Past Issues

THE NORTHWEST PENNSYLVANIA SPINNERS AND WEAVERS GUILD

Saturday, June 2, 2007, from 10:00 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Christ Episcopal Church, Diamond Park, Meadville, PA

Calendar of Events

May 5th  - NPSWG Program Meeting at Christ Church 10:00a.m.to-2:00p.m. 

May 15th - NPSWG Tuesday Spinning at Christ Church 10:00a.m.to 2:00p.m. 

May 19th - Edinboro Fleece to Shawl demonstration 

June 2nd - NPSWG Business/Program Meeting at Christ Church 10:00a.m.to-2:00p.m 

June 19th - NPSWG Tuesday Spinning at Christ Church 10:00a.m.to 2:00p.m. 

July 21st - Waterford Fleece to Shawl Demonstration

Minutes of the April 2007 NPSWG Meeting

President Joanna McDermot welcomed everyone, and we all briefly introduced ourselves.  The minutes of the February meeting were approved without changes.  Bonnie Crytzer, Treasurer, reported that the Guild currently has $4064.94 (=$2566.74 operating funds + $1498.20 McCartney Scholarship Fund).  Bonnie also noted that she had brought information on Touchstone classes, Threads, MAFA, fiber tourism, the Arts Center, and the Midwest Fiber & Folkart Fair.  

Bonnie described plans for our demonstration at Edinboro on Saturday, May 19.  Set-up will be Friday evening.  Bonnie has eight admission passes for people who are demonstrating.  There will be a Guild sale table (commission is 10% of the sale price to the Guild).  This year, some weft has been pre-spun by members so the weaver (Karen Fry) can get started right away.

Barb Lodge presented her report on MAFA membership, which can be found elsewhere in this issue of the Hub.  She concluded by recommending that we continue to support MAFA.  We need to make a decision by October.

Bonnie noted that she is compiling a Guild resource list and urged members to contribute information on skills they are willing to share or items they have available.  Barb passed around a sign-up sheet for people to provide snacks at meetings.  She also provided copies of her notes on how to price items for sale.

Roz Macken announced that 10 people have signed up for the van trip to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.  We will depart from Christ Church in Meadville at 5 a.m. on May 5.  There will be no Guild meeting that Saturday.  Taryn Barnett noted that she is driving to the festival and might be able to help transport purchases back.

Joanna noted that it’s time to consider the annual Guild Service Award.  Ann Sheffield, Barb Lodge, and Roz Macken volunteered to be on the nominating committee and check into whether previous awardees still need plaques.  Joanna also passed on information about upcoming events provided by Sue Spencer: the Shepherd’s Auction is April 28.  Wool pool dates are: Lawrence Co. June 4-5; Mercer Co. June 11-12; Washington Co. June 25-26.  Information on the Threads exhibit in Butler and classes at Kindred Spirits Yarn Studio (including one by “great wheel historian” Roz Macken!) was also made available.

After some discussion, we decided not to change the scheduled September meeting date even though it falls on Labor Day weekend.  Roz passed on a message from Bonnie Orr about her recent health woes.  Bonnie Crytzer described a query she had received from someone who wants to join the Guild – she doesn’t have $20 but volunteered to do a program in lieu of paying dues.  We voted to approve her proposal, and Vicki Ferster will contact her to schedule a program.

Ann Sheffield described a state awards program for artists.  We agreed on the most likely candidate in the fiber arts in our region, and Bonnie will pass on the information to the people best situated to nominate her.

Show & Tell:  Sharon showed a wide variety of rep weave samples she had made at a class at Manning’s.  Ruth read a quote about “100% organic cotton sheared from sheep” from an ill-informed article in Time.  Karen noted that she and Laura will travel to a fiber festival in Illinois this summer.  Bonnie showed the 7’ triangular loom that Jim has made for the Guild and modeled a poncho she made on this kind of loom; Joanna added that the new loom will be used to hold a “work in progress” that members can add to during meetings.  Ann showed samples of naturally-dyed yarn made by students in one of her chemistry classes.  Taryn showed her (very impressive) first ball of wheel-spun yarn.  Roz showed the results of her experiments over dyeing the colored wool we have been spinning for Guild weft.

Respectfully submitted,
Ann Sheffield, Secretary

Words from our President

WHAT MAKES FIBER PEOPLE SO SPECIAL?

Have you ever thought about why fiber people are such great folks? We all know that our friends in fiber are different from a lot of others, but how?

Well, after hanging around for the last 25 years with spinners, weavers, sewers, quilters, knitters, and all the rest of us who just love fibers of any kind, I have my own ideas about us.

Did you ever meet a selfish fiber artist? I never did. One of the things I have noticed through the years is the way fiber people are always ready to share. Fiber people do not keep secrets. They are always ready and happy to share everything they know and everything they learn with all the rest of us. We never have to search very far for someone who will be pleased as punch to give us a program, share a technique, teach us everything they know. And the knowledge we've accepted as gifts from folks in the past is being passed on every day, willingly and generously.

The generosity of all of you is the spirit that keeps us strong and healthy year after year.

THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES FIBER PEOPLE SO SPECIAL.

With love from Joanna

Report on why we should support MAFA

from Barb Lodge, April 14, 2007

MAFA has struggled over the past few years to re-establish itself as a useful, viable organization that has something to give its membership.  It would be very unfortunate if MAFA shut down from lack of support and membership.  The support from guilds is imperative to continue promoting fiber arts and keeping them in the public eye.  There is a resurgence of interest in the fiber arts and having a regional organization to help coordinate efforts of individual guilds, become a database for us, and help keep each of us informed of the happenings in the fiber world is of benefit to all of us.  A task force has been formed to undertake a study of what the guilds and members foresee MAFA to be in the future.

MAFA is proceeding with a Workshop Weekend scheduled for July 6-8 at Marywood College in Scranton.  There will be ten 3-day workshops offered and a beginning spinning and weaving class for newcomers.  Because the Board has chosen this location, it relieves the organization from making time payments to a conference facility, allowing it to make use of the funds in its accounts which have been put into higher yield certificates to help generate some much-needed operating funds.

Guild dues to MAFA do not cover basic operating costs.  While the Board has tried diligently to reduce costs, there are still set costs such as incorporation registration, liability insurance, web site registrations, domain names, etc., that must be incurred because of non-profit status.

Guild Benefits:

1. Guilds can publicize local workshops, reaching a wider audience.
2. Guilds have a chance to share regional information and instructors, which provides the opportunity to highlight instructors from our guild to a wider audience or for our guild members to learn about workshops being conducted in other parts of the state.
3. It keeps another entity alive that strives to educate and provide opportunities in a field that seems to be dwindling or aging.  (The Creative Strands organization has foundered.)
4. MAFA provides full tuition scholarships to members of member guilds based on the applicant’s involvement and intention to promote fiber arts.

MAFA Benefits:

1. By having a stronger voice in the fiber community due to the number of member guilds.
2. By making use of the talents that guild members bring to various positions within the organization.
3. By learning better and easier ways to do things from the variety of voices that provide input to the organization.

Conclusion: support MAFA because we find MAFA to be of benefit either to ourselves or to the fiber world as a whole.

Classified Section

From: "Lori Flood"
Good morning,
I am teaching a felt jewelry class at a little known craft school in Pennsylvania not far from Pittsburgh called Touchstone in a few weeks.  The number of registrants is low at this time and I would really like to fill the class.  This school has overcome some tremendous obstacles over the last year and they are rebounding well.  But due to reorganization, their class schedule was slow to go to print and the advertising budget is small.  So that is why I am sending this plug.  Even if you’re not interested in this class please take a moment and go to their website to see what else they offer.

May 12-13       Felt Jewelry Techniques - Weekend

Transform colorful wool fibers into many types of beads, coils, and embellishments using warm, soapy water and gentle rubbing. During the bead creation, skills (including needle felting) will be introduced to create numerous surface designs, textures and interesting shapes. These skills will be expanded as students explore the addition of appendages and techniques to interconnect a variety of felt elements. Felting over wire armatures will also be introduced. Each student will create an assortment of jewelry that will be distinctly unique to their own sense of style and expression!

Touchstone Center for Crafts, Farmington, PA, www.touchstonecrafts.com

For more information email tcc@hhs.or call 1-800-721-0177.

Thanks for your time, Lori Flood

From: Sue Spencer
Call for Artists for THREADS; an all fiber arts exhibit!

Would you please forward this to all Guild members.  I just received this second notice, but didn't take the time to see if it was different from the last.  

Would you also include a request that anyone who is interested in submitting items, let me know so that I can get them scheduled as demonstrators?  Right now I have Barb - weaving; Bonnie Orr - carding; Billie - something; Joanna - spinning; Sue - something.  Will you be available to do a wool combing demonstration?
Thanks.  Sue

THE ASSOCIATED ARTISTS OF BUTLER COUNTY  (AABC)

Open Call for Artists for THREADS; an all fiber arts exhibit!   August 3rd – August 31st, 2007

The Art Center seeks artists for THREADS; an all fiber arts exhibit!  Below is the application form and the deadline is Friday, July 20th, 2007.  The juror is Barbara Westman.

The opening reception for THREADS is on Friday, August 3rd from 7 –9 pm at The Art Center on 344 South Main Street in Butler, PA 16001. The opening reception is free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

(If you are interested in exhibiting fiber art or demonstrating with the guild contact Sue Spencer at forsuespemcer@hotmail.com for rules, entry forms and other info.)

Gene Waldorf wrote:
I have been looking (unsuccessfully) for a source of Elderberry Bark (inner bark).  Can you help me find a source?  I would be happy to pay for it or make a contribution.
Thank you.
Gene Waldorf
Email: gwaldorf@meltel.net

From: cmac@velocity.net
Subject: lambs for sale-I have two white ram lambs to sell this year. They are Romney and Arcot mix. Thanks, Chris

From: Nanle719@aol.com
Subject: spinning lessons
Hi, I’ve just moved up to Albion this past fall and have two spinning wheels (a very old saxony and an ashford traveler) and a drum carder and 16 fleeces of different sheep.  I have had one lesson on spinning and I want to be able to find someone in the Albion area to give me some tips so I can get this off the ground and get busy.  I love to knit and can also crochet and do wool crewel work. This has been a lifelong wish for me as my roots are from Inverness/ Glen Elg Scotland though I’m born here. 
Nancy Pena
thanks a lot for any help

From Pat or Robin Cuneo 
Hello, I'm wondering if you can recommend one of your members for at least two women who would like spinning lessons. We live in Findley Lake, NY, and one of the women owns the yarn shop here, so here would be great, but I'm pretty sure we're flexible on location. Here may also be more people interested once we knew a date. Not sure yet whether we'd like a one-time or repeat thing, but are more than willing to pay.
Thanks for any info
Robin Cuneo
cuneo@fairpoint.net

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