The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers holds monthly meetings from September through June. These meetings are generally held on the first Thursday morning or evening of each month, and occasionally Saturdays. The presentations are in a wide variety of topics interesting to fiber lovers, and the presenters come from our own very talented membership, or are invited experts in their fields.

MONTHLY MEETINGS FOR 2007-2008
All the following programs will be held at the Guild House except where noted. Be sure to note which meetings are Thursday morning or evening and which are Saturday mornings. Please refer to the monthly Gazette for further details on all programs.

Thursday September 6, 2007, 7pm
Topic: Color Theory
Speakers: Beth Reinhardt Emmott and Jane Young Likens

Beth and Jane met in their freshmen year at Moore College of Art and Design. Beth studied Graphics Arts and Jane, Fashion Design. In years since, they have maintained their friendship and continued their work in those and other fields. Beth became a weaver, a costume historian and earned a Master's degree in Illustration. She is a Principal and Designer at Emmott, Inc. (www.emott.com). In addition to her career in fashion, Jane has been a college administrator, nursery school teacher, knitting instructor and costume historian. Both Beth and Jane have taught at MCAD and currently teach at Philadelphia University in Graphics and Fashion Design respectively.

Thursday October 4, 2007, 7pm
Topic: Guild Members in Business
Speakers: Pam Pawl, "Keeping the Tradition Alive"
and Jane Porter, "Collage: My Process of Experimentation"

Pam Pawl is a weaver, dyer and teacher who maintains a studio at Sherman Mills in East Falls. Her goal is to educate the public about contemporary weaving through her own work and to create an atmosphere where weavers can come together to learn and inspire one another. She is also a retailer for several loom and yarn companies.

Pam has been weaving for over 30 years. She has a BS in Textile Design from Philadelphia University (formerly Philadelphia College of Textile and Science) where she taught Weave Design Studio from 1995 until 2001. Since then, she has taught at the University of the Arts and Penland School of Crafts, as well as for national conferences and local guilds. Her own work includes hand-dyed, dobby designed throws, scarves and shawls which she sells through her studio, website and juried shows.

After earning a degree in English from Colgate University, Jane Porter went on to become a nurse, a stockbroker (she still maintains a private investment management practice), a textile artist, dyer and clothing designer. Her love of textiles began at a young age while spending time with her grandmother and shopping for fabric to make the dance and prom dresses they designed together. These days Jane loves pulling things apart and putting them back together again in a different way.

Thursday November 1, 2007, 7pm
Topic: Color & Inspiration
Speaker: Daryl Lancaster, Fiber Artist
This lecture precedes a two-day workshop on Friday and Saturday

Translate color and inspiration into something wearable! Using the Fabric Forecast column from Handwoven Magazine and photos for inspiration, participants will experiment with palettes based on mood and theme and see illustrations of how to translate them into handwoven fabrics and, ultimately, a garment. Bring along a pen, a notebook and a couple of magazine photographs or pages from colorful calendars. Daryl Lancaster, a handweaver and fiber artist known for her hand-woven, pieced garments, has been sewing for more than 40 years. She gives lectures and workshops for guilds, conferences, and craft centers all over the United States. As the contributing Features Editor for Handwoven Magazine, she writes the Fabric Forecast column.

Saturday December 1, 2007, 11am
Holiday Party! A Meet and Greet Event

Share your favorite holiday treats and bring your projects: weaving, knitting, spinning, etc. for our show-and-tell.

Thursday January 3, 2008, 10am, (Morning Meeting) .... NOTE TIME!

Please join us for the first meeting of the New Year to discuss new ideas and directions for your work. It will also be a wonderful opportunity to give your input about the workshops, classes, programs and instructors you would like to see offered through the Guild. We will also be discussing the upcoming Exhibit (March 1 - April 12th) and plans to have a "sales area" in addition to our regular Exhibit space.

The Guild would like to meet the expectations and fiber needs of all its members and we would very much like to hear from you. Please join us as we start off another great fiber year! SHOW AND TELL ITEMS WELCOME!

Thursday February 7, 2008, 7pm
Topic: Artist Profile: Karen Henderson, Fiber Artist
Speaker: Karen Henderson

Karen creates beautiful handwoven and collaged fabric wall pieces using batik, shibori, discharge and stitching techniques. She received her BFA in Textile Design from Moore College of Art and Design. After completing her degree she worked as a textile designer in York, PA while continuing her studio art practice. Karen currently heads the Fiber Studio Department at Peters Valley Craft Center in Layton, New Jersey.

Thursday March 6, 2008, 7pm
Topic: Japanese Traditional Weaving Techniques
Speaker: Beth Ross Johnson
This lecture precedes a two-day workshop on Friday and Saturday

Beth Johnson will introduce her workshop topic, describing how the Japanese recycled cloth into patchwork and rag weaving. Originally woven into peasant work garments, sakiori was also used for obi. Now many contemporary weavers use it as a means of artistic expression, applying tapestry and ikat techniques to work with rags. Beth has taught fiber arts and visual art classes at West Carolina University and Georgia State, weaving class at Penland School of Crafts and workshops in kasuri, ikat and other techniques. She has apprenticed in Japan with various artisans and has traveled in South America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

Thursday April 3, 2008, 7pm
Annual Business Meeting
Speaker: Claudia Mills
Topic: Rag Rugs

"My first priority is to create a well designed piece, a functioning floor
covering - a product showcasing both beauty and durability."

In college, after exploring every studio course the art department offered, I landed in textiles. I found weaving’s combination of mathematical rigor and tactile diversity irresistible. Building on my childhood fascination with designing clothes using novelty fabrics, I began weaving with large bright prints, lurex, ripstop nylon, and plaids. This exploration led to my first rag rugs in 1985.

I have now been weaving rugs for over two decades, adapting the traditional rag rug craft to my own contemporary aesthetic. As a designer I try to strike a balance between color, texture and pattern in each rug. Interlacing colored yarns and strips of fabric creates infinitely variable possibilities for color and textural effects. Inspiration comes in many forms but foremost is the fabric itself.

Thursday May 1, 2008, 7pm
Topic: Color Ideas from Digital Images
Speaker: Deborah Holcomb

Color and computers are two topics that make many fiber people a little nervous. But your computer can be a terrific design tool whether your focus is on spinning, weaving, quilting, knitting or some other fiber technique. You don't even need to buy any special hardware or software. You just need to learn how to use what you already have.

Through lecture and demonstration, Deborah will show you how to develop uniquely personal color palettes from digital images as well as how to translate these palettes into your next project.

For 25 years, Deborah worked full-time in the software business while dabbling in the fiber arts in rare leisure moments. Now the tables are turned: weaving, and teaching weaving, are her primary occupations and her computer is now a favorite weaving tool. Deborah teaches weaving classes in the Arts Workshops at the Newark Museum, as well at various conferences and guilds. She has authored an interactive tutorial, "The Textile Design Studios", that shows you how to use software to approach the creative process in new ways. She is also the author of an article discussing the topic of color and the computer which appeared in the May/June 2007 issue of Handwoven Magazine.

Saturday June 7, 2008, 11am
Annual Picnic & Sales: Meet & Greet Event

This traditional event is a favorite get-together. Bring a contribution for our potluck lunch and share your fiber successes and problems. Gather ideas for your next project and celebrate yet another good year for the Guild.