Buellwood Weaver and Fiber Guild, Hancock, Michigan: The U.P. is closed because of extreme weather! But not the Bonifas Fine Arts Center

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The U.P. is closed because of extreme weather! But not the Bonifas Fine Arts Center

January 7, 2014 out my front door and every day this winter.

We have had an unusually cold and snowy winter up here in the U.P. of Michigan. It all started the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. We have had snow every day (no kidding) and temperatures near or now below zero with extremely low wind chill temperatures. Travel has not been advised unless absolutely necessary. Seeing a few of us Buellwood weavers live at least an hour from Hancock, where our Guild meets, it has been difficult to make the guild meetings.

I am one of those weavers, so I have not had first hand Guild information to use in my blog. I have already been stuck in the ditch with our 4 wheel drive big diesel truck. So call me chicken but I am a little leery to drive in this weather in my NON 4 wheel drive Taurus.

I missed the November meeting due to a cold that lasted forever and the bad weather. I believe Jean did not make that meeting either since she was to provide a presentation on ‘Basic Rug Weaving’ our chosen focus for 2013-14. I am told this will be handed out in January in a printed version because it did not happen in November. .

Hopefully 2014 will bring better travel conditions. Our January 20th meeting will be a presentation by Carol Kreher ‘Felting and Crochet Rug Techniques’. I am hoping for a January thaw so we can safely make the drive to Hancock.

Art from the
Fabrications IV 2014 Exhibit

Although the snow keeps coming down the fiber exhibit ‘Fabrications IV 2014’ and invitational Quilt Show at the William Bonifas Fine Arts Center will still be opening January 9^th , 2014 in Escanaba MI. It will be running through thru March 6^th, 2014. This is a juried show for Fiber Artists’ from the U.P. of Michigan.

Leslie's Crane Tapestry

I know of three of our Buellwood Guild members who have entered and been accepted into this exhibit. Leslie Toombs has entered her beautiful tapestry weaving ‘Ontonagon Summer’ and her latest with the ‘Sand hill Crane’. Eve Lindsey entered her Krokbragd, Scandinavian Bound-weave, runner and will also be showing at the exhibit. I thought about what to enter and decided on clothing. So I entered 2 woven garment and a knit paper hat, you will see 2 of my pieces at this show. With our work sent off to the Bonifas in December we await the Artists Reception on January 23^rd from 7pm to 9pm when they will award the prizes. The Center will also be sponsoring 3 workshops during the duration of the Exhibit and a Gallery Talk on February 18^th at 7 pm. On January 25^th Marjorie Tucker will be presenting ‘Going in Circles’ and on January 30^th Ginney Lockart will present ‘wool Dying’ and Pam Beal from Mass will be presenting ‘Make the Cut’. Check out the Bonifas website bonifasarts.org for information about these workshops. If you are in Escanaba you may want to check out the Fiber and Quilt Exhibit this winter.

In other news from Eve I was told the Christmas Luncheon on December 16^th was a great success. Ten of our members attended the luncheon and Lynn provided another of her great fiber related quiz to entertain the group. The White Elephant Gift exchange was a great success, I was told Pekka aka Peter Olsen brought a hand carved wooden spoon that made the rounds until it was successfully acquired by Myla. That girl is always so lucky!

Leslie notified the guild that Ruth Manning will be teaching a 'Handspun Tapestry Weaving' Class at the Porkies Folk School Sunday July 13, 2014. She is from Madison Wisconsin and will be available for hire by the guild that same weekend. You can see Ruth’s work at ruthmanningtapestry.com.

Inlay technique from Nadine Sanders workshop in September 2013.

Blocks of Inlay

using a cartoon to inlay design

My show and tell soon to be cut off the loom.

I did not have any pictures to share with this blog but I have some of my samples from Nadine Sanders September 2013 workshop to show you. I finally finished weaving some of the samples I wanted to try with my remaining warp from the workshop. I have to say I have done very little weaving this fall, and I can't seem to decide what to put on my loom at the moment to get me weaving this winter.