Paper Weaving Workshop with Bea Grob - May 6, 7 and 8 2013

Woven Paper Tote

Waffle weave Paper warp and weft

Our Guild decided on a Paper Weaving workshop this spring and we invited Bea Grob, who is a friend of one of our guild members, to come and teach us how to create household items out of paper.

Our weavers and Bea in the front right row

Bea traveled from Switzerland to teach this workshop. We rented the Marsin Retreat Center from the Keweenaw Land Trust to hold our workshop. It is located just out of Houghton off of Canal Road down the Red Brick Road.
To our delight the Center worked out great for our group of 13 weavers and Bea.

Bea Grob instructing us on making a Paper warp.

We prepared our looms ahead under the instructions Bea provided. She warped some of the looms with Paper warps the day before the workshop. This turned out to be very helpful for some of the beginning weavers we had in attendance. Some came the day before when she was warping to assist Bea. 

Lunch break at Marsin

The majority of our weavers arrived on Monday morning all bringing a dish to pass for our lunch. So we had lots of food for lunch and we could enjoy our lunch break in the sun on the deck or the screen porch.

We first learned how to make paper flower Roses to fill the time we were not at a loom. It turned out there was not too much time to make rose flowers as we were quite busy weaving on all the looms.

Bea demonstrated preparing a paper warp and warping the last loom so we could see some of her tricks. The workshop was a round robin so we each got to weave on all 14 looms. Some were easier than others to weave so there was a nice variety for all levels of weavers.

Leslie's tapestry loom was a joy to weave on even tying Rya Knots

Leslie’s tapestry loom was warped to create a circular wreath the technique was Rya Knots…. I have to say there was not a lot of interest in tying Rya Knots after they spent a few minutes tying the knots. I really thought it was relaxing and the loom was a real gem. I spent a couple of hours that evening tying knots. By the end of the workshop I found more weavers coming back and tying knots also.

Debra’s loom had a cotton warp that was woven with strips of paper and soft chenille yarn when removed from the loom it will create a basket.Eve warped her loom with cottolin and it was woven with a narrow plied paper yarn in a winter and summer pattern. A very interesting woven cloth resulted.  This fabric could be used for placemats or other household items.

The window blind warp on Lynn's loom

Some of the looms were warped with various weights of paper yarn which created a see through fabric used for table decorations, room dividers or window blinds. Lynn’s loom had the window blind warp was a spaced tencel or cotton warp woven with paper which was a favorite of the group. 
 Jean warped her loom with white cottolin and we were able to weave with a flat translucent paper and inlay our designs into the white square. 

A couple of looms Eileen’s and Melissa’s were warped with rug warp and woven with fabric Poppana or quilt strips and a very heavy plied paper yarn. This created a thick woven rug for use on the floor or hot pads. This was a very nice woven cloth and very popular in Europe.

Carol had a small cricket loom she warped with 4 ply cotton and we wove with paper yarn and cotton to create coasters. She had some beautiful colors on the loom and we added our own choice of medium weight yarn.

Melissa weaving so fast you can see the motion

The loom warped with the tea candle holder was a very popular. Although it was on a rigid heddle loom all of the weavers were excited about weaving this candle holder….. Melissa was really

Tea light

having a great time weaving these long rya knots on the rigid heddle loom. It was interesting how they liked this project but not the wreath since both involved Rya Knots. This one was 2 inches wide and not 24 inches of Rya Knots per row as the paper wreath.

My loom was warped with 20/2 cotton pink and lime green stripes. Weaving it with a fine antique

paper yarn and finishing it will create a scarf that is pink on one side and lime green on the other side. This is a form of collapse weave.

Bonny trying out one of the looms

Bonny a new weaver was so happy to participate in this weaving workshop. I think she will buy a new loom and be a lifelong weaver Bonny will be a great addition to our Guild.

Our next meeting will be May 20 at Noon at Gloria Dei church in Hancock, Michigan. Please join us to wish Eric a great send off to Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon. Where he will be studying for his Masters Degree in Wood science and Engineering. 
For our July meeting we are thinking of having a yarn and equipment sale and exchange so check out your stash and join us in July.

June will bring the Mary Sue Fenner workshop and trunk show. For those of you who have signed up the class starts at 9:30 am to 4:30 June 3, 4 and 5. I was in Green Bay and got a preview of the new jackets Mary Sue will share with our group. You are in for a real treat. She has a variety of materials from quilt fabric with flannel lining to woven wool garments with embellished elements such as a blue zipper for piping on a collar.

There is still room in Mary Sue Workshop if you are interested, the cost is going down with more commitment. 

Austrailian Beanie Fest April 15 th Buellwood Guild meeting

Oops! I  almost forgot to post our Guild meeting on April 15th.

We arrived at Gloria Dei Church and found the Parking lot full. Hmmmmmmm what is going on? A funeral in progress, Oh my! But the church staff set up a room in the basement of the church for us to use for our guild meeting. Thank you Gloria Dei! We met in a color full room with a small table and some chairs and lots of little chairs and tables ..... for the children.

Carol brought a small TV and her computer and shared with us some of her pictures from Australia in 2012. She has lots of beautiful pictures of this luscious country. She especially wanted to share with our guild her discovery of the Exhibit of Fiber Hats that she toured during the 2012 Alice Springs Beanie Festival that is held every year. 

 The challenge in 2012 for the Beanie Fest Exhibit was to tell a yarn or express stories through your work. Explore your own heritage. What tales are important to your family? Be inspired by mythological creatures and heroines. Dream of your favorite bedtime story, let your imagination find new details to share. The exhibition was open Friday June 22- Sunday July 17 2012 and Carol had the fun of attending this Exhibit

Located in Araluen Cultural Precinct, Larapinta Drive, Alice Springs Australia.   

*** These were some of the hats that were in the Exhibit.

This year’s 2013 event is called: 'Beanies from the Heart - A Celebration of Friendship' It reads Friendship has been at the heart of the Alice Springs Beanie Festival for seventeen years. We want to honor the values of friendship including trust, loyalty, honesty, compassion and fun. We challenge all beanie makers to make a heartfelt beanie about friendship. There is still time to send your Beanie for the Competition this year. Deadline is May 27th, 2013. Check out the website http://www.beaniefest.org/ for more information.  Sounds like they accept all Beanies! So send one off for a chance to win $200 worth of Yarn and a trophy. I believe the entry fee is $20.

Our Guild members showed up with their Beanie’s to share.

Carol shared a felted hat that she originally made for her husband Don, It is even in the Tech colors! But alas it did not fit him. So now it adorns her fiber shop 'Fiber Whims' store window. 

 Jean’s favorite hat is her black newsboy hat, which looks pretty cute on her. She just takes such nice pictures.

Jeanne Medlyn brought two interesting hats one was a baseball hat with a pinwheel on top, that one disappeared before I could snap a picture. Then a homemade aluminum foil hat with an antennae. I thought she said it was her hat to protect herself form aliens!!!

 

 Lorraine had her fashionable ‘Red Hat’ Beanie

Eileen loves her pink cotton crocheted hat that she is always wearing. But she did bring a wool hat that is warmer up here in the north woods…. With all the snow we had this year she really needs to have a warm wool hat. 

Adeline is modeling her hand knit hat and woven scarf that she just finished.

 
Mary (me) shared her felted Trillium hat. I love making these flowers especially since my Poinsettia and Trillium turned out so nice.

Phyllis who always wears a hat left her’s at the School…. Or at least she thought she did! Then when she put on her coat what did she find but her Beanie was in her sleeve. 

Debra wore her Wool Harrisville coat that she made last spring in Mary Sue Fenner’s Art Jacket Class. She almost has her hand woven fabric done for the workshop in June ( 3,4,and 5 ) that we will be holding at Finlandia.  There is still room in the workshop if you are interested – a couple of us will be using commercial fabric for this workshop. Mary Sue will help you create a ‘one of a kind Jacket’ with whatever you bring to sew. 

Lynn finished Jean’s gift from the fibers we exchanged at our 2011 Christmas swap and it is a beautiful lilac Shawl, made from yarn Jean provided for the exchange. I am still waiting for mine! Hint, Hint!!!!  Just because you became a troll you can’t forget us…..

Eric said he did not wear hats although he knits quite a few of them. He will be leaving us the attend graduate school in Corvallis Oregon next fall. So wish Eric well if you see him before he leaves the U.P. 

Eric knitting and note Jeanne's beanie...

Our Paper weaving workshop with Bea Grob is next week so I hope all the Looms all warped and pot lunch item thought about.... Bea will be arriving in the U.S. soon. we will see you at the Marsin Retreat center Monday morning May 6th be ready for class at 10 am. Ready to learn!