November

2012—ISSUE 03
NOVEMBER
The Gazette of the
President’s Message
IN THIS ISSUE:
___________________________________________________ _____________________________

President’s November Message

10 NEW Members

Walk In & Weave

Holiday Sale Info
& Flyer and Call
for Volunteers!

Educational Committee Needs
Tutors!

Flax Processing—
Eric Weit

PGHW Holiday
Party Announcement
Dear Fellow PGHW Members,
For a Guild made up of volunteers, who have many other responsibilities, I am always
amazed at how much we can accomplish together.
Although we’re still in the early part of our year, here are some points of achievement.
• We had our second meeting, and with a good attendance. Eric Weit interestingly demonstrated the spinning of
flax, which he had learned from his grandmother. He explained how useful old-fashioned tools can be, and some of
our members – who are spinners – seemed ready to try. I think that some other members may be ready to learn to
spin; I am.
• On the weekend of October 6th and 7th we participated in the Philadelphia Open Studio Tours at the office of the
Roxborough Development Corporation. Under the guidance of Kathryn Pannepacker, we created a lovely textile
gallery. I offer my thanks to the members who contributed their works to our display, and to those members who
volunteered to demonstrate their skills to the public at the exhibit, in weaving or spinning.
This should make all of us proud. Kudos to the artists: Pat Doran, Amoi Goldman, Virginia Greene, Maris Krasnegor, Ariana Kwoh, Betty Leacraft, Stephanie Mayes, Caroline Maw-Deis, Bette McCarron, Mary McDermott, Mary- 
anne McDevitt, Kathryn Pannepacker, and Nancy Shiffrin. I was honored to have some of my work also displayed
with these fine members. Additional kudos to the demonstrators: Lisa Kugler, Mary McDermott, Maryanne McDe
vitt, and Deb Moloshok.
• At the same time that the POST was taking place, the Guild hosted a natural dyeing weekend workshop at the
Guild House, for members as well as students from Philadelphia University, coordinated by Wendy Anderson. We
explored several dyes: black walnut, goldenrod, purple basil, and wormwood. We dyed woolen, cotton, and silk
yarns and fabrics as well as shibori-designed pieces. We hope that this will be just the beginning of continued natural
dyeing experiences. A hearty thanks to Beck, one of our new members, who demonstrated spinning at her wheel
outside the Guild House. and hats off to Wendy Anderson, Virginia Greene, Betty Leacraft, and Dottie YacekMatulis who helped to make our dye day happen. We also had some visitors drop in to learn what takes place at the
PGHW.

November Meeting Program
Classes at the
Guild
Study Group
News
All-in-all a successful start to the new season.
Kathy Selbst
GAZETTE DEADLINE:
Submissions for the monthly Gazette is the 15th of the month. December Gazette—Information is DUE by November 15th, 2012. NO EXCEPTIONS
PLEASE! Thank You. After 11/15—11/17, you may check for space availability.
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Membership News!
Ginny Greene, our new Membership Chairperson, has
indicated that we have ELEVEN (11) new members.
We would like to say “Welcome and we are happy you
are now a part of our Guild!”
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Last Friday and Saturday, October 12 and 13, I held another Walk in and Weave class. I like to call this Kindergarten weaving. People can take this class with absolutely no
experience, or they may be people who wove a long time
ago and don’t remember what they learned about weaving.
Beck Gusler, — 2739 S. Fairhill Street, Philadelphia, PA
In either case, we begin with a pre-warped loom and
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choose weft colors, and sit down and weave. By the end of
the day people leave with a woven chenille scarf. Look at all
215-339-0738 (h) 215-951-2953(W)
those happy faces! I’ve already collected names for people
[email protected] — W, L, B, Sw, F, C, Sp, K, Tt who want to sign up for the next class... dates are coming
soon! Rhonda, Shenagh, and Janet are new members.
Bernadette Rossi
Anna Rossi —(both) 839 Maple Ave., Collingswood, NJ
08108
October’s Walk-In &
Weave
856-854-2928 (h) 609-220-6359 ©
[email protected] — W, B, Sp, Sw, K, Needlefelting

Sherry Fillman — 8 Diener Rd., Boyertown, PA 19512
610-367-9388
[email protected]

Lori Schaeffer — 1115 Old Airport Rd., Douglassville, PA
19518
610-689-4068
[email protected]

Ann Marie Leslie — 229 Unionville Rd., Glassboro, NJ
08028
Cinnie Slack
609-970-0956(h) 856-668-8855(w)
[email protected] — W, B, Sw, D

Susan C. Park — 100 Quinton-Alloway Rd., Salem, NJ 08079 Fiehler
856-935-3126(h) 609-579-4645©
Rhonda
[email protected] — W, B, Sp, T, D, K, L

Janet Shearer — PO Box 177, Lederach, PA 19450
215-256-1925(h) 610-331-0017©
David Perme
(Substituting for
his wife—who
could not attend!)
Way to go, David!
— W, T
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Shenagh Albin — 516 Landis Rd., Harleysville, PA 19438
267-932-8033(h) 215-527-7237©
[email protected] — W

Rhonda Fiehler — 739 Champion Ave., Collingswood, NJ
08107
[email protected]

Dora Johns — 245 E. Cliveden St., Philadelphia, PA 19119
215-681-0392
[email protected]
Shenagh Albin
(left) with Janet
Shearer (right)
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NEWS…..Plans for this
CALL FOR HELP
AT THE2012 HOLIDAY SALE
A Message from Kate O’Hara:
Kate O’Hara (Holiday Sale Coordinator) needs members
2012 Holiday Sale
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November 9, 10, 11—2012
Kate O’Hara, Coordinator
Participation Fee: $20.00
215-879-3607
Deadline October 14th
[email protected]
Thank you
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:
Very Much
experienced with setting up for the 2012 Holiday
Kate O’Hara 6441 Woodcrest Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19151
Sale. Set up will be Thursday—November 8th—and Friday—November 9th.
Also, I need volunteers for sitting the show on Saturday
and Sunday, November 10th & 11th.
WHAT’S NEW ?
PGHW Board Notes!
And last but not least, I will need help with take-down on
Sunday, November 11th from 6pm to 8pm.
The Board is busy discussing ways that we can
improve our outreach by updating our website and making better use of Social Media (i.e.: stepping up our use
of Facebook and blogging).
REMINDER: Please post at least one flyer and send
an invitation email with the flyer to your family and
friends!
Flyer is an insert to
this Gazette.
We are investigating the use of PayPal, as well as
another method of accepting payments at the Guild
House.
Kate O’Hara,
[email protected]
Finally, in an effort to better serve our membership, we are working on a new package of information
that would be distributed to our new members.
215-879-3607
The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers Mug and Tote are available on line at:
http://www.cafepress.com/PGHW
GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFTS !!!!!!
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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October 2012 Meeting Program
Flax Processing
with Eric Weit
By
Amoi Goldman
Eric Weit, an accomplished weaver and member of the Central Pennsylvania Guild of Handweavers, gave a fascinating program
about processing flax at our October meeting. It was so captivating that I think most of us were glued to our seats with “flax
goop,” which was one of several interesting flax-related terms we learned.
Eric told about the history of flax, and how it is grown and harvested. He went on to tell us about the necessary process of retting,
which is when water is used to rot away the inner part of the plant leaving the outer fibers. Two main types of retting are water
retting and dew retting. The fibers develop a gray color from dew retting.
Next, Eric demonstrated breaking, scrutching and hackling to separate the rougher material from the fiber. The light colored,
course fiber by-product of hackling is called “tow,” which is often used to make rope hence the term towing. It is also why blonds
are called “towheads”.
The highlight of the program was seeing Eric expertly spin fine flax fiber on his Grandmother’s spinning wheel. It was quite fitting, since she taught him to weave. The hackle comb he used earlier had also belonged to his Grandmother and dated to the 19th
century.
Eric had a great way of imparting his knowledge of flax processing and sharing his weaving journey with us.
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DECEMBER
—- Save the Date!
Thursday, December 6 @ 7 P.M.
HOLIDAY PARTY!
Our Next Monthly Meeting will be on Thursday,
November 1 @ 7 P.M.
“BRING A GIFT TO THE GUILD HOUSE”
DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS: Documenting Your Artwork
Aaron Igler, Photographer & Media Consultant, Greenhouse Media, LLC
Share your favorite holiday treats and bring your projects
— weaving, knitting, spinning, etc. — for our show-andtell. And please consider bringing an item to restock the
Guild House supply closet.
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.
Equipment for sale / wanted
If you have equipment, yarns, fiber, books, etc that you
would like to sell or are wanting to buy , please send an
e-mail ad to Pam Pawl by the 15th the month. Your ad
will run for two months in the Gazette free of charge.
After two months, you will need to renew your ad if
your item hasn’t sold. Also , please let Pam know if you
item HAS sold so she can update her listings. Send all
listings to [email protected]
LIBRARY…..
Membership Information
The PGHW Library, located in the Guild House,
makes available to members more than 700 books
and periodicals pertaining to the fiber arts. Library Chairperson is Pat Doran and can be contacted at: 215-487-5094. Please feel free to
check out what we have available.
Anyone interested in the fiber arts may join PGHW.
Please contact membership coordinator Maryann Laverty
at 610-668-2433 for membership and Guild Information. Dues from members joining in February or March
will apply to the balance of the current fiscal year, and in
full for the new fiscal year. A reminder to renew membership will appear in the April Gazette each year.
Only members who have paid their dues by MAY 31
will appear in the directory and on the mailing list. Associate Members (restricted to persons living beyond a 30mile radius from Philadelphia City Hall) have all the
privileges of membership, but may not vote or hold office.
Annual Dues: Regular $35, Family $40, Supporter
$45, Patron $60, Associate $15, Senior (65+) $15,
Student (full-time w/ID) $16
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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.
PLANS FOR THIS FALL 2012
UPCOMING CLASSES:
WEAVING 1
There are many projects to choose from and one project can
be completed in 2 weeks.
Tuesdays, Oct. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, Nov. 6 6:00-9:00pm
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin; 610-649-6209 Course Fee:
$195 members; $210 non-members.
Looms are available for rent for $50 and can be taken home
to work on between sessions or you are also welcome to
Experience the joy of making cloth. During this course,
you’ll learn how to wind a warp, dress a loom, read instruc- bring your own.
tions, and weave a sampler of various weave structures. By
Sara McLaughlin has been involved with knitting and fiber
your last class, you’ll understand how a loom works and be
for over ten years. While, professionally she works as an
able to begin your own projects. All
Architectural Historian, she moonlights as a knitting instrucequipment and materials supplied.
tor to feed her love for the arts! Sara has been teaching knitDRAFTING WEAVE STRUCTURES
ting for over 7 years in both New York City (Knit New
York) and Philadelphia (Rosie's Yarn Cellar and Philly Art
5 Sundays, September 30, and October 7, 14, 21, 28
Center), has designed her own patterns and has knit sweat1:00-3:00 pm
ers for Barney's New York.
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin; 610-649-6209
KNITTING SOCKS WITH SARA MCLAUGHLIN
Course Fee: $110 members; $125 non-members
Saturday, October 27 12:00 - 4:00pm Instructor: Sara
Improve your knowledge of Weaving Structures by learning McLaughlin [email protected]
how to draft and manipulate weave designs. You will start
Course fee: $50 members/$65 non-members
with the basics by working on graph paper to learn about the
Materials fee to instructor = $12 or contact instructor for
different parts of a weave draft and how to create a drawdown. You will draft a variety of weaves, with the three pri- details
mary weave classifications; those based on plain weave such
as basket and ribs weaves, twills and satins, and then move 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
on to other weaves. With the aim
simple baby socks. You'll be able to finish a sock, if not a
of designing your own projects, you will learn to adapt
pair in our four hours together and the skills are easily transweaving patterns such as those found in the Davison Pattern
latable to adult socks- you just do it bigger! This is open to
Book. Basic block, or profile drafting will also be covered.
The teacher will demonstrate weaving software on her lap- anyone with basic knitting skills and the knowledge of how
to knit in the round. Supplies provided for a $12 materials
top, and any student who has one can also
fee payable to instructor.
bring it to use in class.
WEAVING ON A RIGID-HEDDLE LOOM
4 Mondays: October 15, 22, 29 and Nov. 12 6:30 - 9:30
PM
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Instructor: Maryanne McDevitt
or 215-646-3009
[email protected]
Course fee: $130 members; $145 non-members
You don’t have to invest a lot of money in weaving equipment to start weaving. A rigid heddle loom is a simple frame
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KID'S CLASSES
Home school Weaving for Children & Teens
Thursdays, 10am-1pm, 5 (4 remaining) week sessions– Oct 18, Oct 25, Nov 1 & Nov 8
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.
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RIGID HEDDLE STUDY GROUP UPDATE
Will continue to meet in Fall of 2012. The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, October 20th
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Saturday, November 17th
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Saturday, December 15th
12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
We welcome all that are interested in the group!
SPINNING STUDY GROUP UPDATE
The spinning study group meets the 3rd Friday of the month from 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 carding the fleece we purchased together and enjoy some uninterrupted spinning
time. The fleece was purchased raw with half of it processed professionally and the rest processed by the group. We are anxious to start spinning it soon to see what differences we discover. It will be interesting to see what folks come up with! Please join us if you can.
NATURAL DYE STUDY GROUP
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]
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
♥DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE FOR ADVERTISING:♥
10% OFF FOR 3 OR MORE ADS
20% OFF FOR AN ANNUAL AD SUBSCRIPTION (10 ISSUES)
SEND YOUR COMMITMENT EMAIL FOR ADVERTISING STATING WHAT SIZE AND ISSUE QUANTITY TO:
[email protected] (Marianne Eshleman)
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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PGHW Gazette
c/o Marianne Eshleman
137 Timberwood Drive
Mountain Top, PA 18707
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