October

2012—ISSUE 02
The Gazette of the
OCTOBER
President’s Message
IN THIS ISSUE:
Dear Members,
Fall has officially arrived, but the cool evenings are offset by the warm collegiality of our Guild. Here are some important notices.
Thank you for
Gift of Money
Congratulations to Wendelyn Anderson (our Wendy) who just finished her MFA at Moore College of Art. She is
now taking her energy and moving it to our Guild. She will have her students at Philadelphia University volunteering
their time in the dye garden on October 19th as their service day. Thank you, Wendy.
Congrats to Members for accomplishments
We’re coming up to Spinning and Weaving Week, October 1 – 7, 2012. We hope that this inspires you and that
you’re working on pieces, so that we can get ready for our holiday fair on November 9, 10, and 11, 2012.
POST info and
flyers
Our first general Guild meeting was interesting and successful. Our speaker, Candy Depew spoke about and demonstrated how you can use color in your environment, exhibiting her own designs in fabric, bicycle seats, or skateboards, etc. She showed how the same designs can be used in different applications. This was an exceptional and
inspirational presentation.
Holiday Sale Info
Indigo Dye Days
Dyeing to Try It?
Please note that our next speaker will be Eric Weit, on October 4th. The topic will be flax processing.
The Guild continues to hum. We’re preparing for the upcoming Philadelphia Open Studio Tours (POST). We’ll be
displaying at the office of the Roxborough Development Corporation at 6111 Ridge Avenue. This will be on the
weekend of October 6th and 7th, from 12:00 – 4:00 PM. We thought that it would bring good publicity for the Guild
to also have members demonstrating weaving and spinning in conjunction with the show. A few members have volunteered. Call me if you would like to also volunteer (215-508-3038).
Please see the notice about the Guild’s open house on the same days as the POST. We’ll be doing natural dyeing.
Last, but not least, we’ll be talking about and voting on dues at our November 1st meeting. It looks like we’ll have to
raise them slightly – only $5 more for Regular, Family, and Supporter members. This will enable us to improve our
technology at the Guild
Kathy Selbst
President
Guild Classes
coming up!
Study Group Info
A Farewell to
Wilde Yarn Mill
Equipment for
sale/wanted….
Info on placing
Classified Ads in
Gazette.
___________________________________________________ _____________________________
PGHW sends a heartfelt “Thank You” to
Ms. Kaori Kitao
For her very generous gift of $1,000 to the Tokiko Kitao Memorial Fund. Tokiko was a
guild member for many years and consistently won awards for her beautiful, detailed tapestries using hand dyed yarns. Ms. Kitao set up the fund after Tokiko’s death to support an
award for tapestry and/or dyeing in our annual exhibit. The Guild is extremely grateful to
Kaori Kitao for her continued generosity and support.
GAZETTE DEADLINE:
Submissions for the monthly Gazette is the LAST THURSDAY of the month. October Gazette—Information is DUE by OCTOBER 25th, 2012. NO
EXCEPTIONS PLEASE! Thank You.
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POST—OCTOBER 6th & 7th
Drop off—October 3rd & 4th
TO VOLUNTEER OR FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE
CONTACT KATHY SELBST AT 215-508-3038
On October 6th & 7th, our guild will be participating in POST through the Roxborough Development Corporation which has its own ROXART Gallery at 6111
Ridge Avenue in Roxborough. The gallery will be open from noon until 4 PM
each day. The space is light and attractive. The Manayunk/Roxborough Art Center is participating as well, but we will be in a separate room. We are very lucky
because Guild member Kathryn Pannepacker will be the curator. The other
needed part is you, OUR MEMBERS! We want to share our art with the community. And if someone wants to buy your work, the Roxborough Development
Corporation doesn’t ask for a cut. So please send your work!
Kathryn has given us these parameters. Three pieces can be dropped off. However, she has the discretion to pick some, all or none. It is hard to hang the show
until she gets the work and sees how it looks there. We will use our own panels
and there will be tables. Please deliver your work to one of these two sites:
Wednesday morning—October 3rd—deliver to the Guild House.
Thursday morning—October 4th—deliver to the Roxborough Corp. at 6111 Ridge Avenue
Kathryn will be hanging the work that Thursday afternoon and Friday. Please include 2 (two) copies of the following information for labeling:
Title of Piece, -Date it was completed,-Artist’s Name,-Medium,-Technique,-Price
The Roxborough Dev. Corp. has asked us to please offer spinning and weaving!
Demonstrations: We have a few volunteers but could appreciate more. This is a great way to publicize the Guild. Please call Kathy Selbst at 215508-3038 if you can volunteer.
The POST flyer (Pictured above right) will be emailed to all members so that they may print out copies at home and post in their neighborhood grocery
stores, cafes, lunch counters, etc. Please watch for the email! Thanks.
CONGRATULATIONS TO A PGHW MEMBER
BETTY LEACRAFT
The Board of Directors of the William J. Harvey, III Malawi
Memorial Mission has awarded Betty with the Portrait of
Excellence Award for her tireless efforts to enrich the context in which she serves and the world through the Arts and
Education and will be honored for her work both as an Artist
and Educator.
In celebration of her hard work and dedicated service to humanity, the Board of Trustees will formally recognize her
works and present the Portrait of Excellence Award on Saturday, October 20, 2012, at 6:00 PM at McCall Golf &
Country Club, 201 N. Lynn Blvd., Upper Darby, PA
19082.
For more information, or to place an Ad or Patron Listing
in their Souvenir Journal; please contact Guild President,
Kathy Selbst , for a copy of the email with the submission
forms.
Congratulations, Betty. What an honor!
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MEMBERSHIP NEWS…..Plans for this
Indigo Dye Day
2012 Holiday Sale
Celebrate all things blue this fall with Indigo. Indigo dye days come around as often as the blue moon, and
since we just had one, it’s time to have the other!
November 9, 10, 11—2012
Kate O’Hara, Coordinator
Participation Fee: $20.00
215-879-3607
An Indigo Dye Day will be held Saturday, October 27th.
The cost to participate is five dollars and this year’s event is
a fundraiser for the Guild’s dye garden at Awbury Arboretum. The money will be used for purchase of plant materials. The location is Duane’s house, 6905 Lincoln Drive
in Philadelphia. Start time is 10:00 am. There will be cold
vats for cotton and silk and hot vats for wool. I can also set
up a container for basket reed, so let me know if one is
needed. I will need help making stock solutions and setting up the garage with tables and dye vats. I plan to do
this on Friday, the 26th. Email Duane with questions, answers and offers to help.
Deadline October 14th
[email protected]
The application to participate in this year’s Holiday Sale
will be an attachment in the form of an email to all Guild
Members and it can be mailed with a check made out to
PGHW to:
Kate Ohara
Philadelphia, PA 19151
6441 Woodcrest Ave.,
[email protected]
Education Committee News: TUTORS WANTED:
Recently I was contacted by a PGHW member who was
looking for a tutor and realized rather quickly that while I
have a virtual list of folks I might contact, a formal list was
never developed. If you feel you have knowledge to share
and wish to be a tutor, please contact me by phone or
email. All I need is your name, contact information, and a
list of subjects you are comfortable tutoring. And, if you
are comfortable teaching only one subject….that’s okay!
Tutors determine fees for students but if you are new to
tutoring and aren’t sure what to charge, I can help out. I
would like to have this list available as soon as possible so,
Future Tutors, please, do not hesitate to contact me! Students are waiting! Faith Varrone,
[email protected]
We Are Dyeing To Try It!
The Guild House will be open for natural dyeing on Saturday and Sunday, October 6th and 7th (the same days as the
POST, but 10-5: longer hours).
If you want to bring items for dyeing, please label it/them
with your name. We’ll accept cotton, wool, and cane (for
basketry). As cotton yarn may need extra mordanting,
please bring such yarn to the next meeting on October 4th
prior to the dyeing days. We hope to have purple basil,
goldenrod, wormwood, and black walnut dyes. Please let
me know in advance if you plan to participate. Please
note: If there isn’t enough interest to warrant spending
the entire weekend on this project, we will do it on Saturday only. Kathy Selbst 215-508-3038 or
[email protected].
215-880-3312 (cell)
The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers Mug and Tote are available on line at:
http://www.cafepress.com/PGHW
The tote is 100% cotton, natural color.
The mug is white ceramic, with the PGHW logo on one side, and text
"Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers" and logo on the other side.
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WEAVING ON A RIGID-HEDDLE LOOM
SCHEDULED CLASSES
4 Mondays: October 15, 22, 29 and Nov. 12 6:30 - 9:30
PM
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
WEAVING 1
Instructor: Maryanne McDevitt
or 215-646-3009
Tuesdays, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 2, 30, Nov. 6 6:00-9:00pm
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin; 610-649-6209 Course Fee:
$195 members; $210 non-members.
[email protected]
Course fee: $130 members; $145 non-members
Experience the joy of making cloth. During this course,
you’ll learn how to wind a warp, dress a loom, read instructions, and weave a sampler of various weave structures. By
your last class, you’ll understand how a loom works and be
able to begin your own projects. All
You don’t have to invest a lot of money in weaving equipment to start weaving. A rigid heddle loom is a simple frame
loom that allows you to weave anything from wall hangings
to scarves. It is sometimes called a Knitters loom because it
can accommodate bulky or novelty yarns. This type of loom
folds and takes up very little space. See the Flip loom and
Cricket looms at www.schachtspindle.com.
equipment and materials supplied.
There are many projects to choose from and one project can
be completed in 2 weeks.
DRAFTING WEAVE STRUCTURES
5 Sundays, September 30, and October 7, 14, 21, 28
Looms are available for rent for $50 and can be taken home
to work on between sessions or you are also welcome to
bring your own.
1:00-3:00 pm
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin; 610-649-6209
Course Fee: $110 members; $125 non-members
Sara McLaughlin has been involved with knitting and fiber
Improve your knowledge of Weaving Structures by learning for over ten years. While, professionally she works as an
Architectural Historian, she moonlights as a knitting instruchow to draft and manipulate weave designs. You will start
with the basics by working on graph paper to learn about the tor to feed her love for the arts! Sara has been teaching knitdifferent parts of a weave draft and how to create a drawting for over 7 years in both New York City (Knit New
down. You will draft a variety of weaves, with the three pri- York) and Philadelphia (Rosie's Yarn Cellar and Philly Art
mary weave classifications; those based on plain weave such Center), has designed her own patterns and has knit sweatas basket and ribs weaves, twills and satins, and then move ers for Barney's New York.
on to other weaves. With the aim
of designing your own projects, you will learn to adapt
weaving patterns such as those found in the Davison Pattern
Book. Basic block, or profile drafting will also be covered.
The teacher will demonstrate weaving software on her laptop, and any student who has one can also
KNITTING SOCKS WITH SARA MCLAUGHLIN
Saturday, October 27 12:00 - 4:00pm Instructor: Sara
McLaughlin [email protected]
Course fee: $50 members/$65 non-members
bring it to use in class.
Materials fee to instructor = $12 or contact instructor for
details
“WALK IN AND WEAVE”
Socks aren't as scary as you may think! You'll learn sock terminology (instep, gusset, etc.) and we'll work on a pair of
simple baby socks. You'll be able to finish a sock, if not a
pair in our four hours together and the skills are easily translatable to adult socks- you just do it bigger! This is open to
anyone with basic knitting skills and the knowledge of how
to knit in the round. Supplies provided for a $12 materials
fee payable to instructor.
Friday, Oct 12 or Saturday, Oct 13 10AM-4PM
Level: Beginner, Refresher
Instructor: Maryanne McDevitt; [email protected] or
215-646-3009
Course fee: $75 members; $90 non-members
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KID'S CLASSES
Home school Weaving for Children & Teens
Thursdays, 10am-1pm, 5-week sessions-Next starts Oct. 11
Contact teacher for information
Class fee: $145
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin 610-649-6209
This is a weaving class for home school students of all levels, from beginners on up. Join a group of fiber lovers and learn to weave
on a four harness loom. We will make all types of handwoven items, from scarves, to bags and pillows. Handweaving exercises
many skills including color and design, math, hand-eye coordination, and teaches love and respect for a time honored craft. Minimum age 8 yrs.
RIGID HEDDLE STUDY GROUP UPDATE
S
T Will continue to meet in Fall of 2012. The schedule is as follows:
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
U Saturday, October 20th
Saturday, November 17th
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
D Saturday, December 15th 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Y We welcome all that are interested in the group!
cover. It will be interesting to see what folks come up with! Please join
us if you can.
NATURAL DYE STUDY GROUP
SPINNING STUDY GROUP UPDATE
G The spinning study group meets the 3rd Friday of the month from
R 10-1 at the Guild House in Manayunk. This month, Oct 19th, we
will continue to share what we worked on over the summer, finish
O carding the fleece we purchased together and enjoy some uninterU rupted spinning time. The fleece was purchased raw with half of it
P processed professionally and the rest processed by the group. We
A study group for natural dyes is being formed with the guild’s dye garden as the centerpiece. The group will make dye samples from plants
grown in the garden, along with other collected material, using the full
range of mordants and dye additives. The results will be collected in a
binder for the library shelves. Garden maintenance will also be part of
this study group’s activities. Email Duane if you are interested at:
[email protected]
are anxious to start spinning it soon to see what differences we dis-
Friday, October 12 to Sunday, October 14:
EXHIBIT OF TRADITIONAL UKRAINIAN HEAD DRESSINGS—AN EXHIBIT BY PGHW MEMBER
All are invited to “Looking Back—To Move Forward”, a three day exhibit of traditional Ukrainian reconstructed head dressings and folk
costumes from the collection of Vera Nakonechny, to be held October 12-14 at the Ukrainian Educational & Cultural Center. Exhibit
schedule: Friday, October 12, 7:00pm: Grand Opening; Saturday, October 13th, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.: Exhibit open. Lecture and
head wrapping demonstration at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 14th, 12 Noon to 5:00 p.m.: Exhibit Open. For more information: please
call Vera at 215-533-9436.
Ukrainian Educational and Cultural Center, 700 N. Cedar Road, Jenkintown, PA 19046—Phone 215-663-1166
CLASSIFIED AD SPACE IN NEWSLETTERS
Have something you want to ‘advertise’ in the Gazette? Let us know! Now accepting ads for the lower half of the back cover.
Items (announcements/ads) must be fiber arts related services, events, etc
Space for ad is the back cover (mailer side)
Fee: 1/2 page $50; 1/4 page $30
Ads print black & white (grayscale) in print version; color in .pdf for e-Gazette
Submit your classified ad; you will then receive a bill from our Treasurer.
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A Farewell to the Wilde Yarn Mill in Manayunk…..
By Amoi Goldman
By Maryanne McDevitt
On the sunny afternoon of September 6, 2012, a small group of
mostly PGHW members, gathered at the Main Street entrance of the
Wilde Yarn Mill for a final tour of the facility in its mill-state. The
new Owners, business partners Scott Jazen, President of Catalyst
Real Estate, and Architect Peter Bloomfield of Bloomfield and Associates, plan to convert the mill buildings into loft-style apartments.
When they learned of the guild’s connection to Wilde Yarns, they
graciously invited us to see the Mill while the equipment and machinery were still in-place.
After a brief introduction, Scott and Peter led us on a tour that
started in the original 1884 building at the top of the hill. This was
where the wool was processed that would eventually become carpet
yarn. We worked hard to get there, as we had to climb a multitude
of steps from the lowest level. As we traveled up the hill through the
buildings, we traveled back in time to the late 19th century.
Construction for Wildes Yarn was begun in 1882 and was completed
in 1884. The mill building was in complete operation until 2007,
when it closed. At the present time, alterations are under way to
convert the old industrial giant into apartments. PGHW was offered
a chance to take a last look at Wildes on September 6th. I went
along for the tour and I’m so glad I did, even though it was bittersweet.
The next level down, built in 1932, ushered us into 20th century architecture and technology. The lowest level, built in 1983, contained
huge looms that were the final part of the woolen carpet-making
process.
As our group slowly descended we had a chance to explore each
level, listen to information from the owners, ask many questions and
stop for an occasional demonstration. The tour was made that much It was so sad to see all those empty machines. The architects plan to
richer by the contributions of members of the group, like Maris
incorporate some of the history of Wildes into the apartments they
Fisher-Krasnegor, who experienced the Mill when it was operational. will create from the factory where Wildes played such a powerful
role in the textile industry of Manayunk. It was poignant to see the
The Farewell Tour was truly an amazing and poignant experience.
Amazing, because of the group of people who came together for this silent machines with filaments of yarn all draped dramatically over
the steel rollers. One could get a sense of the powerful giant of the
unique opportunity. And most definitely poignant, as we were the
last witnesses to the last mill in a long history of textile mills in Ma- textile industry as it must have been during the boom times. The
architects mentioned that they are working to find new homes for
nayunk.
these machines. One wonders if the new homes will be in China. I
am so very sad to have to say, “Good bye Wildes”.
The New Owners—Scott and Peter
For more on the history of the Wildes Yarn, go to: http://www.workshopoftheworld.com/manayunk/wilde.html
Photos compliments of Maryanne McDevitt
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Equipment for sale / wanted
If you have equipment, books or fiber to sell or are looking for the same; please send your ad to Pam Pawl by the 15th of the month at:
[email protected]. There is NO charge to place an ad and it will run for 2 months in the Gazette.
MACOMBER 56” AD-A-HARNESS LOOM
It’s in great shape! It has 8 harnesses. It was made in
the 1970s. The price new is $5,225. I am asking
$2,500. I’ll include a bench, reeds, and other equipment. I’m located in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. My contact information is: [email protected] or 215-537-5750. Please call
with your questions. Diane.
RIGID HEDDLE LOOM/ACCESSORIES,
FOR SALE: Kromski 32" Harp RH Loom and accessories. It has only been used a few times and is in
perfect condition. Besides the Harp itself, I have the floor stand, FIVE (5) heddles 2-10, 2-12, 1-8, the
carrying bag in Green, the pegs for the warping board side of the loom, extra heddle blocks, kromski
sleying hook. $450.00. (My loss of investment is your gain—New (all) Stand $103, Harp $240, Bag $55,
extra Blocks $28, 5x$52.50 Heddles $262.50—total of $688.50)
MERLIN TREE DT HITCHHIKER SPINNING
WHEEL, AND
I also have a Merlin Tree DT Hitchhiker spinning wheel with canvas tote. Wheel is painted aqua color.
$360.00
RICK REEVES ORIGINAL 19” FRAME SPINNING WHEEL.
19” frame spinning wheel in beautiful oak. Double drive,
single treadle. Made by Rick Reeves before he sold his business/designs to Schacht. $950.
For the Kromski Harp, Merlin Tree DT Hitchhiker, or the Reeves Spinning Wheel:
Contact: Marianne Eshleman
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570-578-1220 [email protected]
PGHW Gazette
c/o Marianne Eshleman
137 Timberwood Drive
Mountain Top, PA 18707
NOVEMBER
Thursday, November 1 @ 7 P.M.
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS: Documenting Your Artwork
Aaron Igler, Photographer & Media Consultant, Greenhouse Media, LLC
In this short presentation, Aaron Igler will cover the basics of digital photography, specifically as it relates to shooting
your own work. Topics will include selecting a digital camera, do-it-yourself studio setup, lighting, composition and
digital post-production. He will focus on the fundamental skills needed to produce usable images of personal artwork,
weavings, and even process/making.
DECEMBER
Thursday, December 6 @ 7 P.M.
HOLIDAY PARTY!
“BRING A GIFT TO THE GUILD HOUSE”
Share your favorite holiday treats and bring your projects — weaving, knitting, spinning, etc. — for our show-and-tell.
And please consider bringing an item to restock the Guild House supply closet.
JANUARY
Thursday, January 3 @ 7 P.M.
CHAIR CANING AND RUSH
Nicholas Thaete
PGHW member Nicholas Thaete will discuss with us the various weaves and the process of reweaving a seat. He will
give a historical perspective on the time-honored tradition a well. Nick has been chair caning and rushing for 32
years. A five-week course on caning, taught by Nick, will be offered in our Spring 2013 class session. Watch for de-
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