Kingston Handloom Weavers & Spinners
370 King Street West
Kingston, On. K7L 2X4
FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH
7 P.M. FOR SOCIAL TIME UPSTAIRS IN GUILD ROOMS
7.30 P.M. MEETING DOWNSTAIRS IN THE ROTUNDA
PLEASE BRING ALL YOUR SHOW AND TELL
PERFECT AND LESS THAN PERFECT!
Welcome back from the summer hiatus to a new and exciting Guild year. Hiatus
is defined as "an empty space; gap; space that needs to be filled." I hope that you filled
the "empty space" with travel, family, friends and fun and lots of weaving, spinning,
felting and basketry in preparation for our annual sale October 30th, 31st and
November 1st. In our 60th anniversary year our theme is "Yesterday & Today." We all
know how important the sale is to the Guild's financial health, so seriously consider
contributing as much as you can - even ONE item is a contribution. It's wonderful fun
too to get involved even in a minimal way. There's nothing like being "one of the gang"
to get to know very worthwhile people so sign up for demonstrating, floor duty etc.
Brenda Kuluk and her committee will welcome you. Brenda is looking for a variety of
attractive, colourful items to display in the three library cases to which we are lucky
enough to have access. Please bring items to the meeting or contact Brenda who has a
September 28th deadline. Tags, consignment sheets and brochures will be available from
her at the meeting.
Alison Ginn reports:
"A productive meeting of Guild members met in the Rotunda on June 14th for a
Visioning Meeting. They looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the Guild and
identified areas needing work. Some solutions were proposed and these will be put into
practice. Our immediate focus is on membership. The development of our Guild is, of
course, an ongoing process. Physical resources (studio space) are being addressed
separately in conjunction with the restoration of the Tett Centre".
I encourage all those who can to come out to the Guild's monthly pot luck
spinning day. It's held on the first Wednesday of the month at different members'
homes. We will be getting together at Beth Abbott's home on Wednesday, September
3rd at around 10 a.m. and usually break up around 3 p.m. but when you arrive and leave
is very flexible. If you don't have a car, rides can usually be arranged. About the food.
It's just plain wonderful and I hope, in coming months, to share some of the recipes with
you all. If you are new to spinning, there are several very experienced spinners who
would be more than pleased to help you solve a problem and there is surely nothing as
useful as hands on advice.
Jennifer MacPherson will warmly welcome you on any Thursday from 10 a.m. on
to OPEN STUDIO DAY starting Thursday, September 4th. We are very lucky to have
such a marvelous facility and Open Studio Day gives the membership an opportunity to
use and enjoy our studio. Think of brown bagging lunch and eating it at the studio if you
work nearby. Books can be borrowed from the library at a more leisurely pace than on
meeting night.
Florence McGuire has lined up some very nice WORKSHOPS for us this year
and more are being planned. Be prepared to make suggestions to Florence if you have a
particular workshop you would like to see run and perhaps, if you have the expertise,
consider leading a workshop in your particular area.
Weaving workshops so far are Rep Weaving - with Roberta Murant. Theory, drawdowns, weaving and drafting.
$80 member/$90 non member + materials. Sat. Sept. 13th - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Beginning Weaving - with Roberta McKinney. Calculating yarn requirements, warping
a loom, reading a pattern, weaving a project. $100 member/$112.59 non-member
materials included. Fri.Sept.20 6-9 p.m. Sat.Sept.21 9a.m.-4p.m. Sun.22 9a.m.-4p.m.
Post Beginning Weaving - with Susi Reinink. Learn about weaves that are more
complex than plain weave. Using predressed floor or table looms, the student will weave
a sampler with several treadlings for different weave structures. $80 member/$90 nonmember + materials. Fridays 5-9 p.m. Nov.14th ,21st, 28th, Dec.5th
Inkle Loom Weaving - with Alison Ginn. Learn to warp a loom and weave a project.
$40 member/$45 non member + materials. Sat.Nov.8th - 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Spinning workshops
Beginning Spinning with Doreeen Jeffers. Learn how to prepare fibre for spinning, and
how to spin with the fibre using a drop spindle and spinning wheel. $100 member/$125
non-member + materials. Saturdays 10 a.m. - 12 noons. Sept.27, Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25.
Drop Spindling for Children aged 10+ (limit of 8 participants) with Pat Hardy. Learn to
make your own drop spindle and prepare fibre for spinning. Make a singles yarn. $40
member/$45 non-member + materials. Sat. Nov. 15th. Details to follow.
Felting for Children with Dorina Friedli.
Looms and spinning wheels are available for use during classes and all workshops are
open to both Guild members and non-members.
Participants in workshops are reminded that paid-up registration deadline for all
classes and workshops is two weeks before the scheduled starting date to allow
instructors time to prepared. If there is insufficient registration at that time, the class or
workshop will be cancelled and all fees will be refunded. Course fees are to be paid to
Florence at time of registration. (Cheques made payable to KHWS) If you are unable to
attend a class or workshop for which you have registered, you may ask a friend to take
your place. There will be no refunds on registration fees.
Our former newsletter editor - Peri McQuay - reminds members to notify her
regarding e-mail alerts between newsletters - items for sale, workshops etc.
Do keep in mind that weaving and spinning equipment is also available for rental
at very reasonable rates. Contact Sylvia Currie if you are interested.
I know those of you who were able to attend the Sheep Dog Trials at Grass Creek
Park thoroughly enjoyed them. Four teams competed in the Sheep to Shawl - Belleville,
Guelph, Prince Edward County and our own Kingston team. Guelph took first prize,
our own team came second and Prince Edward County third. The spinners on the
Kingston team were Pat Hardy, Jenny Gaskin, Alison Ginn and Betsy Walters. Our
weaver was Roberta McKinney. Thank you to the team and a special thank you must go
to Betsy for tirelessly working organizing the event and hand painting the Condon wool
warp (from dear Gil Pryce's stash.) Second prize garnered a $50 gift certificate from the
Wool Room and our shawl sold for a handsome $200, of which the Guild receives half. A
video - "Spinning and Weaving the Ashford Way" - was given to each team by Kim
Parkinson of Cornerstone Fibres and it will be part of our library collection. Betsy has
aggressively pursued every opportunity to promote our Guild and its activities and you
will have received (if you have e-mail) a call for volunteers to man the booth (either
spinning or weaving) or just to talk to interested people at the Kingston Fall Showcase on
Friday, September 5th from 5-9 p.m. and Saturday, September 6th from 9a.m-2p.m. at the
IMC centre. A warped loom with easy tie up will be set up, so weavers need only sling a
shuttle. Contact Betsy if you think you can come even for a short time. Look out for the
photographs of the Sheep to Shawl Betsy will be posting in the Guild.
On August 12th, Sylvia Currie, Margaret Duncan, Doreen Jeffers, Bridget Lewis
and Dorothy Young attended a meeting of the Kingston City Council who passed the
following motion (moved by Councilor Glover seconded by Councilor Foster):
That Kingston City Council extends warm congratulations to the Kingston
Handloom Weavers and Spinners who celebrated their 60th anniversary earlier this year.
Over that time they have made an enormous contribution to the cultural and community
life of Kingston including, for example, the gift to the City of the Tercentenary Tapestry
that hangs in City Hall and an annual gift of warm winter clothing to agencies that
provide assistance to our residents.
This was a special event and we are officially part of Kingston's historical
records.
Thanks to the generosity of Dorothy Young's husband Paul, our website,
www.khws.ca, is being redesigned. It's on hold for a bit as Paul is out of town, but it's
lookin' good and you should check it out!
From Dorothy Young an End of Summer Tett Report:
"Beginning with September all Tett reports will appear in the newsletter and
reports at monthly meetings will only be made if events necessitate an update. In the
past, the Tenants' Association met the day before our meeting which meant the
information was not available in time for publication in the newsletter. With the
reduction in the number of Tett tenants, those meetings only occur now if events demand
discussion. This change will allow all Guild members to be aware of the proceedings.
"Over the summer it seemed that very little was happening. However, at the Arts
Advisory Committee (AAC) meeting on August 14th, Brian McCurdy, Director of
Culture for the City of Kingston, made the brilliant statement that the City was having a
great deal of trouble planning because they didn't know what they were planning for as
only four tenants were in place and no others had shown a commitment to join (who
would with no time line in place?). The AAC made the decision to assist and shortly a
notice will be made public inviting written submissions from potential tenants. A public
meeting will follow approximately two weeks later (tentatively scheduled for September
29th) where a facilitated discussion will take place. The time and place have yet to be
confirmed. We are expected to make a submission and we will. This is a huge step
forward. In a further discussion with Brian, he told me that the Queen's project is
proceeding and 'the train is coming down the track and the City has to get on it.' I was
again told that Queen's very much wants the tenant groups as part of the project and
comments to that effect from Principal Tom Williams were published recently in The
Pump, the newsletter of the Sydenham Ward Tenant and Ratepayers Association. So, it
looks like we are aboard and the train is about to leave the station. Hang on for the
ride!"
Thank you Dorothy for your continued work on this important issue.
From Shirley MacGregor (Membership): "Thanks to everyone who mailed their
membership fees to me over the summer. I have receipts ready for you and will
distribute them at the September meeting. I will be arriving early in order to
accommodate everyone who will be paying fees at the meeting. (You won't be able to
miss me…. I'll be the one with a receipt book in my hand and a pleading look in my
eyes!) A reminder. The September newsletter is the last one you will receive if you
are not a paid up member for the 2008/09 year."
Plan to attend the 45th annual Ontario Handspinning Seminar to be held June
12-14th 2009 at Queen's University, Kingston. A weekend of spinning classes, shopping
for spinning fibres and equipment, fashion show and much much more. Watch this space
for further details www.ontariohandspinningseminar.ca
The Arthur Child Heritage Museum of the 1000 Islands in Gananoque will host
an exhibition entitled Threadworks "PASSIONS" 2007, from September 1st to October
13th. Visitors will see an eclectic display which includes intricate beading, quilting,
wearable art, wall hangings and 3 dimensional pieces using a variety of traditional and
experimental techniques. For more information check out their website
www.1000islandsheritagemuseum.com or call 613-382-2535 for hours of operation and
other details.
A book I'd like to mention that should be of interest to beginner and more
advanced weavers is "The Handweaver's Pattern Directory" by Anne Dixon,
Interweave Press 2007. The over 600 sample weaves for four-shaft looms are clearly
illustrated in colour with warp threading drafts, tie-ups, treadling etc. very easy to read.
The book has heavy covers and is spiral bound so conveniently lies flat. It includes a lot
of useful information - threading selvedges, sett, colour theory etc. I ordered 3 copies for
myself and two friends from Amazon.ca and got them for a very good price with no
postage and handling added, so it might be a good idea to get together with friends if you
are interested. By the way, the books came in a few days.
Maurice Brassard & Fils publish a new weaving pattern every second month on
their website. It's a comfort especially, but not only, for beginning weavers for all
materials are readily available from them and sett and pattern details are all
predetermined and clearly written out.
Meet a Member - September - Peri McQuay
I took the opportunity of interviewing Peri when she came to my home to hand
over the reins of the newsletter to me. Here is a very compressed weaving biography.
Peri's father was a professional artist who valued all forms of art and had a "You
can learn anything" philosophy. He encouraged his children to stretch themselves
creatively in all areas, so it was no surprise that a loom, which he had happened upon and
which was in a million pieces, was assembled. While he had no knowledge of weaving
at all, the loom was dressed and fabric was produced. Peri fell in love with weaving and
her first project was a set of plaid cotton placemats. University and its demands meant
that Peri didn't weave for a few years, but she returned to it and "renewed the love affair"
working on a table loom. With no lessons at all, she read voraciously about weaving and
a friend lent her a 4 harness, 40" counterbalance loom for the summer and Peri wove like
a madwoman all summer long. (After a table loom she was very surprised that the shed
didn't stay open!) A move to Leamington led her to join the Guild there where she
greatly enjoyed the weaving community and took a course with Nell Steedman which she
found very helpful. It was difficult, at that time, to purchase weaving materials and she
bought from other weavers. At the end of that year, she purchased a 36" Artisat floor
loom and began weaving to sell. She became an in-house weaver for a shop in Delta and
wove linen household items and clothing. As part of a St. Lawrence College outreach
programme Peri traveled to communities like N. Crosby and N. Elmsley and taught
weaving in village halls and the like. She met and taught all sorts of ages from grandmas
to children and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. A move to Foley Mountain, where
her husband ran, for many years, the Foley Mountain Education Programme, brought her
in contact with a religious Sister who taught in the Catholic school in Westport. An
Ontario Arts Council Grant provided the opportunity for her to teach weaving, dyeing
and spinning for a week to children in kindergarten to Grade 8! She loved it and
describes "gullumping around at night collecting "stuff" for the dyeing class next day".
In spinning, she had one child treadling the wheel and another drafting. Natural dyeing
was done in the staff kitchen with the minimum of equipment. She was once asked,
when arriving with her folded loom if it was a piano.
Peri's gentle manner conceals to some extent her passion and excitement about
creativity. Her weaving, she says, is a wonderful balance for her professional writing.
She told me that she is not a joiner, but has greatly enjoyed our Guild and the generosity
of members with their friendship and sharing. She is currently working on tea towels and
exploring Shibori, silk, monks belt and weft pull-up and is "continuing to weave and
learn". By the way, a cotton table cloth, one of Peri's early weaving projects, is still in
use.
Many of us who know and value Peri are grateful to her unique father for bringing
her to weaving and to us.
Talking of friends. I got together with a few weaving friends recently and they
asked if the recipe for the squares I brought along could be published in the newsletter.
It's an old standby that many of you will recognize. What I particularly like about it is
that one always has the ingredients handy, so here it is -
LEMON SQUARES
1/2 C. BUTTER AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
1/4 C. ICING SUGAR
1 C. FLOUR
1/2 TSP. SALT
2 EGGS BEATEN
1 C. SUGAR
2 TBSP. FLOUR
GRATED RIND & JUICE OF 1 LEMON
1 TBSP. ICING SUGAR
Grease 8" square pan. Preheat oven 350 degrees F
Blend together butter, 1/4c. icing sugar, 1 c. flour and salt. Pat into square pan. Bake for 20
minutes or until pastry is a creamy colour.
Beat the eggs, sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, lemon juice & rind. Pour topping over the cooked base.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until set. Dust with icing sugar while still warm.
I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the September meeting and
leave you all with a quotation from one of my favourite artists, Pablo Picasso.
"The impossible? I am always doing things I can't do, that's how I
get to do them."
Now if only I could adopt that kind of attitude in my weaving and spinning.
Best to all, Ruth (Macleod)
P.S. A question. The minutes of our monthly meetings will be posted in the Guild
Rooms. Do you want them to be included in the newsletter as well?
Answer to macleodr@sympatico.ca/613-544-0714.
P.P.S. If members don't sign up for providing "goodies" for the social time before the
monthly meeting there won't be any! Food and drink contribute greatly to sociability and
grocery stores have whole aisles devoted to such items.
FOR SALE: 36" Leclerc 4 harness jack loom with accessories, warping mill, books and
assorted 2/8 cotton. Margaret McGregor perth39@hotmail.com