The Weavers Guild of Springfield

2024-2025 PROGRAM

All are welcome to attend the meetings and events described below.

Location: Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at the Springfield Elks Lodge, 440 Tiffany Street, Springfield, MA 01108.

Meeting time: Meetings start at 10:00 am, with morning programs from 10:00-noon, lunch and business meeting noon-1:00, and afternoon programs 1:00-3:00. 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

Morning: Summer Wrap-Up

Review of Guild activities over the summer including the Scottish Festival, Shelburne Grange, and other venues and demonstrations.

Afternoon:Study Group

Guild members will be introduced to the guild library which is a tremendous resource and contains books, periodicals and notebooks detailing the guild’s long history of study groups. The guild’s holdings are detailed on the website in a 28-page list of amazing resources, many of which are out of print. The guild study group for 2024-2025 will be focused on our library resources and more details will be provided on the specific study group project.

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OCTOBER 5, 2024

Morning: Designing and Weaving Krokbragd (via Zoom)

Angie Parker is a textile artisan based in Bristol, UK. She specializes in hand-weaving using long established techniques, such as Krokbragd. She combines her weaving with an instinctive and daring approach to colour. This workshop, via zoom, will cover weaving and designing Krokbragd. To learn more, visit her website: http://www.angieparkertextiles.com

Afternoon: More Detailed Discussion about Lace Weaves

Jane Devlin, Jo Ann Miner, Susan Wright, and Loris Epps will provide more details about each type of lace. Members to decide upon lace choice.

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NOVEMBER 2, 2024

Morning: Kumihimo Bracelet

Guild member Deb will lead a program on Kumihimo. Her program will instruct us in making a small bracelet and she will bring kits for us that will include a Kumihimo disk. This introduction to the art of Kumihimo will be a great chance to explore this unique technique that can help use your stash.

Afternoon: Fleece to Blanket

Tegan Frisino of Comfortcloth Weaving will present a small production weaver’s perspective on working with local fiber.  She started Comfortcloth Weaving, LLC in 2016, focusing on production weaving methods to produce heirloom quality home goods and small batch yardage for fashion designers. She holds a BFA in Fiber Design and Sculpture from Buffalo State College and is currently studying at the Hill Institute in Florence, MA. She lives in upstate New York.  To learn more, visit her website: https://comfortclothweaving.com.

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DECEMBER 7, 2024

All day: Holiday Celebration –  Annual Holiday Party and Gift Exchange

Bring a wrapped gift and join us for our annual craft project, luncheon, and gift exchange. 

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JANUARY 4, 2025

Morning: Weaving with Knitting Yarns

Guild Member Susan Wright will lead a talk about weaving with knitting yarns. Knitting yarns are different than yarn spun for weaving but they can make beautiful woven items. This will help you use up some of your stash! Learn about the adaptions and challenges you need to consider when weaving with beautiful knitting yarns.

Afternoon: Whole Cloth is Not the Whole Story (via Zoom)

Canadian Weaver Carl Stewart will talk about the cultural tradition of recycling textiles. These traditions are often born out of necessity and demonstrate the frugality, ingenuity and creativity of the people who
practice them. Whole cloth is not the whole story examines some of the textile recycling traditions from Prince Edward Island and Japan that have informed his project Whole Cloth, a series of handwoven cloths that utilize recycled and upcycled materials. To learn more visit his website:
https://carlstewart.ca/home.html.


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FEBRUARY 1, 2025

All day: All Day Fiberworks Workshop

Guild Member Loris Epps will lead a special, not to be missed, all day workshop introducing guild members to Fiberworks, the weaving software used by thousands of weavers. Weaving software can help in designing projects, documentation, and experimentation. Learn the features of the program and some of the very useful tools that Fiberworks contains. Loris Epps has taught this workshop before, and it is considered an essential introduction to this powerful weaving software program. Members should
bring their computers for this special workshop.

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MARCH 1, 2025

Morning: Guild History

Guild members Loris Epps and Jane Devlin will present a program on the long history of the Weavers Guild of Springfield which was formed in November in 1951. At 74 years strong, the Weavers Guild of Springfield will celebrate its 75th anniversary in November of 2026. Hear about the guild formation and traditions that continue to this day and learn how we are carrying on the history and caring for the guild legacy. 

Afternoon: Preparations for Summer 2025 Weaving Demonstrations


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APRIL 5, 2025

Morning: Felted Rugs

Northampton based Jo Hesse is a Feltmaker. Feltmaking is one of the most ancient technologies, predating weaving and other yarn-based textiles. It is a process that occurs naturally to some extent, but in Central Asia, where sheep were first domesticated the technology was refined into an art form. Jo has studying feltmaking under the mentorship of Unesco-honored master feltmaker, Mehmet Girgiç, and Theresa Girgiç in Konya, Turkey. Her presentation will inform us about this traditional fiber art and the modern approach she uses to create her rugs. To learn more, visit her website: https://www.theramandtheworm.com/

Afternoon: Study Group Wrap-Up

A presentation of members' creations as a result of the study group chosen in the fall. Members will show their variations on the theme.

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MAY 3, 2025

All day: Annual Meeting and Lunch

Guild members will conduct the annual meeting of the Weavers Guild of Springfield and enjoy a lunch together.

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At the events below, guild members offer weaving demonstrations and guided hands-on introduction to weaving for all ages.

Massachusetts Sheep & Woolcraft Fair
Cummington Fairgrounds, Cummington, MA
May 24-25, 2025
1:00-4:00 pm
http://www.masheepwool.org/

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Look Park, Northampton, MA
July 19, 2025
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
http://www.glasgowlands.org/

Shelburne Grange Fair
Little Mohawk Road, Shelburne, MA
August 2025
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
http://www.shelburnegrange.org/shelburne-grange-fair.html

Big E Fiber Festival
Eastern States Exposition, West Springfield, MA
September 2025
https://www.thebige.com/p/competitions/creative-arts/


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