Stratford-upon-Avon Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers

 This month was our Guild's 51st anniversary, so we celebrated with a buffet spread and some more social-oriented activities. We went through and presented our UFOs (UnFinished Objects) and why they were incomplete, what we intended to do with them. Lots of good ideas were shared! We also showcased on this year's Chair Challenge: a A5 bunting to represent the guild. They were all wonderful, which meant it was hard to vote for the favourite! But in the end, Linda Ledger's bee bunting out of old t-shirts brought home the prize. If you missed it, it's not too late, anybody willing to offer bunting is appreciated. The idea is to string them together and use it on the Gazebo during demonstrations. Next month, we'll talk about weaving essentials and prepare the wraps for Ikat weaving. There will be rigid-heddle looms for people to try on!

One of our lovely members, Debbie Watson presented a talk on growing your own dye garden! Interlaced by stories and experiments, we learned about the challenges of planting, harvesting, storing and using homegrown dyes. Debbie's methodology was very organised and scientific, by comparing the dyes on multiple textiles. It was greatly inspiring, can't wait to buy some seeds before the good weather disappears.   

On Saturday 21st March, our meeting focused on Spinning. As one of our 'Lets Learn Together' sessions, its a chance to share our knowledge within the group and learn as we go.  Spindles a plenty. Basic spinning techniques on the  wheel and the spindle, novelty yarns, English long draw, and any other techniques that we  can share. Spinning tools from e-spinners, wheels and spindles were available to try brought by members and provided from the Guilds equipment. Ruth's Ashford wheel was sold!

We're back in person the Methodist Hall, after a particularly wet winter! Pat Atkins kicked us off with a talk on warp-weighted looms. This is one of the first looms in human history, and is still used to this day in Scandinavia. And what an endeavour that was! If you didn't have a chance to try it yourself, and were sitting too far, we'll upload a video of it on the Members' Only blog , check it out! It definitely doesn't have the convenience of modern looms. Pat's presentation was funny and instructive. She gave us unique insights into the experiences of weavers and women of that time. Our next meeting will be on March 21st, we'll sharing skills around spinning. Don't forget your wheel (or spindle👀) and see you there!