Friday, May 16, 2025

 Hello weavers!  Thank you all for your patience.  I have been traveling for the last few months. 

This is Part Two.  It covers MORE pictures!!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Guild Meeting: Our next meeting is May 17, 2025.   

Emberlight Project: Our Guild has decided to enter an exhibit in the Art in the Park exhibit this summer.  The Miners Memorial Park is in Ironwood, Michigan.  As part of the Emberlight festival, artists set up an exhibit in the Park.  Be sure to go and see it during July in the Art Part of the Miners Memorial Park.  

MUSINGS GROUP QUESTION:

See Part One which covered February's meeting and show and tell.

PHOTOS from April Meeting:

Annie showing the front and back of her täkänä inspired by a Finnish täkänä design.

Phyllis showing a rosepath rag rug she wove while teaching the rag rug workshop at the folk school.  Phyllis showing a Maltese Cross overshot mat and treadle sampling.

Sue Ellen and Marci showing Marci's samples woven from her study of the Collingwood Rug book.

Here is Gretchen with stencil prints she made in Kirsten Aune's workshop.

Gretchen knit the hats using a pattern she decoded from a sweater donated to the Finnish American Folk School that was knit by Melvi Grosnick of Traprock Valley who was a Finnish American and lived to be 104.

Kathie with her täkänä woven for her son's 30th anniversary of priesthood.

Sue Ellen and her rug woven almost entirely from used socks people gave her.

The Buellwood Weavers Guild name draft and drawdown Phyllis found in Marilyn Mason's archive.

Here Sean shows his cardwoven bands (the narrow one in linen and the wider one in knitting yarn with no color change that really enhances the structure) a towel in point twill.

Here is Karen's work.  The rag rug was woven in Phyllis' workshop in rosepath using the two-shuttle technique.

She was readying to teach basketry at Shenandoah.  The three small forms are salt cellars, the simple form she holds shows a successful corner and the complex basket expressive of the times we are living in.

See you soon!

 Hello weavers!  

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Guild Meeting: Our next meeting is May 17, 2025.   

Emberlight Project: Our Guild has decided to enter an exhibit in the Art in the Park exhibit this summer.  The Miners Memorial Park is in Ironwood, Michigan.  As part of the Emberlight festival, artists set up an exhibit in the Park.  Be sure to go and see it during July in the Art Part of the Miners Memorial Park.  

MUSINGS:

I took a road trip to Sturgeon's Bay, Wisconsin this week.  I went because Mirrix Looms was having an open house and I couldn't resist.  

I am absolutely a superfan and I had a great time. Seeing how my tools are made was interesting and I met the folks who do the making.  

I also met other, like-minded women and took some contact information.  I really appreciate making those connections.  Weavers are just the nicest people.

Is it time for another guild road trip?  I'm in if you are! 

GROUP QUESTION:

Do you have a weaving bucket list?    

PHOTOS:

All of these are Karen Tembruell's.  The heart, pie basket (with wine corks and beach-find wood handle) and berry basket are recent willow creations.  The tree-shaped ornament is a project she could teach at the retreat for example.  The mittens and hat are hers.

Marci brought in the peacock chenille bedspread.  She did research learning about the rural history of these in Georgia.

 The next three images are Jimalee's. The small, printed zipper pouch she made in the Folk School workshop taught by Kirsten Aune. Jimalee did the stenciled artwork she is holding in Kirsten's stenciling workshop. The embroidery was made by her mother... an animal sampler.

The colorwork mittens were knit by Jimalee.

Nate also took the stenciling workshop. The two hangings are backed and ready to hang.  The discontinuous brocades (on the table) are two sides of a zipped bag or pillow cover and were inspired by Annie's samples that were in the guild exhibit.

More of Nate's work...  The small pieces are sampling he did before starting the full weavings - each made into bags.  Nothing is wasted.

This was done by Diane inspired by a technique that was taken to India by the enslaved Africans and adapted by the Indian people.  There is no machine quilting.  It is started at the edge and each piece is added one by one and hand overlapped.  You can see the back stitching.... worked to the center.

Lisa's new ryijy was inspired by a frost pattern on her car window.  She used left-over yarn and so did about 75% fewer knots.  We all liked both sides.

The mittens were handspun and knit by Gretchen using her angora rabbit's fur long ago.  She said she did not know you are supposed to blend it angora with other fibers.  They are so soft - like clouds.

Jade brought in her first weaving done in the beginning rag weaving workshop that Phyllis taught through the folk school.  She wants to do more!

John surprised us all with this Singer Featherweight sewing machine that was a gift to the guild along with a table loom that was recently donated.  It is in perfect shape.  He will have it tuned up at Sew Cranky.  What a treasure!

These are Phyllis' show and tell items.... Front and back of the "end of the warp" täkänä, two hats using colorwork charts for sweaters from the Knitted Kalevala Vol. 2 book.  Also showed Hannu's sweater finished, but can't get a good photo of that.  The swan hat was not finished on Sat. but it is now!  Sent to her sister for her 70th birthday 3/3.

Go to Blog Part Two for the next meetings' pictures!

Hello intrepid weavers.  Winter is in its full glory in my neck of the woods--time to weave?!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Guild Meeting: Our next meeting is February 15, 2025.  It is a show and tell meeting.  

Snowflake Challenge: As reported in last blog's post, the Guild has issued a challenge.  Bring your snowflakes to the May meeting!

Emberlight Project: Our Guild has decided to enter an exhibit in the Art in the Park exhibit this summer.  The Miners Memorial Park is in Ironwood, Michigan.  As part of the Emberlight festival, artists set up an exhibit in the Park.  Guild members have been coming in on Tuesdays (when the folk school has its knitting group) and working on our project.  Contact our group to find who is coming in and when.  If you can't make it, no worries.  Be sure to go and see it during July in the Art Part of the Miners Memorial Park.  

MUSINGS:

Lately, I have been lacking any inspiration or creative impulses.  Mostly because it is winter and the sun is not shining.  Also, because in my usual fashion, I have overcommitted to classes and am feeling stressed by it.  Just shows you can age, but sometimes you don't get any wiser.

I have been musing about this because I have been thinking about what it means to be an artist.  One of the things I was reading pointed out that we are artists even if we don't think we are good.  We are expressing ourselves and that makes us artists.  Talk about an aha moment.  

I have repeatedly gone down the art/craft rabbit hole which has made this artist thing more complicated.  If what I am doing is craft am I not an artist?  I read another article that brought some light to this issue.  It first went into the fact that this is a false dichotomy.  Historically, this notion was propagated to keep women out of the tapestry and other guilds. However, it seems to have entered my psyche.  I seem to struggle when I am not making something utilitarian and instead spending my time on making something that speaks to my soul.  

Do you have any thoughts about this?  Or am I overthinking this?  My husband would say that I have too much time on my hands if I am spending my time thinking of these things.  But what does he know--he spends his time playing pickle ball!

GROUP QUESTION:

What brings you joy in regard to your weaving practice?  

PHOTOS:

Mary's Show and Tell:


Melissa’s friend who is part of the local Medieval historical group.  Her persona is a weaver and She brought her tablet weaving.  Same pattern in two different weights.

Sean brought his 34-36 cards tablet woven curtain tie band for his partner, Polly. He also made more shoe laces for his best client Polly. The shoe lace is made with 6 cards turned in one direction. The Aglet or the end of the shoe lace was stiffened with wood glue which is waterproof.

Phyllis is wearing a red wool garment from MarySue Fenner’s sale of samples from her Trunk Show.

Phyllis took the Discontinuous Brocade class and this is her finished weaving.

Sample for Phyllis’s double weave workshop this fall.

Clare with woven piece from fall class

Sample of Laura Fisher Nickleson design

 John and Clare ‘s weavings from his first classes at Finlandia with Phyllis.

Johns and Clare's discontinuous double weave sample

 Cynthia has been knitting with Alpaca yarn. She found that double knitting gives her hats more strength and warmth. The wrap is double knitted in a Kaffe Fasset theme.

David found some treasures he is willing to part with pure silk.

NATE's Projects 

Melissa's Felted hat

Some extras that were not identified

FINAL NOTE ON PHOTOS: The tech gods were not with me.  For some reason, the blog spot was not downloading the pictures.  UGHHHHHHHHH.

TILL NEXT TIME...........