The Weavers Guild of Springfield

All are welcome to attend the meetings and events described below:

2011 Special Events	January 7, 2012
September 10, 2011	February 4, 2012
October 8, 2011	March 3, 2012
November 5, 2011	April 7, 2012
December 3, 2011	May 12, 2012
	2012 Special Events

At a typical meeting:

The morning program runs from 10:00 AM to noon.
Lunch and the business meeting runs from noon to 1:00 PM.
The afternoon program runs from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the Community House, 735 Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow, MA 01106. For directions, see the When & Where page.

2011 SPECIAL EVENTS

Wolf Swamp Elementary School Living History Day
Longmeadow, MA
May 4, 2011
Guild activities: Spinning and weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for kids

36th Annual Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair
Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA
http://www.masheepwool.org/
May 27-29, 2011
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for kids on Saturday, May 28th

New England Weavers' Seminar (NEWS)
Smith College, Northampton, MA
July 13-17, 2011
www.newenglandweaversseminar.com
Guild activities: Guild study group projects exhibit, gallery & fashion show entries

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Look Park, Northampton, MA
July 16, 2011
9:00 am - 9:30 pm
http://www.glasgowlands.org/
Guild activities: Spinning and weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for all ages

Shelburne Grange Fair
Little Mohawk Road, Shelburne, MA
August 27, 2011
9:00 am -4:00 pm, followed by auction
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for all ages

47th Annual Festival of the Hills
Conway, MA
October 2, 2011
http://www.townofconway.com/festival.asp
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations

Hatfield Historical Society 8th Annual Antique Classic Cars, Trucks, and Tractors Show
October 2, 2011
Noon to 5:00 pm
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations

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2011-2012 MEETING SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER 10, 2011

Morning: Summer Wrap-up

We will have a thorough discussion of our summer activities, including the Cummington Sheep & Woolcraft Fair, Scottish Festival, and Fiber Nook. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions for program improvement, as well as catch up on members’ activities. This session is always lively and informative.

Afternoon: Mystery Draft Study Group with Ute Bargmann

The first "clue" will be revealed at this meeting when we receive a draft and further instructions. Stay tuned!

60th Anniversary - All Members

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OCTOBER 8, 2011

Morning: Maori Weaving with Leslie Craine

Indigenous weaving techniques and traditions in the context of Maori culture and New Zealand history.

Afternoon: Pick-up Weaving with Ute Bargmann

Are you shaft-hungry? Don’t you have enough? Well, you can do pick-up and only the length and width of your warp (and your patience) are the limit. Graph paper and marker will do the trick, with nimble fingers and pick-up stick. It does not hurt to be able to count.

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NOVEMBER 5, 2011

All Day Round Robin with Pat Billingsley

Guild members will have the opportunity to weave samples of some different structures. Hands on exploration of structures that you may have wanted to try but never got around to. Anyone who is able to bring a travel loom (pre-warped), please let Pat know. More details at our meeting in September.

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DECEMBER 3, 2011

All Day: Holiday Celebration

Take a break from the hectic pace of holiday preparations and share laughter, good food, a simple project, and gift exchange.

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JANUARY 7, 2012

Morning: Soumak Weaving with Susan Wright

Soumak is a centuries old tapestry weaving technique requiring minimal equipment (such as your fingers!) to create beautiful designs for rugs or other objects.

Afternoon: Beyond Kente with Loris Epps

Travel to the continent of Africa and learn about many of the textiles woven and used on the West Coast. This lecture offers a glimpse of strip weaving, embroidered cloth, dyed fabric and plant material, signs and sym bols, and other aspects of items used for clothing the body in West Africa. A replica of a loom will be avail able as well as an extensive handout and bibliography.

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FEBRUARY 4, 2012

Morning: Stories of 20th Century Weavers with Laura Freeman

Laura will share biographical sketches of some of our favorite handweaving pioneers and tell amazing stories about amazing weavers including Mary Meigs Atwater, Harriet Tidball, Mary Black, and others.

Afternoon: Why Did I Buy That Yarn? All Members

We will have a brainstorming session about those yarns and fibers that looked too interesting to leave on the store shelf but now what? We’ll swap yarns and share ideas for an inspirational afternoon. Bring those orphan yarns!!

MARCH 3, 2012

Morning: Color for Weavers, Part I with Pam Engberg

Effective use of color in weaving is helped by an understanding of both color theory and optical mixing, but only if they are presented in terms of our medium. Our talks address these topics specifically as they might be used by the weaver. Guidelines, examples, and participatory activities will provide a framework for success and for further exploration of color in your weaving.

Afternoon: Twining with Lynnette Douville

Twining is done on a frame loom and can be very inexpensive using old clothes, sheets, etc., cut into strips. This is an easy project which yields beautiful, sturdy products such as rugs, chair seats, chair pads, table
runners, placemats and more—you can go as far as your imagination will take you!

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APRIL 7, 2012

Morning: Color for Weavers, Part II with Pam Engberg

See description for March 3rd.

Afternoon: Mystery Draft Wrap-up with Ute Bargmann

The mystery will be solved as we share our solutions!

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MAY 12, 2012

All Day: Annual Meeting and Potluck Luncheon, All Members

Location to be announced.

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2012 SPECIAL EVENTS

Wolf Swamp Elementary School Living History Day
Longmeadow, MA
February 2012
Guild activities: Spinning and weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for kids

38th Annual Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair
Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA
http://www.masheepwool.org/
May 2012
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for kids

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Look Park, Northampton, MA
July 2012
9:00 am - 9:30 pm
http://www.glasgowlands.org/
Guild activities: Spinning and weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for all ages

Shelburne Grange Fair
Little Mohawk Road, Shelburne, MA
August 2012
9:00 am -4:00 pm, followed by auction
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations by guild members & hands-on weaving for all ages

Hatfield Historical Society 8th Annual Antique Classic Cars, Trucks, and Tractors Show
October 2012
Noon to 5:00 pm
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations

49th Annual Festival of the Hills
Conway, MA
October 2012
http://www.townofconway.com/festival.asp
Guild activities: Weaving demonstrations

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