BERKSHIRE YARNS Newsletter of the Berkshire Guild of

BERKSHIRE
YARNS
Newsletter of the Berkshire Guild of
Spinners, Weavers & Dyers
No. 139
April 2013
www.bswd.org.uk
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Contents
Final Words from the Chair ......................................................... 3
BSWD Christmas meeting. .......................................................... 4
Joan Elliott
......................................................................... 4
Annual Competition ..................................................................... 5
Try Before You Buy! .................................................................... 5
Try Something New! .................................................................... 5
Equipment for Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing …………………6
Finishing Touches for Hand Knitting ........................................... 7
World Eco-Fiber and Textile (WEFT) Art..................................... 8
The Knitting Train ........................................................................ 9
2013 Guild Exhibition ................................................................ 10
Knit Pro ‘Symfonie’ interchangeable needle tips ....................... 10
The Wool House Exhibition, ...................................................... 11
Felt Lamp Masterclass .............................................................. 12
Batik Course .............................................................................. 13
Guild Member’s Profile .............................................................. 14
Demonstrations ......................................................................... 16
News from the Groups .............................................................. 17
Note from the Editor .................................................................. 20
Places to Go .............................................................................. 18
Dates for Your Diary .................................................................. 18
Committee 2012-13 ................................................................... 20
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Final Words from the Chair
It is April and it has felt like winter most of the past few months. We
missed the January meeting due to snow but don’t worry. The
cancelled Alpaca talk is rescheduled for later this year. We almost
missed the March meeting due to snow but it wasn’t quite as cold
and the snow melted as it hit the ground, thank goodness. We were
able to have the silent auction where great bargains were to be had.
From what was on display at the show and tell table many of us have
been busy this winter.
The cold weather has kept me indoors too and I have been spinning,
weaving, knitting and working on my competition entry. I also took
the colour for weaving design workshop we held in Feb and March
and I’m still working on the warp for the final (I hope) cloth to cover
some cushions if it works out as planned. I am looking forward to the
warmer weather which has been predicted.
Looking to the future we have a good spring and summer schedule
planned. Our Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, competition is coming up.
Each entry must have something animal and vegetable and mineral
in it some way or another. It also must have at least one of our core
skills in it. Something in your entry must be spun and/or woven
and/or dyed.
In mid-June we have the exhibition at the Henley Fire Station
Gallery. We will have forms for members to fill in for competition
entries, and for items you would like to show at the exhibition too.
Start looking around to see what you would like to enter for this
exhibition.
Last but not least, this is my last ‘Words from the Chair’. Hopefully
we will have someone step up to be chairman and be elected at the
May AGM. We also need a few more people for the committee if you
aren’t interested in being the chairperson. Can you help keep the
guild an interesting place to come?
Mary
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BSWD Christmas meeting.
The Christmas meeting went off with a bang this year.
For once we were not snowed under or rained off, so much to be
grateful for.
The meeting was well attended which made for a festive day.
We had two ladies from the Hambleden Market join us. They were
curious after meeting Carol ,Tanya, Janet and myself at the
Christmas fair and are toying with the idea of joining the Guild.
There were several activities for members to participate in. There
was the opportunity to learn to make decorations of various kinds
and wool fairies. Some people had brought their spinning wheels and
other portable crafts.
The Bring and Buy table was well stocked and as usual there was a
raffle with a nice selection of prizes for the lucky winners.
The ever popular Bran Tub was bulging with handmade gifts this
year, and there was much excitement as parcels were swapped
among the Guild members.
After a short business meeting and the usual show and tell we all
turned our attention to the shared luncheon. There seemed to be an
abundance of delicious items on the table and a wonderful array of
puddings, pies and cakes for afters. All washed down with lashings
of beverage of the non inebriating kind.
A good time was had by all and we left in a festive spirit ready to face
new projects and craft challenges in the year to come.
Helene
Joan E
11.1.1926 - 8.3.2013
I first met Joan when we signed up for a spinning and weaving class
with Janet Phillips at Henley College; that was well over 30 years
ago. She was the best person to be sitting next to when trying to
work out patterns for weaving, or anything else. Her maths was
good; she was quicker than anyone else.
Janet then persuaded us to join the Guild, which Joan really enjoyed.
She was also very good at taking part in demonstrations and always
did Henley Show, the Sheepdog Trials and the Ploughing Match as
well as numerous other events locally.
I for one will miss her company and most of all her laughter. She was
great fun.
Una
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Annual Competition
The theme for this year’s competition is ‘Animal, Vegetable, and
Mineral’ Entries should incorporate each of these three materials in
whatever ingenious form you wish. They should also demonstrate at
least one of the three core skills of spinning, weaving or dyeing.
If you have completed your item and have brought it with you to
today’s meeting that’s wonderful.. For the rest of us, who have not
yet finished, items should be delivered to the first spinning meeting in
May.
Entry forms should be available at today’s (April) meeting.
Try Before You Buy!
The Guild has got a lot of equipment available for hire at very
reasonable rates. Spinning and weaving equipment is very
expensive to buy, so trying something out before making a
major investment makes a lot of sense. It's also great for anyone
wanting to try something new! Tanya is managing the equipment, so
if you want to borrow something please get in touch with her by
either chatting to her at the Guild meeting, phoning her or emailing
her. She'll be happy to discuss your needs and work out what will be
most suitable for you. She can organise for you to either collect it at
the next main Guild meeting, one of the spinning or weaving
meetings or at a time/place to suit you. The list is on the Guild
website and in Yahoo Groups and in this newsletter.
Hire is on a first-come-first-served basis, and if the equipment you
are interested in is already out on hire, you'll be put onto the waiting
list and contacted as soon as it is available.
Try Something New!
The Guild has a lot of specialist weaving equipment that members
can borrow at very low monthly rates. So if you always wanted to
have a go at making a tapestry, or creating an inkle braid to finish off
that bag then there is no reason not to hire the equipment and get
along to the weaving group and have a go! Don't forget that the full
equipment list is on our Yahoo!! website and in this issue of the
newsletter. You can book equipment by contacting Tanya.
Tanya
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Equipment for Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing
The following items are available for hire.
Costs are £1.50 per week or £5 per calendar month
Please contact the Equipment Officer Tanya
Spinning
1 Ashford Traditional Spinning
Wheel with Lazy Kate,
2 Ashford Traditional Spinning
Wheels each with a Lazy Kate, 4
bobbins 1 pair carders
1 Ashford Traveller with Lazy
Kate
4 Lazy Kates
5 Ashford bobbins
1 Ashford Jumbo Flyer
3 pairs Hand Carders
8 Drop spindles
3 pairs Flick carders
1 pair worsted combs
1 Drum carder
1 Indian Chakra for spinning
cotton
Dyeing
3 Stainless steel buckets
Weaving
4 Table looms – 4 shaft
1 small Table Loom – 4 shaft
1 Table Loom no 3 – 4 shaft
1 Table loom – 8shaft
1 Inkle loom and training manual
1 Box clamp & warping posts
1 Raddle
6 Tapestry frames
1 pair Warping Posts
3 single Warping Posts
2 sets of Warping Posts (1
double, 1 single & 2 clamps)
6 Stick Weaving Shuttles
1 Reed holder/ beater
1 Reed 16inch with 14 dents per
inch
1 Warp-weighted loom 6ftx 4ft
2 Clamps
3 Threading Hooks
1 Set of 9 Wire Heddles
4 Lease Sticks
For use at Demonstrations and Exhibitions:
2 Guild banners,
Equipment Labels,
6 Hessian Table Cloths,
4 Display Boxes
6 Pole & Block Stands
7 Logo Boards
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Finishing Touches for Hand Knitting
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A Presentation by Meg Crowther – Saturday 16 February 2013
Meg began by asking how many of us produce a tension square
prior to knitting a garment. As most of us are very keen knitters, and,
like Meg, have been knitting from an early age, the answer that most
of us did produce tension squares was not surprising. She then
explained that she always produced a larger square than required
then, after blocking, measured the actual required size in the centre
of the square. This method she found gave a more accurate tension
square. She then went on to explain other factors that could affect
the tension i.e. our mood and the temperature, different makes of
needles (straight/circular) fibre type & dyes.
Meg went through her presentation step by step, commencing with
how she builds a design which can be either for individual customers
or for publications. She uses inspiration for her colours from
postcards or photos and builds a story board with swatches and the
overall design and pattern.
The presentation also included the various techniques she will
consider i.e; identification of the most appropriate seams, hems and
edges for the garment. Also the use of applied edges including Icords and various appropriate cast on and off methods.
Meg also advised us to produce labelled Stitch Samplers and
explained that the way stitches are combined, along with the needle
size could affect both the width and length of the fabric and as a
result the drape of the finished garment. She showed us examples
of stitch samplers and other samples of various edges, borders and
hems.
Some of Meg’s recently designed jackets were on show and she
answered many questions from Guild Members.
Meg’s talk covered so many useful tips and advice that I requested a
copy of her overheads and the accompanying detailed notes which
explain in detail the various techniques; these will be kept in the
Guild Library for reference by Guild members.
Finally, I think we all went away with tips and techniques that will
make our projects look more professional. Thank you again, Meg, for
a really interesting presentation.
Dreda
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World Eco-Fiber and Textile (WEFT) Art
This exhibition, WEFT, was put on by Society Atelier, Sarawak,
Malaysia at the Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Art,
University College, London from 18 January to 23 March 2013. It
comprised a very diverse collection of artefacts from many countries.
The gallery consists of large spaces on two floors with a long
staircase between them. I spent four hours there and still didn’t
manage to look at everything in detail. Each item was well labelled
and there was a quaintly-worded but useful accompanying leaflet,
which stated “the primary focus of this exhibition is to show, focus,
and promote the use of natural yarns and natural dyestuff in textile
art.” Exhibits demonstrated that traditional textile techniques such as
ikat, tritik, shibori, batik and the art of textile embellishment are
cross-cultural.
There were many examples included of traditional techniques, but
others more recently invented including the use of cross-over
techniques such as Batikat – batik on hand-woven ikat – and
Kalamkat – hand block print on hand-woven ikat.
Some items had been made especially for this exhibition and
seemed to me a little self-consciously ‘different’, perhaps because,
unlike traditional work, they were not designed to have any useful
purpose. One of these was a large wall-hanging of coarse natural
fibres irregularly woven and knotted, better looked at from a
distance. This was from the Phillipines. Another was a mobile of
about ten hanging pieces made of mulberry paper, each loosely
constructed and dyed pink with safflower, from Korea. There were
two strange, unwearable garments from Taiwan incorporating scraps
of leather and part woven strips of coarse cloth, and also two jackets
from Japan made of scruffy pieces of indigo-dyed cloth patched and
overstitched to give texture.
Indigo is a natural dye used since antiquity extraordinarily widely
throughout the world: China, Japan, India, South-east Asia, the
Americas and Europe. There were many wonderful examples here. I
was amused by a Nigerian blue-black exhibit labelled as ‘robe and
pants’, extraordinarily wide and heavy, with a bold cream spiral
embroidered on the chest. In contrast, I admired a dainty mid blue
and white shibori length of cloth with prominent 3D peaks. I learned
that stitching to stop dye penetrating, so creating a pattern, is called
‘shibori’ in Japan, ‘tritik’ and ‘planji’ in Indonesia and ‘bandhari’ in
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India and Pakistan. Making felt is another ancient, cross-cultural
tradition. Thick and warm undyed traditional jackets from Iran were
displayed and heavy felt rugs form Mongolia, but in contrast were
Japanese lengths of fine spirals felted on to diaphanous silk cloth.
Embroidered embellishment abounds everywhere, much of it done
by communities working together. It can vary from thick, dense work
such as an exhibit from Burma reminiscent of English Elizabethan
stump work, padded figures of musicians, elephants, dancers in a
row, glittery with sequins, to delicate tracery of irregular repeats of
elaborate trees and flowers. There was Gujarat mirror work and
double-faced Suzhou embroidery like a fine black drawing
suggesting reeds and their reflections on water. A Kazak community
in Mongolia had worked together on a wall hanging with quilted satin
on three sides and a field of 5 x 3 roundels elaborately patterned in
spirals and petals, very dense and colourful. From South Africa were
two appliqué hangings of hemp fibre in soft browns and creams.
So much was hand woven, probably most of the cloth on show.
Back-strap looms produce narrow lengths one here with ikat pattern
from Borneo of two fishes and a woman with two children. A more
complex loom must have been used for a damask cloth from India,
for a bubbly white cloth from the Philippines using pineapple fibre
and silk, and for a Chinese silk jacket with woven cloud patterning.
The hand-out states “We emphasize on the uniqueness of the handwoven and hand made; hand crafted textiles as opposed .to the
trend of machine made textiles. Hand made textiles that not only
reveal the skill of the maker but reflect their history and cultural
traditions. In an age of globalization and 'cheap industrial textile'
dumping, how. can the age old traditions of hand woven textiles
survive?”
I found it a truly remarkable and outstandingly interesting exhibition.
Elizabeth
The Knitting Train
Hello knitting enthusiasts,
I have now been in touch with the people organising the famous
knitting train in Norway from Oslo to Røros.
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They have not drawn up the final programme yet but I am assured
that it will be similar to programmes of the previous year and will be
on line later this year.
The lady I spoke to is one of the organisers and confirms the date of
18th to 20th of October 2013.
The train leaves Oslo at about 10 am on Friday the 18th.
The price for a person in a shared double room is something in the
region of 4000 Norwegian Kroner. This includes the train fare, full
board and all entry tickets and transport. (Very good value for this
country)
In addition there is your air ticket from UK to Oslo. ( Ryanair and
Norwegian are usually quite cheap, and SAS and BAA do good
deals out of season)
Since the train leaves early it may be an idea to arrive in Oslo the
night before. Perhaps you feel you can ask to be put up by your
Norwegian chums or get a cheap room near the railway station.
Lise recommended that we contact her with possible numbers so
she can block/reserve rooms for us to avoid disappointment.
Her mail address is : [email protected]
Helene
2013 Guild Exhibition
th
th
The biennial exhibition will be from 12 to 19 June in the Old Fire
Station in Henley on Thames. The idea is to show off our skills to the
general public and to ensure that the crafts of Spinning, Weaving
and Colour Dyeing remain in the public eye. Do have a look through
the projects that you have completed over the last few years - do you
have any interesting hanks of yarn, dyed fibre, weaving, or things
you have made with handspun? We will be needing lots of exhibits
and submission forms will be available from the April meeting.
Please put these dates into your diary! Help will be needed
stewarding the exhibition as well as setting it up and taking it down.
Please chat to Carol or Tanya for more details.
Knit Pro ‘Symfonie’ interchangeable needle tips
Review
Knit Pro Needles come in all shapes and sizes, but these are my
absolute favourites. The Symfonie range are made from layers of
coloured plywood sandwiched together and polished to make really
smooth and light needles with fine points. The interchangeable tips
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come in sizes from 3mm – 9mm and the plastic cords are available
in sizes from 40cm to 120cm. Each cable comes with a special key
to tighten the screw fixing as well as end stops, so you can make
either circular needles or single ones according to requirements.
There are also joining pieces so you can make a circular needle as
long as you like.
Unfortunately there is nowhere in Reading to buy them. I used to
buy them from the Black Hills shop in Henley but that has now
closed so they are available online or at the shows. They aren’t
cheap either, starting at #4 for a pair of tips, but I have built up my
collection over time and they are well worth the expense.
Trish V
The photo really didn’t do them justice so I suggest you ask Trish if
you could have a look at her set. (Ed)
The Wool House Exhibition,
13th - 24th March, Somerset House
The Campaign for Wool organised a fantastic exhibition curated by
the designer Arabella McNie. Several of our members raved about it
at the March meeting and as it was on for such an incredibly short
time I went the next day. The west wing of Somerset House had
been rechristened 'The Wool
House' and seven rooms were
furnished by artists and designers
working in the global textile
industry. They were invited to
create items or design whole
rooms using wool. There was also
space devoted to workshops, the
fashion industry, Savile Row and
The Handweaver's Studio.
There were absolutely fabulous
items everywhere - chucked on
the floor, displayed on the wall, on
sofas, chairs and in jars.
Highlights for me were the modern room created by Finnish artist A
nne Kyyro-Quinn, which featured very strong colours and lots of
felt. I would have been quite happy to move into this room and the
Natural room. Kit Kemp's bedroom had some fabulous cushions in
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it and Claude Jongstra's "tapestries" (which were in actual fact
pieces of large felt) were also stunning.
There were some interesting features in the fashion garments, with
one designer incorporating fluorescent fibres into a spun yarn, in
order to create a 'glow in the dark' jacket that looked completely
normal under daylight conditions. I would strongly recommend you
watch the youtube Video which gives a tour of the exhibition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ksTCcYe6U
I was a little disappointed that British sheep breeds weren't too well
represented - the Shetland wool on display wasn't the softest, there
were samples of wool to feel, which were 'Merino' and 'British Wool'.
Whatever unknown sheep breed they had chosen to represent the
British wool was coarse. However this is just a very small gripe in
what was a stunning display of craftsmanship.
I thoroughly enjoyed walking around and discovering lots of little
gems, which were truly inspiring.
Carol
It’s worth having a look at the picture online (Ed)
Felt Lamp Masterclass
Some of you will have seen me wiring up a light bulb for my felt
lamps at the last meeting. Here is how these came about. Anna
Gunnersdottir is an Icelandic Feltmaker who has been working and
teaching internationally. She has created installations for various
museums and her most recent commission was to decorate the
bedroom that the Prince of Denmark was to use during his official
visit to Iceland. The felt curtains, bedspread, lamps and headboard
all looked amazing.
The masterclass was filled with very experienced feltmakers who
had come from all over the UK to take part - even some from Sheila
Smith's Yorkshire group. I felt a trifle daunted, but Anna was very
sweet and soon had us working. Her techniques are unusual - she
doesn't roll any of her felt, she just rubs it. My hands were beautifully
exfoliated by the end of the weekend - we produced three felt items
each day and were taught a myriad of techniques strange to us
Brits. It was the first time I had used Icelandic wool and very nice it is
too - soft but sturdy. Someone asked what had inspired Anna to
create the cone shaped lamps, her answer created a stir - it was the
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hats the trolls wore in a cave she visited in Iceland. We weren't sure
how seriously to take this, so moved swiftly on!
Anna also brought along some fish leather - tanned fish skins. This is
a long-standing tradition in Iceland, mainly used for shoes that she is
seeking to resurrect. Distance apparently used to be measured in the
number of fish-skins you would wear out getting there. She collects
salmon skins in her freezer and when ever she has time, descales
them and scrapes them clean, before giving them to a friend who
tans them. She then dyes them and uses them mainly for clothing. A
very inspirational weekend! Do have a look on the web at her work.
Carol y
Batik Course
Toni Eyles from The Newbury Guild passed on these details to Trish.
A Batik Course run by Angela Lenman is on the 12th May at Speen
Parish Hall, Newbury and costs £35.00.
I have included a testimonial from a guild member who attended a
course previously. There is also a link to Angela's website for
information. If anyone from the Berkshire Guild is interested they
could email me and I will send them some details. People can either
pay me at the Berkshire Guild day or on the day of the course but I
will need to know how many people would like to attend beforehand!
Angela got us down to work very quickly so we achieved a lot in the
day. My picture of Lower Fishguard was completed in a couple of
hours. Other people did patterns and abstracts, which also came out
really well. For the workshop Angela provides all the materials and
guidance you need and then lets you get on with it, so attendees
should come with a few ideas ready to roll.
Angela's own work is stunning - have a look at her website on
http://www.angelalenmanbatik.co.uk/page7.php
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Guild Member’s Profile
Brenda
Brenda was born in Southend on Sea. Her father worked in banking
and her mother was a housewife and homemaker.
Brenda was only a little girl when the Second World War was
declared .With the constant threat of German invasion, Southend
became too dangerous a place to live in so the family moved and set
up home in Chesham, Buckinghamshire.
Here little Brenda and her young brother attended a number of
schools. Because of the war the children had to put up with being
moved from school to school for their primary education. Sometimes
they had to make do with having their lessons in village halls and
meeting rooms.
Brenda went on to Dr Challoner’s Grammar School followed by
Teachers Training College in Chalfont ,Buckinghamshire.
As a fledgling teacher Brenda started her career at a local secondary
modern school and went on to take up a post in a comprehensive
army boarding school near Kiel, Germany.
When she returned to England she landed herself a teaching job in
Plaistow in London’s East End.
In 1964 she attended a “swinging” party in Hampstead where she
became drawn to a man who was doing the twist while clutching a
large glass of beer. After chatting him up, Brenda realised that this
was the man for her and she and Bert were married seven months
later. After the nuptials Brenda moved in to Bert’s bachelor bungalow
in Chobham, and the couple later set up home in the village of West
End in Surrey.
In 1970 Bert’s engineering job took him to Libya and the couple went
to live in Benghasi, where they stayed for the next five years. During
this time Brenda got involved in the running of an international
kindergarten where she taught children of eight different nationalities
as well as the local Libyan children.
Next they were on their way to the Andes, and home was now a
small copper mining village in the Peruvian mountains. It was a
challenge living 1200 feet above sea level, but Brenda and Bert
adjusted well to their new way of life and stayed for 6 months.
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Brenda has always been interested in sewing and holds a City &
Guilds certificate in dressmaking. As well as teaching the subject she
made all her own clothes and was greatly inspired by her aunt, a
professional dressmaker in London.
After Bert had seen a picture of a spinning wheel in a woodworking
magazine and decided to make one, she felt obliged to learn how to
spin. She took classes at South Hill Park where she mastered the art
and was also inspired by her teacher to start weaving.
She later became the proud owner of a computerised loom given to
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her on her 25 wedding anniversary by her husband.
In 1979 Brenda joined the Berkshire Guild which at that time was in
its infancy and met at Joanna Allaway`s house in Sonning .
Brenda is one of our longest standing members and has served on
the committee three times and acted as both Chairperson and
Speakers’ Secretary.
She took part in the Guilds Canadian exchange in the early 80s, and
after joining “The Complex Weavers Association” took part in many
North American textile conferences and seminars.
*** She has attended no less than National Association Exhibitions
and five AGMs and week end conferences as a Berks guild
representative.
She has twice taken part in the Association Summer School.
Brenda interests are: travelling, meeting other people and
exchanging ideas, weaving, sewing, dressmaking, dyeing,
crocheting, bridge, gardening, experimental cooking, and golf.
She is a WI member and also belongs to the local gardening club.
Favourite project: “The coat of many colours” She took some wool
boucle yarn and dyed it in different colours. Then wove it into a
striped soft fabric and made a coat to her own design.
Her proudest craft moment was when after three attempts she got
accepted to enter a woven jacket in the National Exhibition. Over the
years she has had a further four entries.
Helene
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Demonstrations
Demonstrations fulfil the very important role in the Guild's task of
showing our crafts to the wider public. It's great fun - you get asked
the most amazing questions. The Guild will be demonstrating at the
following events during April, May and June. One or two have
enough demonstrators but many don’t. If would like to take part
please get in touch with Lesley and be sure to put your name into the
Demo File that Lesley holds. Take a look at it at the next Guild or
spinning group meeting,
May
Monday 6th
Sunday 26th
June
st
Saturday 1
Sunday 2nd
th
Saturday 8
th
Saturday 15
Saturday 29th
Wokingham May Fayre
(Enough
participants ) Elms Road, Wokingham
Berkshire Young Farmers County Show Amners Farm, Burghfield
Museum of English Rural Life –( MERL)
Redlands Road, Reading
Twyford Donkey Derby King George Recreational Ground
Loddon Hall Road, Twyford
Holme Grange Craft Village (Enough participants)
South of Wokingham
Winnersh Fete Bearwood Recreation Ground, Sindlesham
Hurst Horse Show
School Field, Hurst
July
th
Saturday 13th ,Sunday 14
August
Sunday 25th ,Monday 26th
September
Saturday 14th
Woodcote Rally, Woodcote
Swallowfield Show Beech Road, Swallowfield
Henley Show Greenlands Farm, Hambleden,
Henley
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News from the Groups
Spinning Group meets on alternate Wednesdays 10.00 – 13.00
at Pearson Hall, Pearson Road, Sonning, RG4 6UL
Contact Lesley
Weaving Group meets on alternate Thursday 10.00 -13.00
at Pearson Hall, Pearson Road, Sonning, RG4 6UL
Contact Mary P
Monday Evening Group – Mixed portable crafts. Meets on the first
Monday of the month (except Bank Holidays) from 19.30 – 21.30
at the Friends Meeting House, 28 Denton Road, Wokingham, RG40
2DX
Contact Janet
Weaving Group Report
The weather has kept many of us indoors but thank goodness we
didn’t have to cancel our “Colour Design for Weaving Textiles”
workshops in February and March. Many of the regulars took the
course and we all had very different designs, colours and patterns to
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work with. The discussion group meeting on February 7 was just
after the 1st workshop weekend. There was a lot to talk about with
the exercises such as colour wraps and showing the coloured
painted squares trying to pick equal intensities and blend colours
across from each other on the colour chart. It certainly taxed my
mind and I’m not the only one who had trouble with some of the
exercises, I’ll tell you.
After that we were busy winding warps and warping up looms at the
regular meeting in preparation for the second weekend of the
workshop in March. Another intense weekend trying to remember
and use the techniques we learned the first weekend. It amazed me
how a subtle change can be achieved and you can change the feel
of a bold warp to something else completely. It even convinced me to
use pink and purple occasionally. Maybe you can “teach an old dog
new tricks”.
The group is still winding warps and weaving at the regular meetings
and I’m still working on the project which I started in the workshop. If
I’m lucky I will have something to show for the exhibition in June.
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The regular weaving group meetings are in the Diary below.
Mary P
Places to Go
11-12 May ,18- 19 May Select Trail – Stroud
Open studios of 26 designer makers
www.stroudinternationaltextiles.org.uk
18 May – 7 July
Material Connections III – Cardiff
Members of the Makers Guild in Wales
Includes Ritta Sinkkonen-Davies.www.makersguildinwales.org
1 June
Village Fete at the Museum of English
Rural life, Reading University. The Guild will
be demonstrating here.
28 – 29 June
Woolfest - Cumbria
www.woolfest.co.uk
18 21 July
Art in Action, Waterperry
www.artinaction.org.uk
Dates for Your Diary
24th Apr
May 2013
2nd May
8th May
12 May
16th May
18th May
Spinning group
Weaving group
Spinning group
Batik course at Speen. See article p.13
Weaving group
Main Guild Meeting
Annual General Meeting & Competition
Results This meeting is a very informal
one, with the results of the Annual
Competition announced and a chance to
see all the entries.
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22nd May
30th May
June 2013
3rd Jun
5th Jun
13th Jun
15th Jun
Spinning group
Weaving group
Monday Evening Group
Spinning group
Weaving group
Main Guild Meeting. Fibres Day
Every year, in June, we focus on exploring
fibres. This is a member-led meeting during
which there will be all sorts of fibres
available and challenges as to how they
might be used.
July 2013
3rd Jul
11th Jul
17th Jul
20th Jul
Spinning group
Weaving group
Spinning group
Main Guild Meeting
Fibre & Yarn Colour Dyeing Day This is a
practical, member-led meeting during which we
experiment with both natural and synthetic dyes on fibres
and fabrics.
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.
Committee 2012-13
Chair
Minutes Secretary
Correspondence Secretary
Treasurer
Speakers/Workshops
Membership/Data Protection
Speaker Hostess
Library/Publicity
Equipment
Mary P
Carol C
Trish V
Linde
Janet
Patricia M
Patricia B
Paula
Tanya
The following roles are performed by non-committee members;
Demonstrations
Lesley
Newsletter
Marjorie
Sales Table
Helene
Website
Matty
Note from the Editor
Thank you to all those people who have contributed articles or ideas.
I hope that, like me, you will enjoy the detailed accounts of several
exciting exhibitions and workshops. They are very inspiring.
Please let me know if there is anything else you would like to see in
the newsletter, or anything done differently. I try to make it both
useful and interesting
Items for the July issue should ideally reach me by the June
meeting but if you miss that, please send them anyway. Your item
may be just what is needed to fill an empty space.
E mail is good but so is snail mail.
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