For the first time, the venue for the Australian Alpaca Association national sale and show will be the Falkiner Pavilion at the Sydney Showgrounds, Homebush. And for the first time ever, the show will include an Expo offering something for everyone whether you are considering owing alpacas or just want to come and enjoy a day out with plenty of opportunity to cuddle some baby alpacas (cria.)

On Saturday and Sunday there will be shearing demos, on the hour every hour, together with fleece sorting and classing in preparation for processing. You will be able to watch the entire process as raw alpaca fleece is spun into yarn and then knitted into garments.

When: Thursday to Sunday, 13-16 October
Info: nationalshowandsale.alpaca.asn.au

Posted by Prue Hill at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First:
Toronto Spiders, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
5 hours 53 minutes 34 seconds

Second:
Knitwits, Tocal Agricultural College, Paterson, NSW
6 hours 37 minutes 37 seconds

Third:
Hitsujikouboh Masako, Chibaken, Japan
6 hours 53 minutes 42 seconds

Info:
Wendy Dennis
PO Box 34
Birregurra VIC 3242

backtoback@iprimus.com.au
www.tarndwarncoort.com

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:29 PM | Permalink

It is with pleasure that Jeanette Colditz advises us that Georgina Humphrey of Hobart, Tasmania, has been awarded the Certificate of Competence in Hand Spinning Part A.

Georgina took only one year of the three years allowed to complete the Certificate. Georgina is progressing on to Part B.

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:23 PM | Permalink

Katherine grew up in Kansas, as did Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Superman. Katherine points out that she differs from these characters in that she is real! She has been in Australia for 17 years and is married with two daughters. One of her daughters, Isabella, is a fine young spinner and often attends Guild meetings with Katherine.

Continue reading "New Committee Members: Katherine Henry and Ann Jackson" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:28 PM | Permalink

The Wool Road Spinners and Weavers Inc have again organized a bus trip to Melbourne that you are welcome to join.

They have not finalized the destinations as new ones are added as old ones that have closed are dropped. They would welcome information about new places to visit. Feel free to let them know about any interesting fibre related places to be included.

Continue reading "Shop till You Drop Bus Trip to Melbourne" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:24 PM | Permalink

You are invited to join a new Fibre Collective group formed on Yahoo.

Fibre Collective unites fibre artists and collectors by supporting our fellow artists through a scheme of collecting and packaging textile/fibre related gift boxes.

Continue reading "Disaster Gift Boxes" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:11 PM | Permalink

ASF Shetland and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of three weavers in residence posts. The posts are based in Yell, Shetland and will take place over four months each year for the next three years. Each post has a unique focus; for this year, the residency will be principally working in the North Isles of Shetland, developing new products and running workshops for ASF Shetland, working in collaboration with Sarah Dearlove, their PhD research student.

Continue reading "Weaver in Residence" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 5:59 PM | Permalink

FACE's Chinese New Year 2011 programs to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit have reached beyond the walls of the Powerhouse Museum and engaged with the local Chinese community. The artist Dadi Xiong will conduct four workshops on Chinese knotting in January at the Harris Community Centre, Ultimo Community Centre and with the Australian Nursing Home Foundation at the Stanley Hunt Centre.

Dadi and her pupils will demonstrate their Chinese knotting skills in the Museum on Saturdays, 5 & 12 February. Museum visitors then can make a lucky knot to take home.

For information about the establishment of an angora rabbit industry in Australia go to Angora Rabbits: A potential new industry for Australia by AC Schlink and SM Liu, CSIRO Livestock Industries, April 2003

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:24 PM | Permalink

Your shoes were made for sharing! Whether they are runners, sandals, heels or flats, your spare shoes can change someone's world.

We need your help to collect 50,000 pairs of shoes! All shoes will be donated to children and adults in need in Third World countries, including Haiti, Africa and the Himalayas.

You can drop off your unwanted new or pre-loved shoes to all libraries and Neighbourhood Service Centres in the City of Sydney council area until January 2011.

Continue reading "Worldly Soles" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:01 PM | Permalink

This year a new system of judging criteria was used at the Bendigo Show with a scoring system which tells the exhibitor her/his strengths and weaknesses from the judge's viewpoint.

Their system works as follows:

Rules: Check against schedule for conditions of entry, both general and class specific. Check for - correct class for item, wool content, weight for spinning, length for weaving, fibre for the class entered, labels and samples. Stewards check for notes and remove any identification.

Continue reading "Bendigo Show Specs" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 7:57 PM | Permalink

If you have an interesting story or something to tell, why not have it printed in this year's Guild Journal?

Please submit a draft or idea submission to Carol Hoh by mid August. If selected for publication, your finished article will be due by early September.

Continue reading "Call for Guild Journal Submissions" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:03 AM | Permalink

Join other textile/art enthusiasts for the annual Grampians Texture: part festival - part forum. Fifteen fantastic tutors are offering a range of 2 and 4 day workshops in felting, soft sculpture, jewellery, printing, stitching by hand and machine, knitting, book making, fabric and fibre.

Halls Gap has a large range of accommodation to choose from. Book the style and level of accommodation you desire. You have the option to cater for yourself or join other students and tutors for evening meals and activities.

Activities include an exhibition, special dinners, student and tutor twilight market. Traders selling specialist textile and art supplies will be at Halls Gap Centennial Hall, open to attendees and the general public from 9.00am - 5.00pm daily.

Where: Halls Gap, western Victoria
When: 26 February - 3 March 2011
Info: 1800 065 599, www.grampianstexture.com.au

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:10 AM | Permalink

The Bathurst Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild were extremely happy with the response to their Natural Fibre Muster held on 8 May this year.

In the true spirit of the Muster, the day was filled with demonstrations, displays and workshops covering a myriad of fibre crafts, and the supply of natural and prepared fibres and fabrics.

Traders were invited to provide a wide array of products and the free demonstrations included beginner spinning, drop spindle spinning, needle felting, fabric appliqué, weaving, wool embroidery, various quilting techniques, tricot crochet and multidirectional knitting. Workshops, for the cost of materials only, were ongoing and included wet felting, silk painting, making silk paper and knitted scrumbling.

Tracy Callinan, Executive Officer of Arts Out West very kindly officially opened the Muster and the day flowed on with the president of the Bathurst Guild officiating.

Congratulations to all in the Bathurst Guild who supported Margaret, both in the preparation of the event and on the day, and to all the husbands and men friends who helped as well.

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Eurofest is a multicultural festival held each year on Ararat Reserve, Frenchs Forest. This year, September 18 and 19, the festival will feature a special Arts and Crafts pavilion available only to genuine craft workers. It will be a marquee with walls to accommodate artisans to demonstrate their skills as well as to sell their products.

This is an opportunity for you to demonstrate and display a craft which many people may no longer be familiar with, at little risk to yourself. Even if your craft is widely practised, the public is interested in seeing what you create.

There will be no charge for participation in the pavilion but they ask for 20% commission on sales. Each space in the Craft Pavilion is about 2 m wide x 3 m. Tables are available for $10 or you can bring your own. Stall holders will be able to drive their cars onto the reserve to unload their goods, and to have one car parked within the festival grounds.

If you are interested in taking part send your name, phone number, address, email and type of craft, whether you need power or want to hire a table to:

Jenny Wandl, 4 Wichlow Place, Killarney Heights NSW 2087

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:27 PM | Permalink

The WEFT Forum was started in September, 1999 at the International Ikat Weaving Forum held in Kuching, Sarawak. Since then, the WEFT Forum has been a biennial event:

September 2001: Basketry and Natural Dye Workshop
September 2003: Hand Painted, Printed & Decorated Textiles
May 2006: Textile Traditions Today
September 2008: Textiles and Fibres - The Untold Stories
September 2010: Nature's colour code - in Basketry and Textiles

Forum objectives are to promote, share and acquire knowledge on the use of natural fibres and dyes. They want to conserve and encourage the use of natural, sustainable materials in the creation of arts and crafts.

Continue reading "World Eco-Fibre and Textile (WEFT) Forum" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:25 PM | Permalink

Conceived in 1987 when John Scriven, a senior lecturer in Fashion Design at the National Art School, Sydney Institute of Technology, took his final year students to present Australia's first full fashion show in Paris to great success. He was encouraged to continue and since then the Great Fashion Show has travelled to all parts of the globe taking with it a different group of young Australians each year. In January 2010, they have been invited back to Vietnam for three fashion spectaculars during a 14-day visit.

Continue reading "The Great Australian Fashion Show" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:20 PM | Permalink

Mona Vale library is proud to announce the launch of Pittwater Stitchers.

The group wil meet each Friday in the Pelican Room, adjacent to the service desk between 10 am and 12 noon.

The group will knit, crochet or stitch for causes such as the Red Cross (trauma teddies), Stewart House (beanies, scarves) or Wrap with Love (blankets, wraps.)

If you are handy with your needles and would like your work to benefit others, come along to the group and hook up with like-minded individuals.

Info: jane_smith@pitwater.nes.gov.au

Continue reading "Pittwater Stitchers: Stitching for a Cause" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 3:09 PM | Permalink

I have been catching up on old podcasts while travelling in hot trains across the dry countryside in Morocco. One inspiring program was Annie Smith's Quilting Stash episode 167.

Continue reading "Stash Dump" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 5:49 AM | Permalink

We received the following letter from the husband of a long time member of the West Australian HWS Guild:

Recently I was asked to restore to working order an old wool winder that has been hidden at the back of one of the storage cupboards [at the WA Guild] for many years. It is now fully operational.

I would like to prepare an information plaque to go with the winder but have had no success in finding any appropriate details. Besides the obvious check through the WA Guild reference library, I have checked Google and the State Reference Library and have not been able to find any authoritative reference. In a book by Eric Corran there is a photo of a similar winder, but no relevant information.

The reason for this approach to your Guild is that perhaps one of your members may have come across a similar winder and know of such and would be prepared to send me any information.

It is thought that the winder may have been made in the early 1900s and some references list such a winder as simply a "wool winder" and others refer to it as a reel. This one makes a skein length of 52 inches whereas the "standard" seems to have been 54 inches, being 1.5 yards. The counter records every 590 laps of the winder.

Send any info to:

Roy W Skinner
40 Ewen Street
Scarborough WA 6019

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:40 PM | Permalink

Hornsby Shire Council has adopted a plan to transform the heritage-listed Willow Park Community Centre in Hornsby into an arts and cultural centre with art studios, meeting rooms and exhibition spaces. The building will return to its original name, Wallarobba, an indigenous word meaning damp gully. Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre will meet the arts community's demand for a creative hub located near public transport in central Hornsby.

The Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre will provide a home for local artistic groups such as Hornsby Art Society. Council will work with the community to make the best use of the available space. The centre will also be used as a meeting space for various groups and Council working groups such as the Hornsby Shire Arts Reference Committee. It is anticipated that the refurbishment works will commence in February 2010 and that Wallarobba Arts and Cultural Centre will be operational by May 2010.

Info: Hornsby Shire Council - Arts and Culture

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:38 PM | Permalink

We are looking forward to seeing members, their families and friends and the general public at our Open Day on 11 October 2008.

There will be ongoing demostrations of felting, hats, drop spindles, braiding weaving; a display from weaving classes and of card swap as well as Designer Yarn Competition of 2008 - juried and popular choice. Plus there will be traders with books, fibres, yarns, equipment, inspiration and Guild members selling their unique hand made articles.

To support you there will be a sausage sizzle and refreshments in the small hall.

Everybody welcome.

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:00 PM | Permalink

There is a program at the Children's Hospital in Seattle, Washington for patients to make something to leave behind as a sort of legacy. Children there have time on their hands. The Seattle Weavers Guild provide trained volunteers to teach them to weave.

Children's Hospital has a recreational playroom. It's the only place in the hospital that patients can go that doctors and nurses are not allowed unless they have to be, so they know that it's a fun place, nothing painful is going to happen to them there. Between 10 and noon and 2 and 4 every day they have projects there.

Continue reading "Weaving for Health" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:12 AM | Permalink

Can Assist provides accommodation and services for cancer patients from rural NSW who require treatment in either Sydney or Wagga Wagga. They want to put a welcome pack on each bed as most people are away from their homes and family for 6 weeks or more. They thought knitted socks would be a lovely thing to include. They are seeking 50 large, 50 medium and 50 small pairs of knitted socks for patients to wear and take with them as a gift from Can Assist, after their stay at the Jean Colvin Hospital. The socks will be a lovely touch of warmth and comfort.

Let Kate know if you may be able to assist then with. Socks are to be sent to:

Kate vanderVoort, Development Manager, Can Assist
17 Ocean Ave, Double Bay NSW 2028.
Tel: 9328 7571
Email: kvandervoort@cancerpatients.com.au
Web: www.cancerpatients.com.au

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:50 PM | Permalink

The United Nations General Assembly recently declared 2009 as the International Year of Natural Fiber. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN resolution would help millions of people around the world, among them some of the poorest people in some of the poorest countries, which depend on the production and processing of natural fibers for their livelihood. Natural fibers contribute to food security and economic development for these farmers.

The International Year of Natural Fibers is expected to raise consumers' awareness of natural fibers and strengthen demand for natural fiber products, improving the livelihoods of the farmers who produce them and translate to revenues for countries that export them. At the same time, promoting the use of natural fibers will enhance the environment.

The wide range of natural fibers includes cotton, wool, jute, flax, silk, sisal, coconut fiber and many others. Some are produced from plants, others from animals and they are used in clothing and other consumer goods, as well as in industrial applications.
From http://www.ebc.org.ph/news/read.php?id=74

Posted by Prue Hill at 8:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our exhibition. We had many lovely and interesting items to show or sell and had a lot of interest from the show visitors. The demonstrations of spinning and weaving were also popular with a lot of schoolgirls lining up to try a piece of rag weaving and requests to learn spindle spinning which was shown at one stage on an improvised spindle made from a plastic computer disk and a piece of wooden dowel.

Continue reading "Continuing Threads, 60th Anniversary Exhibition 2007, Wrap up" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:33 PM | Permalink

Thank you to everyone who sent in entries for the exhibition. We will try to show as much as we can in the space we have been allotted, and some pieces will be on show at the guild information booth to publicise the work produced by the students in the various classes.

Thank you also to the members who have placed their names on the roster or who have volunteered to help beforehand. Lucille Ryan, the exhibition coordinator will contact everyone on the roster soon to verify their day and time.

The only thing to add now is to say, come in and see our Feature Display, Craft and Quilt Fair, Darling Harbour Exhibition Centre, 27 June to 1 July, 2007.

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:21 PM | Permalink

We received a letter from the recipient of the 2007 Freda Neale Grant, Kelly Leonard. She wrote:

Please accept my thanks in accepting the Grant. It is great to be supported in the opportunity given to me to participate in an artist's weaving residency in rural Laos for two months. I would also like to add that it is increasingly important to develop ways to enhance the status of the weaver and promote the value of crafts and the handmade object.

Grants such as the Freda Neale are important not only in providing some financial support to the successful applicant, but also in providing professional validation of weaving as a means to develop networks both locally and internationally.

The grant wil enable me to exchange skills with a community of weavers in Laos providing a cross-cultural dialogue. In the future, I hope this might lead to the development of the economic sustainability of weavers to continue making work and the promotion of Laotian textiles. I believe this residency could encourage a sharing of ideas and approaches to marketing weaving between makers, buyers and galleries.

Information and ideas stemming from the project will be shared with the Guild through an exhibition and artists talk.

I would welcome any comments or advice about the project from members of the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild NSW. More information about Laos Sericulture may be viewed at www.laosilkandcraft.com

Posted by Prue Hill at 4:08 PM | Permalink

We now have the Royal Show, Castle Hill Show and the Hawkesbury Show behind us and you still have four weeks to deliver your entry for our exhibition. The closing date is 31 May 2007.

I have heard some ideas and I am now starting to wonder what wonderful items we will find when we open the many (I hope) parcels. In case you have forgotten, the entry form and sales form were printed in the February newsletter.

Continue reading "Continuing Threads, 60th Anniversary Exhibition 2007, May Update" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:47 AM | Permalink

Only seven weeks to go until the closing date for your entries in the exhibition.

For those of you who would like to send your work on to the Bendigo Show, if you let me know in advance I can plan for those items to be available for collection on Sunday.

Continue reading "Continuing Threads, 60th Anniversary Exhibition 2007, April Update" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:26 PM | Permalink

By the time you read this you will have 10 weeks to complete your entries for the exhibition.

Our space at Darling Harbour is smaller than we applied for but I am continuing to press for more on the grounds that our members are busy making many exciting items for display. I hope that is true!

The Designer Yarn entry form is included in the March newsletter and the skeins will be shown as part of our display at Darling Harbour. Help to make it interesting and exciting by sending in everything from the outrageous to the exquisite and show the knitters out there that we can produce yarn you can't buy in shops.

Some country people are planning to travel a long way to attend so we are going to set up a register of city people who may like to billet them. This is not possible for everyone but if you think you would like to, look for the piece in next month's newsletter to complete and return.
Also next month we will be asking you to complete and return the slip if you are able to help set up or do some other duty during the five days.

Lucille Ryan

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:25 PM | Permalink

The information day at the Guild on Sunday, 4 February was very well attended with some people travelling quite a long distance. Some came to check on their spinning standards, others to take advantage of the chance to have questions answered and listen to other people's questions, as well as those seeking to find out just what was involved in this independent course of study in hand spinning.

Continue reading "Certificate of Competence in Handspinning" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 6:02 PM | Permalink

Our exhibition will held in conjunction with the Quilt and Craft show at Darling Harbour from 27 June to 1 July, 2007

It is in celebration of the 60th anniversary of our guild and will be our diamond anniversary. The videotape made of the last exhibition in 1997 was shown at the November meeting and I borrowed it to watch during the Christmas break. I was most impressed with the scale of the exhibition and the number of people involved with putting it together.

This time we will have less space and the Guild has fewer members to make exhibits or to help with the work that goes into it. That doesn't mean that we can't produce something very special and I have already heard some interesting ideas.

For those people who like to work to a theme, perhaps you can use the fact that it is our diamond anniversary as your inspiration.

The guidelines and entry forms are being sent out with the February newsletter and there will be requests for volunteers in the next few issues. I imagine that most of you have no idea yet if and when you will be available in June. Jenny Hopper has volunteered to manage the sales area and Barbara Kerle will co-ordinate the data entry and catalogue. They will both need some help just before and during the exhibition. We need someone or two or three to organise the demonstration area so if this appeals to you let me know.

Thank you to Lisa Waller and Barbara Williams from Newcastle who have offered to assist with publicity and display and to Elizabeth Trappl from Dorrigo who will come to Sydney for the exhibition and would like to be involved. By the time you receive this newsletter you will have about three and a half months to work on your entries or have you already finished them?

2007 Continuing Threads Exhibition Guidelines, Entry Form and Sales Form

Posted by Prue Hill at 9:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If your group selects a topic to study each year, consider asking for a Weaving Box of woven samples. Some items do not have details of materials or drawdowns but are nonetheless inspiring. Your group may like to take the challenge to analyse a draftless sample.

Contact the Guild if you would like to borrow a box.

We have boxes of:

Twills, Tartans and plaids, Rosepath, Overshot, Summer and Winter, Tapestry, Bound weave, Braids, Lace weaves both hand manipulated (like Leno) or loom controlled, plain weaves, etc

A full list is available on application.

Posted by Red Wolf at 10:58 PM | Permalink

We are starting to plan for Continuing Threads, our 60th Anniversary Exhibition. The proposed space will be less than half the size we had in 1997 but we hope that all members will make something. We will also have space for sale items.

If you have a skill we can use or you would like to learn we want to hear from you as it takes many heads and hands to put it all together.

We expect a wide variety of woven, spun, felted and braided items that will demonstrate our expertise to visitors to the Exhibition Hall, Darling Harbour.

Get busy with your items

Exhibited items must have been made within the last two years.

Up to 3 items per member/Network Group for exhibition, up to 10 items for sale with more in storage to restock those sold. An item can have many parts eg a spectrum of hand dyed skeins of silk for embroidery rather than just one skein for sale, or a set of placemats for exhibition.

Members who submit items for sale will be encouraged to spend time on the sales table during the exhibiton.

Entry forms are due in May 2007. Refer to coming issues of the Guild News for more details.

Items must be delivered to the Guild Rooms by 7 June 2007. Due to the limited space available a selection may be made by the exhibition committee to ensure that the very highest standard of work will be exhibited.

There will be a vote for the most popular exhibit.

2007 Continuing Threads Exhibition Guidelines, Entry Form and Sales Form

Posted by Prue Hill at 5:40 PM | Permalink

Ralph Griswold who founded the web site with thousands of weaving drafts, www.handweaving.net has died.

Ralph's contributions to the weaving community were almost beyond measure. Though he himself never learned to weave, he brought his insatiable intellectual curiosity to the process of learning all he could about weaving, built up a large and eclectic weaving library, and leaves us with an online archive of weaving and other textile-related documents probably second to none available to any other handcraft group.

Posted by Red Wolf at 2:02 PM | Permalink

As we approach our 60th anniversary it is not surprising that we should also have arrived at this milestone. Ten or eleven issues a year for 60 years adds up. Copies of all our Guild News' and Journals are stored in the reference cupboard in the Library. They are an incredible source of information and history.

The first issue was named the Quarterly News of the Handweavers' and Spinners' Guild of NSW. Volume 1, Number 1 was published in August 1949. The President was Professor H Priestly and the editor did not include her/his name but included an address in Lane Cove. Prof Priestly wrote:

"Most people probably have, in some measure, the desire to make things, to create something. One of the ways in which this desire may make itself manifest is hand weaving. Weaving is almost the oldest of human arts, so old that there is little difference in fundamentals in all parts of the world. Before the introduction of power weaving, hand looms were necessary for the making of fabrics for all purposes and weaving was essentially a home industry. With the introdution of power weaving, hand loom weaving largely disappeared except in certain peasant communities.

During the past few years in Europe and America and more recently in Australia, there has been a recrudescence of interest in hand weaving and now very large numbers of men and women gain much interest and enjoyment from the making of various fabrics on hand looms. Hand weaving is a fascinating hobby; the combinations of different colours, of different fibres and the production of patterns all play their part in keeping the weaver interested.

This little periodical is intended primarily for the members of the Handweavers' and Spinners' Guild of NSW to keep them in touch with Guild affairs and to bring new ideas to members. No matter how skilled a weaver may be, he or she can always learn something from other weavers and from workers in other fields impinging on certain aspects of weaving. It is intended to publish articles on new methods of weaving, for, in spite of the antiquity of weaving, new ways of getting desired results can still be found. Articles on colour and colour combinations, the source and preparation of fibres suitable for weaving, home spinning and home dyeing are just some of the subjects which will be treated.

As President of the Guild it is my pleasure to launch this little periodical on its way and hope that it and the Guild may have a long, useful and interesting life."

Continue reading "500th Issue of the Guild News" »

Posted by Prue Hill at 5:50 PM | Permalink

Our Guild gives prize money to the RAS for excellence in felting, spinning and weaving. The following entries won the Guild awards this year:

Felting award

Rachel Meek for item 2157

Spinning award

Jean Piddington for item 2196

Weaving award

Noelene Cox for item 2169

Posted by Red Wolf at 11:02 PM | Permalink

The South Coast Fibre Muster is an exciting event to be staged at the Berry School of Arts, Alexandra Street, Berry on Saturday, 1 July from 9am to 4pm.

This is the inaugural South Coast Fibre Muster and will include Displays and Sales by ten spinning, weaving, knitting and felting groups from the South Coast Region. The plan is to hold this event annually, with different southern groups hosting the event each year!

There will be competitions, exhibitions, demonstrations and mini-workshops for everyone and fifteen traders selling materials and equipment for the fibre artist.

Continue reading "South Coast Muster" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Class 161: A hand felted article

1st Lyette Hall

Class 162: Scarf, Stole or Shawl

2nd Natalie Webb

Class 163: Napery

2nd Elaine Fletcher

3rd Trevor Passmore

Class 164: A hand woven article

1st Elaine Fletcher

Highly Commended Elizabeth Trappl

Class 165: Skein of 2 ply wool

1st Jean Piddington

2nd Janet De Rooy

Class 166: Article of your fine spun wool knitted or crocheted

1st Jean Piddington

2nd Geraldine McCulloch

Class 167: An article made from your hand spun Mohair or Alpaca

1st Jean Piddington

2nd Geraldine McCulloch

Class 168: An article made of your hand spun wool-blend or wool singles plied with any other natural fibre, any ply

1st Aletta Smithers

Class 169: An article made from your bulky hand spun yarn

1st Geraldine McCulloch

Posted by Red Wolf at 9:10 PM | Permalink

The brief was to plan a set of lessons to teach Beginner Spinning at the Guild Rooms. Margaret Pinto-Correia and I trawled our collective minds back to the days when we learnt the craft of spinning, and we began brainstorming what we would have liked as an introduction to what has become a life-long obsession for both of us.

Continue reading "Teaching Beginner Spinning" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 8:37 AM | Permalink

Everyone is invited to our Open Day, particularly if you are interested in fibre arts and crafts. Come and expand your stash, with traders selling fibres for spinning and felting, yarns for knitting and weaving, various pieces of equipment, such as looms, needle felting supplies, warping boards and much, much more! Members will be selling their goods also, with a range of unique hand dyed, hand spun yarns and handmade wearables such as vests, scarves and beanies, perfect for this time of year. Plus there will be tea and coffee with yummy handmade refreshments to warm the tummy. Bring along a friend and enjoy a great day out!

Saturday, 8 July, 9.30am - 3.30pm at St Paul's Church Hall, 205 Burwood Road, Burwood.

Continue reading "Open Day 2006" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

All members of the Guild and Network groups are invited to participate in this new competition which will be exhibited and judged for the first time at the Guild's 2006 Open Day being planned for Saturday, 8 July.

Continue reading "2006 Handspun Designer Yarn of the Year Award" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 7:34 PM | Permalink

After Jenny Hopper's excellent explanations of intimate blending (even arrangement of colours) and random blending (uneven colours) the day was devoted to colour blending on handcarders, board carders, drum carders and using a picker, for both wool and hair fibres, and spinning the results.

Keeping in mind the upcoming Designer Yarn of the Year competition, we left with a challenge bundle of fibres, tencel/merino 60/40, cotton, tussah silk, tow flax, huacaya alpaca, suri alpaca, mohair and 26µ merino, half of each we are to dye our chosen colours, before next meeting when we will blend and spin the fibres. The other half of the fibres will be blended and dyed after spinning. The yarn results of the dyed-before-blending, spinning and the dyed-after, will be evaluated at the next meeting.

Caroline Baker

Posted by Red Wolf at 11:23 PM | Permalink

Our little group is working away under the guidance of Joyce Smith. Last year we became adventurous and worked on a tribute to Nancy van de Linde, a long time member of the guild. Nancy is now living in Wauchope a little too far to travel to our weekly weaving sessions but her influence and encouragement is still felt. During 2005 the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council ran a project called Her Story to encourage the documenting of stories about local women. Nancy was an obvious choice having led such an interesting life and contributing so much to others.

Continue reading "Report from Port Macquarie Weavers" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 10:13 PM | Permalink

Texture is what makes a garment. Knitters achieve texture by using a pattern or a fancy, designer yarn.

For beginner knitters, introducing a designer yarn adds a new dimension to an otherwise plain piece of work. This trend has been picked up by retailers. Not to be outdone, the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild of NSW Inc recently held a competition to challenge members to create a designer yarn.

Continue reading "2005 Designer Yarn of the Year Award" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 3:52 PM | Permalink

My city based Quilting Guild has a country meeting each year. Last year we went to Taree and visited quilting shops on the way up and on the return journey home. It is a terrific idea, only I realised that you must know what you need or it can become expensive buying on spec.

Continue reading "A Weekend Away" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 4:47 PM | Permalink

Elizabeth Trapple won first prize in scarf, stole or shawl class and third prize in both the napery class and any handwoven article class.

Celile Falvey won second in the scarf class and also in the napery class.

Brian Woodhouse got third prize in the scarf class. While Trevor Passmore's entry was highly commended.

Colleen Davis won second place in the any other handwoven article class. She also got first place in the article made from hand spun mohair or alpaca class.

In the spinning classes Aleta Smithers won the best exhibit in spinning for her blue wool, silk & flax, which also won first prize in the article made from your hand spun wool blend class.

Jean Piddington got first place in the two ply hand spun class.

Posted by Red Wolf at 5:19 PM | Permalink

Freda Neale lived in Strathfield and loved to weave. She greatly appreciated the help given to her by members of the Guild as her multiple sclerosis worsened. Consequently, she has given us $10,000 to help spread the joy of weaving particularly to the disadvantaged or handicapped.

This sum is invested and earns about $450 each year. The committee feels that this interest should be spent in the way that Freda wanted rather than being absorbed into the general funds to run the Guild.

It could:

• pay a weaving teacher to instruct the staff of a sheltered workshop
• provide prize money for a competition category for the handicapped at a Show (although there are insufficient entries in those categories at the moment)
• provide a grant to a member to help them go to a conference, take a class, or otherwise develop her/his practice
• subsidise the travel expenses of a country member to come to a city workshop
• subsidise a guild workshop so that those who wanted to attend could even though there were strictly not enough participants to let it run
• make a place available in each Guild workshop to a student from COFA, UTS, etc

There are probably as many ideas about how to spend $450 each year as there are members in the Guild.

What we need is a small group (2 or 3 people) who will sit down and ponder the possibilities, prioritise the points, plan the proposition and present the proposal to Committee. A guild I belong to in the US has such a grant program. They have to raise the $500 every year by special auctions and sales. They require guild members to submit a proposal, which is assessed by an expert selected by the grant committee. It is a condition of the grant that the recipient gives a program to the guild members telling about the way they spent the money. So something comes back to the Guild.

Let the committee know if you think this is a good or a bad idea for our Guild. If you would like to help set this up, contact a committee member too.

Posted by Red Wolf at 12:59 PM | Permalink

We were given a space at Stitches and Craft right at the last minute. Thanks to our exhibition pack of display boards and my own samples, we were able to furnish the space. There were many people interested in the alpacas both as future farmers or uses of the fibre. A lady came along with a sample of the combed and de-haired cashmere fibre she will be able to supply to our members and friends. She is hoping to come to our Open Day.

I would like to thank Audrey Miller, Veronica Hocking, Jean Piddington, Barbara Lloyd, Helen, Dorothy Rickards and all those other kind members who stopped to stay a while and give me time to have lunch etc.

A very big thank you to all those members who helped out at the Craft Exhibition and Sale at Penrith Panthers. We had a large space in the Exhibition Tent and we were very pleased that members provided items for sale and exhibition.

Thank you to: Isabel Chiang, Ilga Ringis, Mary Evans, Prue Hill, Joan Treleaven, Jennifer Hollingworth, Daphne Pullin, Kris Supierz, Veronica Hocking, Dana Giedraiyte — via Peta Andersen

Posted by Red Wolf at 3:43 PM | Permalink

The 30 entries in the competition were displayed on the stage of the church hall. All were numbered so that the judges, Warril Evans and Gina Sirabella did not know whose work they were looking at.

Continue reading "Bringing It Home Bag Competition" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 3:42 PM | Permalink

The death of our life member Mr Jack Harrison occurred on 23 September 2004.

The memorial service took place at Leura Memorial Gardens on Monday 27th September and was attended by Peta Anderson on behalf of the Guild. Peta was one of the speakers at the service. Examples of Jack's weaving were distributed at the door for all those attending to take home as a lasting keepsake in memory of Jack — via Peta Andersen

Posted by Red Wolf at 3:39 PM | Permalink

For those who don't know what I do when I'm not spinning, weaving or making the Guild News look pretty, I'm a web designer and am the code monkey responsible for the new look of the Guild's web site. The Guild has had a web site for quite a while that gave the basic information about where the Guild was located and how to get in contact, I took what was there, threw in the essentials from the Guild News and have expanded the site.

The address is http://www.spin.net.au/~nsweave

Continue reading "Guild Web Site" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A Weaving Interest Group was formed in June 2002 to rekindle and promote interest in the Tamworth Hand Spinners and Weavers Guild. A number of floor and table looms had been sitting unused for some time in the group's area ever since the spinners and weavers had joined a number of other craft groups in the new Tamworth Regional Craft Centre.

Continue reading "Weaving Interest Group" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you've ever wondered about the possibilities for combining your love of craft with technology, there are many clever people out there that have beaten a path for you. A quick look around the internet turned up some novel ideas.

Continue reading "Craft and Technology" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 2:31 PM | Permalink

Have you ever heard of a teacher being rewarded for going the extra kilometre by private enterprise? Not too many? I am the proud recipient of a trip of a lifetime to Holland, for two people, courtesy of Visy Recycling! We are planning to take up the offer during the northern hemisphere spring in 2005, and have a good look at some of Europe.

Continue reading "Visy, Me and the Zui Der Zee" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 11:00 AM | Permalink

The Guild is keeping records on the machines and equipment members use in a folder called Who Made It? The Guild would like details of your equipment. If your equipment came with brochures that you don't want them, send them in. The Guild is interested in both historic and modern equipment. If you have rare equipment, a photograph and its history would be helpful. Price lists are informative as well. Please send to the Guild or Peta Andersen — Peta Andersen

Posted by Red Wolf at 10:53 AM | Permalink

Thank you to the Weavers and Spinners Guild for your publicity regarding these workshops. They actually went very well, although we were sorry that the weaving was cancelled for lack of applicants. We do have a regular weaving group, but I think they just like to potter on their own projects. Our feral knitting and felting workshops have been well attended — via Jo Johnson

Posted by Red Wolf at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Wool Road Spinners and Weavers hosted some magnificent three-day Country Workshops, held at the St Georges Basin Community Centre recently. These workshops, convened by Jenny Dunn, were sponsored by the Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild of New South Wales Inc and funded by a $500 grant from the Art Development Board of Shoalhaven Council.

The workshops were: Spinning and Dyeing with tutor. Jenny Hopper; Using Colour with Confidence with tutor, Denise Stevens; Lace Weaving with tutor, Marie Clews. The students came from four Spinning and Weaving groups in the Shoalhaven area, and were very enthusiastic with learning, and improving their expertise. Members also came from Sydney and Canberra, and Glenora Weaving Supplies and Virginia Farm were available to help replenish the Spinner's and Weaver's stocks.

Continue reading "Wool Road Spinners & Weavers Inc" »

Posted by Red Wolf at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)