Stratford-upon-Avon Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers

 In June, our meeting focused on weaving and learning together. Ros guided us in warping a rigid heddle loom. It turned into a communal effort! As we started weaving, one of the warp broke, but everybody flew in to help and find a solution. These heart-warming moments make the guild that much fun. For the advanced weavers, Ros showed how to prepare a weft for ikat dyeing. Remember to start simple and blocky, with small groups of threads. If you still need to set it up, you can borrow warping posts from the guild! Truthfully you just need 2 pegs to start. In our July meeting at Abby's farm, it will be our annual "get messy" dyeing-focused day. Abby will have an Indigo vat prepared, but if you're not feeling the blue, feel free to bring along any acid dye stuff to have a play.

 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!

  This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY Wishing everyone  a very Happy New Year  and all our best wishes  for a Healthy and Crafty 2026 and beyond.

Our next Guild meeting is this coming Saturday 13th December.  Doors open as usual at 10.15 am for a 10.30 am start.  All very welcome. Our December meeting will be following its traditional form, crafting, usually something a little different from our normal creations, and chatting & enjoying festive food with our friends.  This year we will be trying out Indian Block printing, Linda will be our main source of inspiration and information though many of us have done this before so it could be a real sharing of skills. Please bring along any blocks and fabric paints that you have, kitchen roll or something similar to mop up, cotton or similar fabric to print onto and if you have pieces that you have produced before, or bought, it would be lovely to see those too.  Linda will be bringing water based fabric dyes, suitable for children.  There will be pieces of card to mix your colours on, paintbrushes and foam brushed to transfer paint to your bl...

Next guild meeting will be the 2025 Open Day! This is a day where anybody can come in for free to try out our guild and crafts, and we're excited! With the exhibition this August and our 50th year anniversary, we have been working to fulfil our core mission: Stimulate the interests in the crafts of Spinning, Weaving, and Dyeing! So join us to welcome visitors and potential new members on Saturday 18th October! This is an occasion to show off our skills, our finished products and teach our tools. We will be in the Foyer of the Methodist Hall, so finding us should be more straightforward than usual.  Visitors are welcome from 11am to 3pm, you can stay for a long or as little as you'd like. Beginners and experts alike. All ages can come but any child under 16 years old must stay accompanied. Service dogs (and service dogs in training) are accepted. The Methodist Hall is wheelchair accessible, with a ramp leading to the front door. Tea, coffee and cakes will be available thanks to ...

Time has flown! This blog has been missing a few updates, sorry about that, let's try to catch up: June saw our Weaving Learn Together meeting. Many different looms were arranged: inkle looms, peg looms, tapestry frame looms, rigid heddle looms, and many more I couldn't name. During the July meeting, Abby welcomed us to her home where she had prepared an indigo vat for some Shibori dyeing. Some of us also had our hand at silk painting, but a lot of time was very much fighting the paint resist and trying to dry it!   In August, as usual, there was no meeting. But the novelty this year was the exhibition for the whole month, to celebrate our 50th anniversary. Thank you to all of you for joining us, lending us your art and a helping hand! It was one of the first exhibition the Shakespeare's Schoolroom & Guildhall ever had, definitely the longest, and they had a huge success. They loved how colourful and joyful it made the Master's Chambers! As we look forward to the re...

  50TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION OPENS TODAY  - SATURDAY 2ND AUGUST 2025 On  until 31st August at Shakespeare's school room, the Guild will be exhibiting and demonstrating the skills of Weaving Spinning and Dyeing.   The Mayor will be attending at 1 pm today.   This exhibition, created by the Stratford upon Avon Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, celebrates 50 years of the Guild’s commitment to maintaining and  developing these crafts.  From the fibres of nature to the finished article, discover how textiles have shaped both our language and our world through the enduring legacy of Shakespeare’s words.  The textiles are linked with appropriate quotations from Shakespeare’s plays. Although not a quotation from Shakespeare’s works, it starts with ‘spinning a yarn’, with the double meaning for ‘yarn’ signifying both spun fibre and a tale. Enjoy the textiles, have a game of Tic-Tac-Toe and try your hand at weaving a part of a cushion for the ‘...

 As the summer approaches, our agenda is getting busier. Between craft shows, flower shows, local events and our own endeavours, it's important we appreciates why we are doing all this. Because we love our craft. This love has been at the heart of our guild for 25 wonderful years. A milestone like that deserves celebration, and celebrate we did! A nice spread of food, a delicious cake, and a special Guild Challenge themed around Sustainability brought out some truly thoughtful and imaginative interpretations from our members.  Here are some pictures: And the winner! We also took time to honour someone who’s been a guiding light in our journey: Ros, our new President! She has been a steady presence for years, and we’re thrilled to officially welcome her into this new role. Her dedication has shaped much of who we are today. Thank you, Ros! This month's meeting, weaving is the focus! Don’t forget to bring your looms, and if you’d like to try one of the guild’s, just drop u...

Spring is here, and it’s time to get the dye garden going (if you're feeling ambitious). Over the past few months, we’ve had a great mix of new visitors and familiar faces returning. It’s been good to reconnect and share our skills again with an audience. In March, our Learn Together session was all about braiding. We explored Kumihimo, inkle loom braiding, knitting dolls, lucets, etc. Everyone had a chance to try each technique, with experienced members helping guide others. It was a lovely hands-on, relaxed session with lots of skill-sharing. April’s focus was spinning. There was plenty of equipment and knowledge being shared — including a strange wheel that had many of us scratching our heads. Visitors from Shakespeare’s Schoolroom & Guildhall joined us, and Sally helped new spinners get started with the drop spindle using our guild equipment. In May, we’ll have our regular Birthday Meeting. Please bring mess-free snacks and a food allergen list if you’re bringing something ...

In January, we kicked off the year with our Annual General Meeting, marking the start of an exciting new chapter for the Guild. With the appointment of our new chairman, Topsy, and several new committee members, we’re already feeling the energy of fresh ideas and enthusiasm that will guide us into 2025 and beyond. In February, we were fortunate to have Fr. Andrew Johnson give a fascinating talk on Ecclesiastical Textiles. His insights into the use of fabric, tapestries, and cloth in churches were truly enlightening, shedding light on the cultural impact of textiles throughout history. Fr. Johnson also shared some valuable tips on taking commissions and the important considerations when designing for others—ideas that are sure to inspire and inform our members' creative processes. More information can be found on the March newsletter. Apologies for missing February. We're working on getting a consistent schedule for the Newsletter, but we now need a new volunteer to collate arti...

Happy New Year! Many wishes and beautiful surprises to all! Here's the 2025 Guild Programme for the year to come. Don't hesitate to print it off and share it. Next session will be next Saturday 18th January online on Google Meet. There will be a talk from Sue Hiley Harris on String & String Bags . See more information about her expertise and her work on her portfolio . Then we'll follow with the Annual General Meeting which will include the committee election.

 As the years draws to a close, the committee extends their warmest wishes to all our members. We've had a fantastic year, filled with wonderful speakers and creative workshops. In our final session of the year, Anna walked us through some nice Christmas ornaments - instructions for which are featured in the latest newsletter. Be sure to check it out if your tree feels a little bare! The Methodist Hall was also filled with good food in great company, thanks to the incredible spread made by our talented members. Wool Tinsel by Sally. Thank you for being part of our guild this year. We look forward to seeing you in 2025.

  Our next meeting is this Saturday, the 14th. Please note, it is the Victorian Christmas Market this Saturday, so travelling to the hall may take longer than normal. Food As is traditional for our December meeting, we will be doing a shared lunch for those that want to take part. Any food contributions should be labelled and ready to prepare and serve with minimal handling (i.e. pre-portioned). If your item contains a potential allergen (nuts, gluten etc), please ensure the label states such. Follow all sensible food handling procedures, but if you are at all concerned about sharing, please feel free to just bring your own lunch. Christmas Ornament Session Example of a 'wool tinsel' from Anna. During the morning session we will be running a session making some different types of Christmas ornaments for those that want to take part. We will be bringing along the main items needed (except for the 'wool tinsel') and instructions. There will also be some non-seasonal optio...

  Analiza Jones joined us 2 weeks ago to talk about how Philippine woven bags materials are harvested and processed, then woven into beautiful creations. Some of us even went home with a few! It was lovely having her, despite the technical difficulties, we persevered. We're already November! Have you thought about what we should focus on for next year? Did you enjoy the balance of member-led sessions and guest speakers this year? Remember as a member of the guild, your opinion matters. Send us your thoughts through email to wsdstratford@gmail.com.

  TERESINHA ROBERTS will be joining us on Saturday 19th October for a talk on Sustainability in Textiles.  In an age of fast fashion and the ensuing vast amounts of waste this is a timely talk for us all. Doors will open as usual at 10.15 am with the meeting commencing at 10.30 am with a few notes and introductions. Drinks and refreshments will be available but don't forget to bring along your own lunch. The usual guest fee of £5 for non-members and all are welcome. Plenty of time after the talk for social crafting so bring along your projects and any questions the members can hopefully help you with.

Worldwide Spin in Public is an annual event that many Guilds participate in around the UK and overseas. Our Guild will be demonstrating and spinning in public at an Open Day that the Methodist Hall in Stratford is running for their Anniversary Celebrations.  The event runs from 2pm - 5 pm on this coming Saturday 21st September. Come and see us amoung other users of this community hub and enjoy some tea and cake when you do. Keep an eye out for other members too around the area who will be out and about spinning in public.

Welcoming back our current and new members after a summer break.  Join us this Saturday for a catch up, some silk spinning, thoughts on how to celebrate our 50th year and more. Doors open as usual at 10.15 am for a 10.30 am start with the meeting closing at 3 pm.  Bring along your lunch but drinks will be available throughout the meeting. Bring along your current crafting to work with if you wish.