by Chris Elliott
A few years ago Marion Flint realized that quite a few Triangle Weaver’s Guild members lived in the Raleigh area, about a 40 minute drive to both TFAC in Durham and our monthly meetings at the Seymour Center in Chapel Hill. She offered her home in the downtown Raleigh area as a more local meeting place and with a few of us in consultation, we decided our meeting focus would be discussions around the articles in the Handwoven magazine.
We meet at Marion’s home, 1612 Oberlin Rd, #3, on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 6:30 to 8:00. Marion always provides refreshments. Our meetings are open to any Guild member who wants to come and our gatherings vary in size from 4 to 20, though usually 6-12 people show up. Marion sends out a reminder notice to regulars a week in advance and we try to respond to give her an idea of how many to expect.
Although our initial focus was on Handwoven, in practice our meetings are so full of other conversation we frequently don’t get to the magazine. We always go around and share our latest projects, successes and challenges. This can blossom into lengthy discussions of loom problem solving, and issues around color, yarn, and weave structure. Members share tips, tricks and techniques so that even the more experienced weavers say they come away from each meeting having learned something.
Another benefit of attending is hearing about all the extended learning opportunities available–from our own Guild classes and workshops, to MAFA and Convergence, and to offerings in Yadkinville and at the NC Natural History Museum. Participants who have attended schools like J.C. Campbell and the Penland School of Craft share their experiences. It’s really the sharing with other lovers of fiber and weaving that brings us back each month.
This month on May 12th, Handwoven South met on Zoom. Hosted by Phyllis Demko, nine of us were able to reconnect and share what we’ve been weaving over the last few months. Some folks, like Dan, have been weaving every day and had a lot of beautiful work to show. Some of us have focused on other fiber related projects like quilting and knitting. Some of us have spent more time in the garden than in the studio, but all had something to share. All and all it was a delightful 75 minutes of fiber fellowship.
Marion Flint shared a problem. She is sampling, trying to find the best weave structure to show off some lovely variegated yarn on warp panels of green and apricot.
This is the first warp Linda Hebert has ever put on her Baby Wolf. It’s a pattern from Handwoven magazine for table linens that she has modified. As a beginner she is focusing on keeping everything nice and even.
I had ordered some luscious colors of yarn from Jane Stafford a few months ago and was inspired by the March/April issue of Handwoven magazine’s article by Rebecca Fox, Vibrant Virginia Towels. I put on six yards of warp and made five different towels, playing around with three different weave structures and color combinations.