GUILD SPOTLIGHTS
Hats off to a Successful Sale!We had a very successful 2nd Annual Guild Sale, even though we changed venue. Very positive responses were received regarding the Venue space, by both customers and members. It had an openness and a meandering feel to it. One gentlemen and his wife were very impressed with the caliber of the sale, along with many others. He used to own an art gallery back east.
Thank you all for participating...
you as Guild Members made it a total success! |
Debra Danielson & Ann Coleman
Co-Chairs |
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The Beauty of Beads!Everyone had a great time at the Bead Embroidery Workshop with Contemporary Cherokee Artist, Karen Sixkiller. She started off by explaining the ways different tribes do their beading and how the designs differ from one another. Then we got started on our hummingbirds. She made us feel that we all could bead right from the start by telling us not one hummingbird is alike. If you are interested in learning to bead with Karen, you can search for her 2026 classes at Peninsula College, Community Education, in Port Angeles. Thank you Susan Melka for hosting this workshop — nice warm garage with lots tea and goodies!
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A BEEutiful Booth At The Fair!
It was so pleasing to see so many wonderful items in our NOSSG booth this year - lots of blue ribbons, including one for the booth design. Thank you to all who helped with setting up, judging, displaying and clean up!
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Weaving our Way with Nature!
The Tapestry Weavers got together and decided to do some small weavings with nature pieces.
Debbie, one of the participants shared her completed nature weaving.
Debbie, one of the participants shared her completed nature weaving.
Tapestry Weavers
4th Monday of the month • 11am • KSQM radio station in Sequim • Contact: Kelly Patterson-Merkley
This study group is for those who are interested in tapestry weaving.
We meet up to share ideas, questions, problems, resources and insights. Open to all, including beginners!
We meet up to share ideas, questions, problems, resources and insights. Open to all, including beginners!
Inspiring Community at the Farmers Market
Our second and final outreach booth was held July 12. We were located in the main plaza area this time, right between a food tent and a jeweler, so we had very good traffic.
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Many thanks to Cher, Lorraine, Jenny, Kelly, and Pauline for the donation of their time and skills. We were also briefly joined by Holli, and Suzann P (and Steven also put in an appearance).
Beautiful colors at the Natural Dye Day Event!
Fixing a Broken Warp Thread
Weavers Anonymous talked about how to fix a broken thread. Susan happened to break a warp thread on her loom and this is how she fixed it.
1. Tie the "substitute" piece of the warp yarn onto the broken warp thread that leads to the front .
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2. Next, gently pulled that substitute yarn through the heddle to the front.
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3. Untie the knot and lay it next to the warp thread it was replacing .
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4. Secured with a T-pin perpendicular to the warp and wrap the replacement warp around the T-pin in a figure 8.
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5. Lastly, weight the replacement warp thread over the back beam.
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REMEMBER
It is best to tie an overhand knot but if didn't have enough working room you can tie a square knot. Due to the nature of square knots, they can slip so beware! The length of my substitute yarn was an estimate of how much warp remained on my back beam. You can pulled the old warp thread away and to the front and can cut it to a few inches if you wish. Sometimes these weighted threads will UNPLY so beware.
AFTERTHOUGHT
Susan says sometimes, if she is weaving towels or placemats, she only substitute a short warp thread and tie it to the old thread back over the back beam; and when she gets to a break between towels or placemats, she readjust the knot holding the old and new warp in the back to the old warp can be pulled to the front and T-pinned in. This way you aren't dealing with a weighted thread for the entire rest of your weaving, BUT you have to remember to pull it through at the break.
It is best to tie an overhand knot but if didn't have enough working room you can tie a square knot. Due to the nature of square knots, they can slip so beware! The length of my substitute yarn was an estimate of how much warp remained on my back beam. You can pulled the old warp thread away and to the front and can cut it to a few inches if you wish. Sometimes these weighted threads will UNPLY so beware.
AFTERTHOUGHT
Susan says sometimes, if she is weaving towels or placemats, she only substitute a short warp thread and tie it to the old thread back over the back beam; and when she gets to a break between towels or placemats, she readjust the knot holding the old and new warp in the back to the old warp can be pulled to the front and T-pinned in. This way you aren't dealing with a weighted thread for the entire rest of your weaving, BUT you have to remember to pull it through at the break.
Tapestry Together
Kelly Patterson-Merkley really enjoyed the Guild Tapestry Study Group meet up last month. She said she usually enjoys the meetings, but this one really struck her; "there are many different interests represented in this group and many ways in which we can learn from each other!" If you would like to see what the group is up to, you can join them Monday. February 24th at 11:00 at KSQM Radio meeting room.
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From Anatomy of a Tapestry -
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So if weaving tells a story, let the story rank as literature. If weaving uses symbols, let them resonate as poetry. . .Let every thread bear witness.
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Joy to You,
Kelly |
Sequim Gazette
Dreaming in Felt: Sequim artist has unique color sense
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen
Sequim artist Lora Armstrong’s wet studio contains machines to help with felting and a fraction of the colorful art pieces she produces.
Read about Lara's incredible talent with color and processes
Block Party with Robyn Spady
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From expert weavers to newbies, everyone enjoyed Robyn Spady's Block Party workshop. many of the new weavers expressed that they were pretty lost especially the first day but once they started weaving on their looms, everyone began to understand. Between some attendees weaving either Overshot, Summer & Winter and Huck Lace, they all were able to produce sample weaves and actual woven items.
The program in January is all about "the good and bad of workshops" and the Block Party group will be participating by talking about what they got out of the workshop – what worked for them and what did not. |
Weavers Anonymous's "Potholder Potluck"
The members of the Weavers Anonymous weaving group had a tasty wonderful time learning how to weave potholders on potholder looms, all while enjoying some homemade sweet and savory goodies! They learned that not only can you do basic weaving patterns to make colorful potholders, you can also get fancy and do twills, overshot and and summer & winter patterns. Susan Savaage has extra looms if you want to give it a try. |
There is an uplifting article in the Spring 2024 Handwoven magazine about potholder weaving helping those with forms of dementia. You can check out the magazine at our Guild library at Cabled Fiber and Yarn.
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Fiber Retreat
Last week found Kathy Martin found herself in Buffalo WY at the Wild West Fiber Retreat organized by the Longmont Yarn Shop. It was high on her list of retreats - one she hopes to repeat. Enjoy her photos of WY & Buffalo & 2 of the ranches she visited.
WARPING PARTNERS
Our Mentor, Susan Kroll, from Weaver's Anonymous and three other helpers, took the reins and helped a member Joni Johnson warp her loom. The helpers left at 1pm and Susan and Joni carried on until 5:30! Joni said she learned so much and is thrilled to have her loom warped!
COMMUNITY LOOM RAISING
You have heard of a “barn raising party”? it is where the community comes out and helps a farmer get his barn built, well one of our members, Chrysalis, needed a LOOM RAISING PARTY! She received a huge new Glimakra, countermarch loom that was a surprise gift from daughter, and she thought it would be fun for some of the new weavers to spend an afternoon helping her put it together. Below are pictures of everyone helping to put Penelope (yes she named her loom) together.
Piecing Penelope together
Snack Break
Adding the heddles...hanging the shafts
Penelope ready for balancing!
New Zealand Bound!
Here we are in a New Year of fiber! We are starting this year off with our member Kathy Martin taking a trip to New Zealand! below you will find a short version follows with a longer slide show in the works after others on the tour add their photos.
A trip of a lifetime to an amazing country with friendly people!
20 hours of travel seems extreme and the cancellations/delays tried to put a damper on this surreal coastal odyssey arranged by Wild Fibers Magazine and Heritage Adventurer small ship cruises. The excursions during this 11 day expedition weren't all fiber related. New Zealanders are serious about their ecosanctuaries and preserving their flora and fauna. A birder's delight for sure. We explored the North, South and Stewart Islands.
The Maori people treated us to musical welcomes and opened up their village that utilizes the geothermal geysers for all their heating and cooking. Flax, wood and corrugated metal were some of their craft media.
Sheep abounded: Perendale, Romney and Blackface Valais crosses. One farm was a 4 wheel drive access across a rocky stream. It was a Penguin nesting refuge along with the Valais sheep.
The one yarn shop/mill we visited was Skeinz which claimed fame from the Penguin Rescue effort of several years ago after a nasty oil spill. Penguin sweaters flooded the store from all over the world. Further down the switchback road was a weaver's studio which opened up for us on the South Island. Her view of the bay with crashing waves was amazing.
Many of the excursions were via Zodiacs taking us to inaccessible areas and cruising the shore lines up close. My biggest thrill was on the last day when my Zodiac was visited by a pod of Dolphins for 10-15 minutes.
Have I come down off my cloud yet after visiting the Land of the Long White Cloud? Might never happen!
Kathy Martin, Wynham Farms
http://gotmygoat.com
http://gotmygoat.com
Trip to Sweden!
one of our members, Barbara Brumagim, who took a wonderful trip to Sweden and has graciously shared photos with me and I am passing them along to you. Looks she enjoyed all there was about Swedish weaving and their looms.
Silk Mill Loom
Hi guild friends! I am on a trip to Sweden! During my stay in Stockholm, I visited the K A Almgren museum. You can see all the original silk mill machinery still in use. Punchcard Jacquard (sp?) loom, etc. it was Amazing!
Gotland Sweden
It is so beautiful here in Gotland. Gotland sheep known for their unique curly coats. Bought skein to try! I also visited Faro Island — want to find out the relationship between Faro Swedish yarn and island name!
Viking Loom
Here is a Viking loom form 800 AD. It is located on Birka Island in Sweden .
Working Weaving House
These pictures are from the Marta Mass-Fjetterstrom museum —
working weaving house Near Halmstad, Sweden.
working weaving house Near Halmstad, Sweden.
These pictures are for the rug weavers especially — Inspiration abounds!
Weaving Fair
I visited a delightful Weaving Fair in Halmstad, Sweden.
Fiber Maniac
Bring color and beauty to the world, one fun project at a time!
"The life of an artist isn't alway an easy one but sometimes that struggle is exactly what a creative spirit needs! Much like a Phoenix I have come into my own and realized my artistic passions. Fiber, felt, buttons, yarn and more. It is my pleasure to share my work in this shop. I hope you find all your looking for and more."
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— Lauralee
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Lauralee Deluca is one of our more "colorful" members and I felt she needed sharing! Being sort of a fiber maniac, she loves creating luscious blends for yummy yarns and felted projects. She teaches and sells her goods at events and local yarn shops.
It’s been a very colorful summer at the Phoenixx Fiber Studio!
Meetings1st Saturday of the Month
(no meetings: Jun. Jul. Oct. Dec.) |
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North Olympic Shuttle and Spindle Guild is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation
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