Encouraging and promoting fiber artists for over 70 years.
Monthly Guild Programs 2022 - 2023
Scandinavian Weaves Study Group
September 24, 2022 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
The Scandinavian Weaves Study Group (SCAN) is presenting the Guild’s September program on, naturally, Scandinavian Weaves. The program focuses on weaves that are well known in Scandinavia, but not always in the U.S. These include monk’s belt, halvdrall, Finnweave, Swedish art weaves, rye (aka rya), etc.
12th Century Scandinavian Cape
October 24, 2022 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
Kirsi Manni described the intricate process of reconstructing a 12th century cape found in a churchyard in her town of Leksand, Sweden. The presentation demonstrated the entire process including analysis of fibers and creating swatches to reconstructing new patterns for decorative ribbon. In one hour, we saw how over a period of two years she went from viewing decomposed bits of centuries old fabric in a museum to developing an ermine-lined cape fit for royalty.
Designing Woven Fabrics - Janet Phillips
November 21, 2022 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
Janet Phillips will talk about her approach to designing fabrics, including where she finds ideas and inspiration, choosing color combinations, and how to use the yarn you have to create your own original fabric. Janet's passions are color and texture, and after 40+ years of weaving, is still excited by combining color and weave structure in new ways.
Textile Techniques of India: A Few Favorites
Barbara Setsu Pickett
January 23, 2023 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
Feast on the textile techniques of India. Barbara will present her research gathered on two trips to Northern India in 2016 and 2020. See how Rahul Jain’s reimagined Mughal velvet drawloom operates and the intricacies of the design process. Marvel at the expertise of highly skilled artisans in their on-site workshops maintaining traditions and innovating new styles and methods. Appreciate the tools, materials and processes involved in Benaras silk brocade weaving, double ikat patolas of Patan, Ajrakh blockprinting on both sides of the fabric with natural dyes of Bhuj, bandani micro tie-dye of the Sidr Craft Khatri brothers, the kalamkari handpainting with natural dye pigments, and elaborate Zardozi embroidery using precious stones. Besides the images, peruse her Indian textile collection and bring your items and stories to share.
Zapotec Weaving
Francisco Bautista
February 27, 2023 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
Ikat: Notes from the Field
Mary Zicafoose
March 27, 2023 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
This guild presentation is a compelling and lavish textile travelogue stopping at the major ikat producing centers around the world. The talk highlights the unique and culturally distinct ikat cloth produced over the ages as well as introducing the signature style of several notable contemporary American ikat artists.
Mary will share many images of her studio and process and speak about her lifetime work in ikat.
Life Lessons that Weaving has Taught Me
Annie Fischer
April 24, 2023 (In-Person and Zoom Meeting)
You know those funny noises your loom starts to make when you're trying to finish a project at the last minute? Or how the loom seems to break when you're tired? There is something to be learned from that. We can translate these lessons from the loom to our lives in general. Annie Fischer has made her living as a weaver for over 40 years. Her looms have taught her great lessons over the years, but only when she listens to them.
Monthly Guild Programs 2021 - 2022
Color Value in Weaving
September 27, 2021 (Zoom Meeting)
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Deb Essen has been weaving for 25 years. She is the author of “Easy Weaving with Supplemental
Warps” and has filmed several DVD’s on weaving with supplemental warps, pin loom weaving, profile
drafting and Color in Weaving (all on Interweave Press). In 2004, she completed the Certificate of
Excellence in Handweaving: Level 1 through the Handweavers Guild of America and is an
inducted member of the Montana Circle of American Masters in Folk and Traditional Art. Her
business, dje handwovens, creates kits for handweavers available in yarn shops across the United
States.
Deb will provide an introduction to color theory for weavers and fiber artists including working with different color combinations and how color value effects your projects from knitting to spinning to weaving.
Fiberworks Overview with Tips and Tricks
October 25, 2021 (Zoom Meeting)
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Susannah Day will give us an overview of some of the features of Fiberworks weaving software, and will include tips & tricks to make your designing more efficient.
Natural Dyes and Ethnic Textiles Group
November 22, 2021 (Zoom Meeting)
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Members of the EWG Natural Dyes and Ethnic Textiles Study Group will share some of their projects from the past years, including how-to highlights with natural dyes.
December 2021
No Meeting. Happy Holidays
Teresa Ruch
January 24, 2022
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
After missing a December Program, we are happy to welcome Teresa Ruch to present the January Program. The topic of Teresa’s program is 'Inspiration from Commercial Textiles’. Teresa lives and works in Portland. She is a weaver and accomplished dyer of brilliant tencel yarns. You can see her work on her website, teresaruchdesigns.com.
This should be a gratifying program, designed to inspire.
Weaving in Sweden
February 28, 2022 (Zoom meeting)
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Arianna Funk discusses Weaving in Sweden. Arianna's woven work spans many categories, from handwoven “working textiles” (brukstextilier) and decoration to art works that hang in private homes and in public spaces. Every thing she makes is rooted in the technique and physical experience of weaving, reflecting my own modern take on Scandinavian tradition.
The Beauty and Power of Gamps
March 28, 2022
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Hybrid meeting ( Zoom and In Person)
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
The guild theme this year is Gamps, and this month's program draws on a few of our talented guild members, to highlight their sampling practices, and gamps they have woven. We hope there's something for everyone, with Clare Matthews sharing her sampling and design process for weft faced wool rugs, Beki Ries-Montgomery showing us her twill gamp, and a color-and-weave huck lace gamp, Cathy Barnes' Twill and Overshot Gamps, and the Deflected Doubleweave gamp that is currently a group project for the Weave Structure Study Group, and Susannah Day's Fiberworks tips on designing your own gamp, and more! Krista Richey and Diane Pigg also have gamps & projects to share. This one is not to be missed!
Linda Hartshorn
April 25, 2022
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Linda Hartshorn will take us on a virtual tour of Guatemala from a weaver’s perspective. She will show complex fabrics woven on back strap looms and also tell stories about an auspicious time in December 2012 which marked the end of the calendar year and the beginning of a new era in Mayan cosmology.
Guild Auction
May 23, 2022
Guild Business Meeting 10 AM - 11 AM
Program 11 AM - 12 PM
Details will be provided at a later date.