AWSG E-Newsletter April 2018

Presidents Message: Greetings

April brings longer days, warmth and time to make lists of activities to accomplish in the summer or checking the calendar to

coordinate visitors to our beautiful state.

For the AWSG members, we look forward to seeing the best of member creativity as our April challenge are reveals. “Into the Wild”

has many connotations – color, texture, structure, fiber -- in seemingly endless variety. I’ve had several ideas in my head and as

usual, will be creating something at last-minute.

I’ve been inspired by my recent trip to Arizona where Tom and I have attended spring training baseball games. This coincides with

cactus blooms. I’ve included some below to add inspiration for color and texture.

Carol Koford and the nominating committee are working hard to fill a slate of officers and committee positions to guarantee a

smooth transition to next year.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 14th. Don’t forget to sign up for Sarah’s project bag class immediately following the

meeting.

Anne

April Program!!

April’s Program is the traditional Guild Challenge!! Bring your finished fiber art project to

celebrate Alaska’s beauty, “Into the Wild.” See you April 14th!

April Bag Project

Join Sarah Robicheaux right after the April meeting to make cotton project bags for all the portable handwork projects you want to take with you. We will sew simple, cotton bags, with drawstring closures and square bottoms. They can be made in many sizes. A large bag starts with a piece of fabric that is 18" by 42", a medium bag would start with

fabric that is 12" by 30", and a small would start out as 9" by 22".

Materials: You should bring fabric, scissors and 1/8" cotton cord, or other drawstring material that you like. We will need sewing machines and extension cords, but not everyone needs to bring one. I will bring neutral thread colors that will match

many fabrics and two ironing boards and irons.

Cost: Donations will be appreciated to cover the $50.00 an hour rental of the church space. The workshop should take about one hour.

Sign up:

Sign up on via the sign up genius link below. Please note if you will bring a sewing machine and extension chord in the comments section. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e44aeac2ba1fc1-april

Nominating Time!

AWSG needs your enthusiastic support by taking up a position as a board member or a committee member. We need a Vice President, a secretary and two people for the treasurer position, a couple of people

for both the spinning and weaving workshop committees; we need an additional person for the meeting programs committee.

We will be calling to talk to some of you about taking on one of the

tasks that help keep AWSG humming like a fine tuned organization. We will also ask at the next meeting for volunteers. Also you can nominate yourself or others you think would make a great part of the board.

Please join us in making AWSG's future happen.

Thank you for your participation and thoughtful consideration to be a part of the board.

Carol Koford

748-5861

Loom for Sale

Schacht Standard Maple Loom (8-shaft) in 4 now 4 later Configuration Donated to the Anchorage Weavers and Spinners Guild Selling for: $2985 or best offer Contact: President@anchorageweavespin.org Condition: Like new, looks like original packaging, hard to tell if it was ever used. Specifications: Weaving Width: 46”, Overall Width: 53”, Weight: 125 lbs Accessories: Reed Warping Board Raddle 4 Boat Shuttles Lease Sticks Warping Wheel (antique/homemade)!

Upcoming Workshop: Deflected Double Weave Instructor: Angela Schneider Date: October 6 – 7, 2018 (2 days)

Location: TBD Cost: $200 plus $15 material fee

Sign-up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e44aeac2ba1fc1-deflected

Deflected double weave integrates two layers of fabric into one, creating

shapes that shift and bend into geometric designs with a surprising organic feel. This workshop explores the workings of this complex looking weave structure, breaking it down into simple components. We will weave multiple

patterns on each draft and look at a technique for reading your cloth and designing at the loom.

Angela Schneider is a weaver, spinner, knitter, and enthusiast for all textile structures from the common to the esoteric. She earned degrees in engineering, math, and art, and worked in the tech industry as a programmer,

network engineer, and trainer. Angela uses math and language as design inspiration and explores improvisation in weaving. She teaches multiple fiber

arts and is known as a patient and encouraging teacher. She has a Master Spinner certificate from Olds College of Alberta, Canada. Angela is also an avid swing and contra dancer, instructor, and contra dance caller. She

currently lives near Memphis, TN. Participants will work at their own looms to weave a sampler of different

pattern possibilities with their individual draft. We’ll have tour of looms to learn from the structure and color interactions on each other’s samples. Skill Level: Intermediate; weavers must be able to warp a loom prior

to class Student supplies:

8-shaft floor or table loom warped prior to class. 4-shaft

looms can be used; however, it will limit the design

options.

****Special Note: If 12 people do not register a commitment to attend by September 1, this class will be cancelled***

The total class fee is estimated to be $200 + materials fee of $15 which can be paid on line or checks may be sent to: Anchorage Weavers & Spinners Guild, PO Box 244055, Anchorage, AK 99524-4055

A deposit of fifty-percent (50%) of the workshop fee must accompany the

registration, with remaining fifty percent (50%) due the first day of the workshop. Cancellations shall result in the forfeiture of the deposit, unless a replacement can be found, whether from the waiting list or arranged by the

person cancelling the registration in the workshop.

If you have questions, please contact Lorri Wright, (907) 360-0276, lorrihome@live.com or Christine Dittrich, (907) 440-2784, cldittrich907@gmail.com

Upcoming Workshop: Theo Moorman Technique Instructor: Heather Winslow Date: April 21-23, 2018 Time: 9:00 – 4:00 pm

Location: APU, 4101 University Drive, Anchorage, AK Room 103/104

Cost: $300 plus $10 material fee Sign-up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0E44AEAC2BA1FC1-theo

****There are a couple spots left****

Please join us for a hands-on workshop studying the Theo Moorman technique taught by Heather Winslow.

Heather Winslow is a nationally known and respected teacher and textile artist. Her educational background is in teaching, and after 45 years she still

has a passion to share her knowledge with others. She is chairman of the textile department of The Fine Line Creative Arts Center (St. Charles, Illinois) where she teaches weaving, knitting and spinning. She is a regular teacher at

Sievers School (Washington Island, Wisconsin) and has taught at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, Tennessee) and The Weaver’s School

(Coupville, Washington). Heather teaches weaving, knitting, spinning, dyeing, beading and

embellishment at guilds, shops, and at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Her one-of-a-kind garments have been exhibited

internationally and are in several private collections. Her articles have appeared in magazines including Handwoven, Spin-Off and Weaver’s and her

garments have been published in a number of books. She is the author of the book, More on Moorman: Theo Moorman Inlay Adapted to Clothing.

Who was Theo Moorman? Theo Moorman (1907-1990) was a prolific weaver from England. While

figuring out how to weave pictorially without the time-consuming labor of tapestry weaving, Theo developed the technique that carries her name. The technique is a variation of plain weave. Her innovation was to differentiate the

weight of the warp threads - a heavier ground warp and a finer tie-down warp. The design on the surface of the fabric is achieved by inlaying yarns

under the fine tie-down warp.

The Moorman technique is not complicated to weave. Only 4 harnesses are required. If you can warp a loom and do plain weave, you can learn the Moorman technique.

Four-shaft loom required. (Note: This is not a round-robin workshop.) This

workshop is suitable for beginner to advanced weavers.

Upcoming Workshop: Spinning with Patsy Z! Instructor: Patsy Zawistoski Date: Nov 3 and 4, 2018 Save the dates of Saturday and Sunday, November 3 and 4, 2018, for two spinning workshops! Patsy Zawistoski, “Spinnin’ Guru”, will teach Illegal Yarns - an Incredible Plying Option and Color Options for Hand spinning Painted Rovings. You can learn more about Patsy Z on her website www.spinninguru.com. Signups and costs will be

available in September.

We are looking for a workshop host for Patsy and her husband from November 2 through November 5. The host provides meals, transportation, a separate bedroom and bathroom and in return is allowed to attend the workshops at no cost. If you are interested in hosting Patsy and her husband (on what will be her birthday weekend as well), please

contact Marjorie McLaren (522-6610 mclarenw@gci.net), or Linda Yarborough (lfy@ak.net) for further information.

Kool-Aid Capers Submitted by Karen Williams

In the recent winter retreat we tried dyeing fiber/yarn with Kool-Aid. Everyone received several packages of Kool-Aid

using these directions: Use 1 – 2 Kool Aid packages per 1-2 oz of fiber.

1. Use washed protein fiber in any format.

2. Wet your fiber (silk can take longer to wet)

3. Place the fiber in a colander or metal rack. Best to keep fiber thin. If it is too thick, you might get some areas

without dye on the underside.

4. Place the colander/rack into a bucket, roasting pan or large tub, making sure there is room below the

colander/rack for snow runoff.

5. Place snow on top of your fiber, lightly pack.

6. Sprinkle Kool Aid on top of your snow.

7. Let the snow melt fully.

8. Wrap your dyed, still damp, fiber in saran wrap.

9. Microwave until hot, when steam appears inside the saran wrap.

10.Let fiber cool.

11.Rinse fiber.

Elena asked why we put the Kool-Aid on the snow and not directly on the fiber. Since it seemed like a great idea, Elena tried it and was very happy with her results. It gave her more control over placing the dye on the fiber, since you can

see the fiber. Back home I set up an experiment. I split a 100 gr superwash merino/nylon roving into 2 sections. I used the same 4

packages of Kool-Aid on both sections, applied as consistently as I could. Kool-Aid directly on fiber, before snow added Kool-Aid on top of snow (fiber underneath)

While watching snow melt:

The dye under the snow sink just looked like snow until most of the snow melted. It was a boring to watch. On the dye on top of the snow approach the colors started very bold and diluted as the snow melted. There was also some dye that went into the sink instead of the fiber.

Results:

The directly applied dye looks more saturated(left), but the colors did not strike as far below the surface. The dye on top of snow colors are less saturated but the dye penetrated further into the roving (right). I had intended to line up the roving in the same orientation as the left picture, but managed to rotate 90 degrees by mistake.

It is hard to gauge the amount of white space between them, since the distribution is different. Both would have needed more dye to prevent white space.

HGA Convergence Sheep To Shawl

Wouldn’t it be fun to have an Anchorage sheep to shawl team?!

Sheep to Shawl Competition

sponsored by Clemes and Clemes, Inc.

Is it possible to take fleece straight from a sheep, card it, spin it and weave it into a lovely shawl in four hours? Find out at the Sheep to Shawl Competition presented at Convergence® in partnership with Conference of Northern California

Handweavers (CNCH) and sponsored by Clemes and Clemes, Inc. A new addition to Convergence®, this age-old craft

will come to life as Spinners and Weavers compete for top honors. Teams will compete to make a shawl step-by-step starting with washed fleece. Competitors will be spinning and weaving at a furious pace. At the conclusion, all shawls will be removed from the looms and judged.

HGA invites you to attend as a spectator or a participant. Each team will have 8 members: 1 weaver and 7 others that

will perform spinning, carding, plying, and educating the spectators. Following specific guidelines, the teams will produce a shawl that is approximately 20" wide x 72" long. Don’t miss this opportunity to see the complete fiber process all in one place and in one afternoon.

When: Saturday, July 7, 2018

Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM *awards will be given during Twilight Madness (7-9 PM)

Price:

$25 per Team to participate

Free to watch with a CVP or $10 Day Pass

Register Your Team Online: https://weavespindye.z2systems.com/event.jsp?event=98&

For more information and competition rules please visit our website or call HGA at (678) 730-0010.

Convergence® is the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.'s biennial, international fiber arts conference. The conference

takes place July 6-12, 2018 at the Peppermill in Reno, Nevada and includes art exhibits, a fashion show, keynote presentation by Jason Collingwood, marketplace, tours, seminars, workshops, and more. Visit WeaveSpinDye.org to

learn more and to register online.

The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It's mission is to educate, support and inspire the fiber art community.

Upcoming Conference: HGA Convergence Date: July 6 – 12- 2018 Location: Reno, Nevada

Convergence is being held in nearby Reno this year! Below is a link for sign up and conference information.

http://www.weavespindye.org/convergence-2018

Upcoming Conference: Black Sheep Gathering Date: June 29-July 1

Location: Albany, Oregon Site: Lynn County Fairgrounds

After almost 40 years in Eugene, we will be gathering in Albany, Oregon.

While we still love ❤ Eugene, we have just outgrown the Lane County

Fairgrounds, and we could no longer justify the expense given the

amenities that were just unavailable to our event.

However, Linn County will be an absolutely fantastic location. It is very

conveniently located right off I-5 and will continue to allow free admission

and parking.

Watch for information at: http://www.blacksheepgathering.org/index.html

Upcoming Conference: Yarn Fest Date: April 12-15 Location: Loveland, CO

Site: Embassy Suites

ACTIVITY SPOTLIGHT: FRIDAY KEYNOTE

Keynote Speaker Elizabeth Johnston will share stories of life as a native of Shetland and a lifelong artisan. Elizabeth will share her reflections on the fiber arts of Shetland, including spinning, knitting,

dyeing and weaving. Come for an insider’s look at some of the

world’s most celebrated and beautiful yarn communities.

Board Member Info:

Board Member Information may be found at: http://www.anchorageweavespin.org/about.html

President: Anne Brooks Historian: Clydene Fitch

President Elect: Carol Koford Librarian: Vickie Campbell

Treasurer: Rebecca Pasley HGA Rep: Cheryl Johnson

Secretary: Rachel Humphreys ANWG Rep: Christine Dittrich

Member-At-Large: Beverly Bronner Website Editor: Linda Conover

Programs: Laurene Stout Equipment Rentals: Bonnie Tisler

Terry Newbold Newsletter Editor: Nicole Putnam

Workshops: (weave) Christine Dittrich

(weave) Lorri Wright

(spin) Linda Yarborough

(spin) Marjorie Mclaren

Our Advertisers: The new Guild year is upon us! If you would like to place an ad in the newsletter for the 2017-18 season,

please contact the Treasurer or the Newsletter Editor.