The Weavers Guild of Springfield

2025-2026 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 6, 2025

Morning: Summer Wrap-Up

Review of Guild activities over the Summer including the Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair, the Scottish Festival, Shelburne Grange Fair, and other venues and demonstrations.

Afternoon:Study Group

Guild members will discuss our upcoming study group for 2026 – 2027.

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OCTOBER 4, 2025

Morning: Pin Looms with Jan Denis

Guild member Jan Denis will lead a discussion and demonstration on the technique of pin loom weaving. Pin looms are small frames with inserted pins allowing the weaver to create a tidy piece of cloth with a minimum of equipment. Most popular during the 1930s and 1940s , once put together, these small pieces can create many items from baby blankets to vests or from coats to bags. Bring a pin loom, if you have one, and samples of your work to weave during the demonstration and for a pin weaving show and tell.

Afternoon: 75th Anniversary Planning

Members will discuss and make plans for celebrating our 75th anniversary as a guild. We will brainstorm how best to celebrate and commemorate this glorious achievement.

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NOVEMBER 1, 2025

Morning: Rag Rugs with Debbie Palmer

Guild member Debbie Palmer will present a program on the techniques of weaving rag rugs. This topic will cover planning for a rug, estimating the amount of materials needed, how to prepare rag strips, how to use colored warps and wefts to weave unique rugs, best size for a finished rug, and how to take care of your woven rug. Many rag rugs will be available for members to view.

Afternoon: Weaving of The Gambia with Maria Beatriz Alvarez

Guild member Maria Beatriz Alvarez has worked for many years with the people of The Gambia. Her knowledge and appreciation for the people and the culture extends to the weaving. Weaving has played an important role in the history of the country, and Maria will share her knowledge of its history and its present-day practice.

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DECEMBER 6, 2025

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 3, 2026

Morning: How to weave a perfect towel with Susan Wright and Loris Epps

Susan and Loris will give offer tips on how to weave the perfect towel. This will include information about yarn selection based upon purpose, size selection, sett, weave structures, finishing including washing/pressing/natural softening methods. Woven towels from their collection will be available for members to closely examine.

Afternoon: All About Hems with Jo Ann Miner and Doris Koziol

Jo Ann and Doris will demonstrate how to turn a perfect hem. This will include several methods of hem stitching. Also, will demonstrate how to hem stitch on the loom when fridges are desired. Please bring a hand woven piece of fabric to be used for practice.

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FEBRUARY 7, 2026

Morning: Book Discussion: The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World by Virginia Postrell

Members will have a chance to discuss this expansive global history of how textiles changed the world. Sufficient copies of the books are available at local libraries.

Afternoon: Tie-ups with Veronique Perrot (Zoom)

Veronique Perrot will guide us through the world of tie-ups, often described as the DNA of a weaving structure. Since 2019, Veronique has devoted herself to weaving. Her patterns and articles have appeared in both Handwoven and Weft. She has been collaborating with Elisabeth Hill since 2021.

Veronique describes herself as weaving "mostly functional textiles (kitchen towels, scarves, blankets, etc.), and mostly with cotton, cottolin and linen, with occasional forays into purely decorative wall hangings, and wool. I delight in playing with colors, designing each warp as a color playground and each piece on that warp as its own color experiment."

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MARCH 7, 2026

Morning: Berta’s Flax with Christiane Seufferlein (Zoom)

"Berta had a chest full of flax that she cherished all her life. After her death, the golden braids found their way to Christiane Seufferlein along with Berta’s story. Many more were to follow her." Christiane will be sharing many of these stories centered on the story of flax and the women who held these golden braids. Remarkable tales of discovery and the project begun with these tales will be told in this presentation. https://www.bertas-flachs.at/en/

Afternoon: Four years at Hill Institute with Jan Denis

Guild member, Jan Denis, spent four years studying weaving at The Hill Institute. She will regale us with stories of her days. For those of us who haven’t attended Hill, it will give us a taste of the experience, and for those of us who have it will bring back memories.

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APRIL 4, 2026

Morning: Name drafting in Lace with Penny LaCroix (Zoom)

Penny Lacroix (aka “Penoix”) is a fiber artist specializing in handweaving, hand spinning and historical interpretation. Penny spends her days joyfully creating and teaching. Last year, Penny wove an award-winning lace baby blanket encoded with a name draft of her granddaughter's name. Penny will take us through the steps of creating our own name drafted lace piece.

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 2, 2026

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 30, 2026
1:00-4:00 pm
http://www.masheepwool.org/

Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival
Look Park, Northampton, MA
July 18, 2026
9:00 am - 5:00 pm
http://www.glasgowlands.org/

Shelburne Grange Fair
Little Mohawk Road, Shelburne, MA
August 2026
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 2026
https://www.thebige.com/p/competitions/creative-arts/


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