We all know how much life has changed in the last 6 months. The opportunity to find solace in working with our hands and hearts has not been wasted by many of our members. It soothes the soul to be able to create something beautiful in times of stress.
After each of our business meetings we have an “show and tell” session. These don’t have to necessarily have to be spin or weave related – fibres arts are so very flexible! Since October, between our Christmas craft market and holiday break and the cancellation of the January meeting I have been remiss in updating the photos, so here they are! It’s such a wonderful collection of the talents of our amazing members. Enjoy! In no particular order….
Marlene’s new crocheted scarf – absolutely lovely!
Jenny has been weaving some lovely chenille, and the warping board seemed the best thing to display them on – so luscious!
Sumiko wove this wonderful soft shawl for her mother. Such a lovely colour palate.
Mary has been having fun using up her hand-spun scraps- too cute!
Bev’s lovely blanket!
Betty and one of her lovely blankets – I never tire of seeing the wonderful array of blankets from a single warp.
Twice woven carpet by Nancy for the Guild sale in November. Stunning!
Marlene, I do believe this is one of your creations – love the colour shift.
Jordan loves to spin and crochet and this one one of her creations – such subtle colours !
Another wonderful toy ensemble from Mary!
Jenny does it again with vibrant colours and designs, no wonder her towels of so very popular at our sale! Well done.
Helen and the most recent blanket to come off the loom…love it!
Louise H and another wonderful blanket.
On the First Thursday in October we got together to learn how to make Monkey Fists. These little balls can be used for a variety of closures. I have seen them on some sites as survival skills, with a rock inside they can be used as bolos or as a weighted end for throwing a light line into a tree for hoisting up gear to keep it safe. I have used monkey fists as a closure on inkle-woven bags.
There was a lot of laughter and a good time was had by all!
In November of 2018 our Guild bade farewell to one of our dearest members. Babe Harverson was a wonderful weaver and friend. Her memorial service in January of 2019 brought to light so much of this talented ladies life. For those who had know Babe for may years it only reminded them of the wondrous personality of this remarkable lady. For those of us who had know her for the last 10 years or so it was an affirmation of just how all encompassing her zest for life was. Her generous spirit brought joy to all those around her.
In September of 2019, Babe’s daughter Sheila visited our Guild to propose a memorial legacy fund to further weaving and fibre arts study in our Guild. A memorial shadow box had been put together for Babe’s family and it was presented back to the Guild for display in our room. The fund has been set up and we are actively researching a teacher for this year to fulfill the legacy.
Guild president Leslie accepting the memorial box and donation from Sheila on behalf of the Chilliwack Spinners and Weavers Guild.
One of our latest adventures is weaving circles and checks as presented in the May/June 2019 issue of Handwoven written by Susan Poague. The idea of making circles on the loom was intriguing and we decided to step out of our comfort zone and have some fun. The warp was prepared over the Christmas break and the loom was dressed in January. After a preliminary run to test the threading Mary has started her towel. The test sample was woven in the turquoise of the warp, Mary is using the green and it is amazing. We’ll get more photos up as they are worked.
The strip you see on the bottom is how we are keeping track of the pattern as we weave. The numbers in the right column indicate which of the 8 shafts on our Woolhouse 8-shaft table-top loom are to be worked. The large paperclip is placed on the row currently being worked. As the pattern is 36 rows, pinning or taping a list to the loom seemed a bit awkward. We are fortunate to have a stand that fits the loom and the paper strip sits nicely on the shelf of the table – good for lefties and righties!
Fibre arts are not always about spinning and weaving. Anything fabric related is open season. Marlene took the time to put together a session to teach us how to make shopping bags from King size pillowslips. It was a fun afternoon and I believe we may have bought our all the spare pillow cases in the area thrift stores!
We had so much fun making them I don’t think we took any photos, but here are some that I was inspired to make. The top one is from quilting fabric that was living in my cupboard and the bottom one was from the session with Marlene. The one below is from some wonderful Mary Englebreit fabric I have been hoarding!
And it begins……
On a slightly foggy Fraser Valley Saturday we are looking forward to a wonderful day!
What is a great day out with your friends without a good lunch? Out wonderful volunteers have assembled an amazing luncheon, as always!
Nice view of our Silent Auction tables. After lunch it’s time to visit our vendors and the Silent Auction table.
This is the second year we have held a raffle and below are the winners from fist to fourth.
Last year we issued a Crayon Challenge to our attendees. These wonderful Ladies ( yes, Ladies with a capitol “L”!) rose to and exceeded the challenge. Feast your eyes on the marvelous things they created. I hope I have not omitted anyone’s project. So many wonderful things!
The Silent Auction is always a great attraction at the Spin-in. Our team did a great job presenting the items.
And where would we be without afternoon nibbles?
And door prizes – we had distributed half of the prizes before I managed to snap the photo!
I wish to extend deepest thanks to all the volunteers who make this annual event possible. Anyone who has undertaken such an event knows the work involved. Congratulations Ladies, it was a great day. Thank you also to our dedicated attendees, we look forward to seeing you each year and catching up with one another.
First I would like to pass along my thanks to the members who volunteered for this years Chilliwack Fair. Well done everyone! This year saw a wonderful assortment of items entered. So great when the booth has this kind of response.
Our own Hannelore was chosen as the Fairs volunteer of the year. The Chilliwack Progress published an article about her and her long standing volunteerism with the Chilliwack Fair.We were proud to display the article along with the shawl she was weaving in the photo of the article. Congratulations Hannelore!
Congratulations to Carolyn for her award winning blanket!
There were some lovely items entered by the members of the Chilliwack Bobbin Lace
Club. The scarf was a unique item!
Our members spun and wove this scarf on Sunday – job well done. See everyone next year!Two years ago we challenged our members to create something inspired by art. At our June luncheon this year some of these projects were revealed. The photos of these will slowly be added to- the light level at the restaurant was not great for the photos.
Carolyn T. wove this lovely scarf. The Passiflora flower is lovely and Carolyn chose to weave the scarf in cotton and a mohair boucle.
Leslie A was inspired by Starry Nights by Vincent van Gogh and wove a tablet band. The pattern was originally from “A tablet weqfer’s Pattern Book” and the colours were adapted to suit the artwork. The work is 6 yards long, enough for garment trip or to piece to make a small bag.
Well, with the longest day of the years looming ( pardon the pun) summer is well and truly on our minds. Remember when, as a child, that season held the magic of vacations, seemingly endless days with no school, staying out late and playing with friends. I look at the calendar now and realize just how short the summer really is. Our AGM is done, just some paperwork to do to finalize the proceedings. Many thanks to the members who attended. Our executive remains and we welcome new committee members. Officially our year is from 1 July to end June.
During July and August we will be getting together on Tuesdays at the Guild room, forgoing our usual Thursday morning get togethers. Those sessions will resume in September, after Labour Day.
August sees the Guild members helping out at the Chilliwack Fair. Plans are afoot for a sheep to scarf project, which we traditionally do on the Sunday of the Fair weekend. It’s amazing just how few weeks are left until Fair entries are to be submitted. Yikes, there goes the summer. At least no one will hear us muttering that we are bored!
I’m looking forward to spinning these little beauties – Jude, he colours are fabulous!
Whatever the summer holds for each of you, I hope you all are safe and create wonderful memories.
Leslie
