it is a 20 yard), aa large tapestry frame, small tapestry frame that needs some repair, assorted yarns…
These are extra solid jack looms and can do just about any kind of weaving including rugs. They need a home and the seller is motivated. She would like to sell all as a package, but needs to move and get them out of storage. They are currently in completely clean and dry storage.
Located in Mt Vernon, WA. You would need a truck for one or both.
Seller is asking $900 for the package, which is a steel. If sold separately, the 45 inch will be $600, 40 inch will be $400 and these are still excellent prices.
You can contact me directly and I can assist with questions. I have seen the looms and wish that I had more room myself to take one or both. Or you may call the owner, Robyn at 360-293-8964.

Sent from Liz Moncrief, www.aweaversway.com

All sale items below are in Snohomish. Proceeds will go to the Skagit Valley Weavers Guild.
Contact Liz Moncrief or Roxie Rochet for additional photos and information
Liz Moncrief, www.aweaversway.com