March Meeting
Norwegian Band Weaving
Saturday, March 22, 2025
9:30 am - 12:00 pm
This month join us for a trip to Norway as we take a short stroll through the history of bandweaving with a particular focus on Sámi (also Saami) weaving. Although we'll call it Norwegian band weaving, it can also be termed Baltic weaving as the patterned bands were commonly woven in Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and other surrounding countries, too.
While patterned band weaving can be done on all sorts of looms, a handheld rigid heddle is common. Depending on the type of patterning desired, the heddle might have 2 (or even 3) sets of holes or doubled sets of slots - long slots for the background threads and short slots for the pattern threads. We'll primarily look at the double-slotted pattern heddle (sometimes referred to just as a pattern heddle or more rarely as a Sunna heddle) that makes intricate patterning quite simple.
If you're interesting in purchasing pattern heddles, they can be purchased from the Stoorstålka US online site.
There are also a number of Etsy stores that sell them. Susan Foulkes also has written several books on bandweaving and Sámi bandweaving and has a number of helpful YouTube videos detailing the warping and weaving process.
It's also possible that there will be pictures of reindeer from the Sámi farm and Northern Lights!
Meeting Location: Crosstown Concourse, 1350 Concourse Ave, Memphis, TN 38104
Free parking in the garage in the back rows and upper levels; the first rows have a fee after 2 hours. Once in the building, take the Central Atrium elevator to the 7th floor, turn right, and enter through the Parcels office.
Midwestern Weavers Conference 2025
The regional weavers' conferences are always held in the odd years and this year the midwestern conference is being held in St. Louis (at Washington University). Preconference workshops begin on June 9 - June 11 with Conference Workshops and Seminars on Friday and Saturday (June 13 - 14). Registration is open for the conference and information is here. Housing registration closes March 31 and the conference catalog can be downloaded so you can browse workshops and presentations. St. Louis is an easy road trip from Memphis so think about attending.
Membership
Enjoy the benefits of guild membership for $20 annual dues (Yes, this is a reduction in annual dues so be sure to take advantage of it this year!).
- Monthly meetings with educational programs or social gatherings, or extended workshops
- Participate in the guild booth at the Pink Palace Crafts Fair demonstrating craftsmen's tent
- Library of books, media, and equipment available for check-out
- Information on looms for sale (local area)
- Weavers who are always ready to help answer questions or lend a hand!
Monthly Meetings
Monthly meetings include a short business meeting, educational program, and viewing of members' work.
Meetings are typically at Crosstown Concourse (7th floor in the Patio area of the Parcels office) from 9:30 - 12:00 on the 4th Saturday of the month - however dates do change around the holidays (November and December meetings).
Guild History
The Memphis Guild of Handloom weavers was founded in 1947 but Viola Joyce Quigley and fellow students from the Memphis Academy of Art. Since then, the guild has held art shows, workshops with internationally reknowned instructors, classes for the public, and sales of handwoven goods.
We continue to promote the time-honored craft of handweaving into the 21st century.
Guild Library
The guild keeps an extensive library of over 300 books and videos on a wide variety of weaving topics. Members may check out media from the library.
The guild also owns 10 looms and a colections of smaller equipment and tools.