The Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers

April 2012

The April issue of Common Threads, the MGHW newsletter, is now available. Send items for future issues to mghw@memphisfiberarts.org.

Current Membership Directory

Members - Dues are now $40/year.

Planning is starting for next year - submit your feedback, program and workshop suggestions and offerings: Member survey.

Weaving and Dyeing Workshops with Kathrin Weber

Designing at the Loom with Space Dyed Warps on Saturday April 28, 9am-5pm and Sunday April 29, 1-5pm.
Class fee $125, materials fee $20 and up depending on number and size of warps purchase.
Space Dyeing Warps dye workshop on Monday, April 30, 9am-5pm. Class fee $75, materials fee $10 for dyes plus optional purchase of prepared warps.

Students bring a loom prepared with a dummy warp. Kathrin will guide you in designing at the loom and weaving from your creative side, responding to colors as they flow and change during weaving. You'll pick up many techniques for efficient weaving, too. On Monday, continue the exploration of color by dyeing your own warps, learning about color mixing and good dye practices.

There are still a few spots available for these workshops. Registration form.

March 24 - Displaying Handwovens

Thank you to Eva Cassel, Linda Weghorst and Jennifer Sargent for an informative program on mounting and displaying woven works. It was a morning filled with technical knowledge and inspiration from the large variety of beautiful pieces shown.

Eva discussed ways of creating frames and hanging apparatus for transparent works and framing tapestry pieces. She also discussed mannequins and display stands to best show off wearable works.

Linda shared her techniques for mounting and framing tapestries.

It turns out that preparing a work for display is often as involved as creating the work itself! Thoughtful attention to these details can really make your work appear at its best.

A copy of Textiles As Art: Selecting, Framing, Mounting, Lighting and Maintaining Textile Art by Laurence Korwin is on order for our library.

Weaving Classes!

Several new weavers tried their hands at looms at Weave a Scarf in a Day classes on January 14th and 18th, and Beginning Weaving February 11-12. Interested in learning to weave? Watch for classes later this spring!

Photos from previous classes:2010, 2009.

Twill-O-Rama Workshop

Mary Jorgensen presented her Twill-O-Rama workshop exploring the endless possibilities of the "Queen" of weave structures, Twill. 11 weavers participated in this round robin workshop on 13 looms. With 9 patterns per sample, participants left with notebooks of 117 different twills! Any weavers who have finished additional samples for classmates can send them to the guild at MGHW, PO Box 240661, Memphis, TN 38124-0661 and we'll distribute them to the weavers who need them to complete their sets.

Holiday Luncheon!

MGHW members and guests gathered for winter cheer at our potluck luncheon and silent auction Saturday, December 17, 2011, 11:00 am in the MGHW studio at St. John's. Yummy food graced our plate while yarns, books, tools and other goodies appeared in the auction.

Bead Leno Workshop

Leno is a lace structure formed by twisting warp threads. "Bead Leno" uses bead or short straws to cause warp threads to twist, making a loom-controlled structure out of one that is usually hand manipulated. The beads are part of the loom, not the cloth! Our own Jennifer Sargent led this workshop for 4 and 8-shaft looms on Saturday November 12.

Warping Back-to-Front, Plus!
Saturday, October 22 - 9:30am-noon, MGHW Studio

Angela demonstrated a process for warping a loom back-to-front, with extra tips for dealing with challenging warps and extra techniques that will come in handy whichever way you work (like tying on with shoestrings. Sounds strange? It makes tensioning your warp easy!) Download Angela's notes from the program.

There will be a meeting of the Tablet Weavers' Study Group immediately following the guild meeting. The topic will be methods of holding the warp. We'll have setups of backstrap, weighted warps, table looms and others to try out and we'll examining the pros and cons. All are welcome, and encouraged to bring a warp with their favorite setup.

Weaving in the Park!

MGHW members shared their love of the loom for the 23rd year as demonstrating craftsmen and vendors at the Pink Palace Crafts Fair in Overton Park, October 6-9. Many handwoven items went home with festival attendees. Thank you weavers and visitors for sharing a beautiful weekend weaving in the park.

Welcome Back Weavers!

MGHW kicks off the new 2011-2012 Calendar on Saturday, August 27 with "What We Did Over the Long, Hot Summer" as members share projects, workbooks, photos and tales of their summer weaving adventures. The new schedule features something for everyone, whether you're working on basic skills, wanting to experiment with structure or get creative with color, improve your studio space, or display your work. See the full Calendar.

It is time to renew memberships. Dues are $40/year. Guild members voted to raise dues to cover our operating expenses.

New Looms!

The guild's new looms have arrived and assembly is complete! We are now the owners of four beautiful new Harrisville Designs 22" workshop floor looms - two 4-shaft and two 8-shaft - and a Louet Jane 15" 8-shaft table loom.