Meetings are held on the 3rd Saturday of every month at the Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 882 Sunset Ave., Prescott, AZ, just two blocks behind the True Value on Miller Valley Rd. Our meetings begin at 9:00 a.m. with a business meeting, followed by social time and then the program at 10:30 a.m.
Since the advent of Covid-19, our monthly meetings are available either in person at Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation or via Zoom. Guests can attend up to two monthly meetings before being required to join the Guild. If you would like to attend a monthly meeting via Zoom, please email us at [email protected]. The Zoom link is emailed to the members a few days before the meeting.
In addition to our monthly general meetings, MSWG has several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that meet either weekly or monthly. The SIGs usually consist of 6 to 10 people and focus on the following topics: color in weaving; dyeing fiber, yarn, and cloth; felting; Jane Stafford online weaving classes; peg knitting; rigid heddle weaving; tapestry; UFOs (UnFinished Objects); and the WannaBees (primarily centered on new weavers). For more information, email MSWG and specify which group(s) you're interested in.
Since the advent of Covid-19, our monthly meetings are available either in person at Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation or via Zoom. Guests can attend up to two monthly meetings before being required to join the Guild. If you would like to attend a monthly meeting via Zoom, please email us at [email protected]. The Zoom link is emailed to the members a few days before the meeting.
In addition to our monthly general meetings, MSWG has several Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that meet either weekly or monthly. The SIGs usually consist of 6 to 10 people and focus on the following topics: color in weaving; dyeing fiber, yarn, and cloth; felting; Jane Stafford online weaving classes; peg knitting; rigid heddle weaving; tapestry; UFOs (UnFinished Objects); and the WannaBees (primarily centered on new weavers). For more information, email MSWG and specify which group(s) you're interested in.
2025 MSWG Meeting Programs
January 18 From Alaska to Afghanistan, Linda Cortright, editor of Wild Fibers Magazine.
Join Wild Fibers Magazine editor Linda Cortright for an extraordinary lecture on the unusual ways natural fibers are changing lives throughout the world. Filled with fabulous photos and her own brand of storytelling, Cortright recounts her visits to a remote island in the Bering Sea and a Hindu Kush in Central Asia to better understand how natural fibers can be a powerful agent for change.
February 15 MSWG Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is our annual fund raiser for the guild commitment to support the Adopt-a-Native-Elder program by providing money for yarn for their weaving. Be generous and creative!
March 15 History of Sakiori, Amanda Robinette
Sakiori (which simply means ‘rag-weaving’) was a technique practiced by the Japanese rural poor from approximately the mid-18th through the mid-20th centuries, who had, until then, relied on bast fibers alone. New cotton cloth was unattainable for all but the upper classes due to economic and sometimes even legal reasons; thus, purchased cotton rags were the mainstay of sakiori, and the resulting cloth was used mainly for clothing. This is distinct from the European and North American rag-weaving traditions, in which worn-out clothing and household textiles were used mainly to make rugs for the house. In this lecture, learn more about the fascinating history of sakiori in Japan, why its reliance on rag weaving is unique in world history, and why the principles of sakiori matter to us today.
April 19 Fun Ways to Dye, by MSWG Dyeing Special Interest Group
Members will show several different and fun ways to dye animal and vegetal fibers and yarn, how to achieve special effects, and how the various methods are expressed in finished items.
May 17 Flax: One of the Oldest Fibers, Patsy Zawistoski
June 21 Navajo/Diné Weaving, Amy Begay
Traditional Navajo weaver Amy Begay will visit us in person to cover the process of Sheep to the End Product, highlighting the traditional Navajo weaving methods from raw material to the finished woven piece.
Join Wild Fibers Magazine editor Linda Cortright for an extraordinary lecture on the unusual ways natural fibers are changing lives throughout the world. Filled with fabulous photos and her own brand of storytelling, Cortright recounts her visits to a remote island in the Bering Sea and a Hindu Kush in Central Asia to better understand how natural fibers can be a powerful agent for change.
February 15 MSWG Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is our annual fund raiser for the guild commitment to support the Adopt-a-Native-Elder program by providing money for yarn for their weaving. Be generous and creative!
March 15 History of Sakiori, Amanda Robinette
Sakiori (which simply means ‘rag-weaving’) was a technique practiced by the Japanese rural poor from approximately the mid-18th through the mid-20th centuries, who had, until then, relied on bast fibers alone. New cotton cloth was unattainable for all but the upper classes due to economic and sometimes even legal reasons; thus, purchased cotton rags were the mainstay of sakiori, and the resulting cloth was used mainly for clothing. This is distinct from the European and North American rag-weaving traditions, in which worn-out clothing and household textiles were used mainly to make rugs for the house. In this lecture, learn more about the fascinating history of sakiori in Japan, why its reliance on rag weaving is unique in world history, and why the principles of sakiori matter to us today.
April 19 Fun Ways to Dye, by MSWG Dyeing Special Interest Group
Members will show several different and fun ways to dye animal and vegetal fibers and yarn, how to achieve special effects, and how the various methods are expressed in finished items.
May 17 Flax: One of the Oldest Fibers, Patsy Zawistoski
June 21 Navajo/Diné Weaving, Amy Begay
Traditional Navajo weaver Amy Begay will visit us in person to cover the process of Sheep to the End Product, highlighting the traditional Navajo weaving methods from raw material to the finished woven piece.
2024 MSWG Meeting Programs
January 20 Totally Twill - The Basics, Robyn Spady.
Twills are one of the most versatile weave structures, and the possibilities are amazing! The breadth of weaving twills can be a bit daunting, but so much fun! In this class, we will cover the basics from straight draw and point twills and then move on to broken, undulating, M&W, Dornick, plaited, and turned twills.
February 17 MSWG Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is our annual fund raiser for the guild commitment to support the Adopt-a-Native-Elder program by providing money for yarn for their weaving. Be generous and creative!
March 16 Do What You Would Never Do, Karel Armstrong
Because I have been experimenting with art for over 60 years, I have taught myself how to incorporate mediums that you would not put together. I use the "balance" of color and look for a balance in the mediums to create something that you normally do not do. I'm a self-taught watercolorist because watercolor was a secret and no one taught it when I started. I used oil painting techniques with watercolor pigments. I have put those ideas into my weaving, which I was told at a young age, spinning and knitting is a waste of time and energy. Don't do it. I did it anyway. I love it.
I used my experiences with painting to teach middle school and high school students to create art and do the old-fashioned animation cels. I worked at retirement centers to help people with Alzheimer's and dementia to re-generate brain cells. (Yes, it has now been proven, art and creativity helps the mind stay younger.)
If you think you want to try something different, try it.
April 20 Alpacas and Their Fleece, Alice Newton
Discover the origins of alpacas and their prehistoric journey from North America to South America and back again. The Incas and their ancestors domesticated alpacas and llamas from wild guanacos and vicunas and used them for meat, fiber, beasts of burden, and religious practices. Because alpacas were central to Incan economics and religious rituals, they were almost driven to extinction in the 16th century by invading Conquistadors. Modern alpaca breeders are only beginning to regain the outstanding fiber qualities developed by Native American pastoralists from long ago. We'll look at ancient peoples' methods for shearing, spinning and weaving, and how to use alpaca fiber today. We'll explore modern fiber qualities including color, diameter, uniformity, and "handle", and how we try to improve these attributes with every breeding. We'll also get to lay hands on some beautiful raw fleeces that represent the best of my own breeding program.
May 18 Textile Travels in Turkey, Janet Dawson
In 2014, I spent three weeks traveling with other weavers through western Anatolia. We visited big cities and tiny villages, and everywhere we went we found weavers at work. Come with me on a photo journey of weaving in Turkey: of ancient Ottoman looms, of industrial mills in small mountain villages, and of several modern-day handweaving studios. This slide show also includes a photo documentary of the three days we spent in a small village dokuma (weavery), learning their practices and methods.
June 15 Felting--A Journey in Creativity, Janet Lambert
A versatile textile technique, felting can be used in weaving, knitting, wet felting, and needle felting. We will look at ways to create accessories and art, covering materials, techniques, equipment, and more!
July 20 Tailgate Sale and Potluck
August 17 My Tapestry Journeys, Kennita Tully
Kennita will take you through her journey in tapestry from past to present, sharing her influences, inspirations, and practices along the way.
September 21 Weaving TnT – Dynamite Tips and Techniques for Every Weaver, Robyn Spady
Robyn will introduce over 36 offbeat tools, techniques, or tricks to assist weavers in all phases of weaving.
October 19 Weavings by Patsy, Patsy Zawistoski
November 16 Color: A Powerful Communication Tool, by Chris Acton
December 21 Holiday Party Potluck
Twills are one of the most versatile weave structures, and the possibilities are amazing! The breadth of weaving twills can be a bit daunting, but so much fun! In this class, we will cover the basics from straight draw and point twills and then move on to broken, undulating, M&W, Dornick, plaited, and turned twills.
February 17 MSWG Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is our annual fund raiser for the guild commitment to support the Adopt-a-Native-Elder program by providing money for yarn for their weaving. Be generous and creative!
March 16 Do What You Would Never Do, Karel Armstrong
Because I have been experimenting with art for over 60 years, I have taught myself how to incorporate mediums that you would not put together. I use the "balance" of color and look for a balance in the mediums to create something that you normally do not do. I'm a self-taught watercolorist because watercolor was a secret and no one taught it when I started. I used oil painting techniques with watercolor pigments. I have put those ideas into my weaving, which I was told at a young age, spinning and knitting is a waste of time and energy. Don't do it. I did it anyway. I love it.
I used my experiences with painting to teach middle school and high school students to create art and do the old-fashioned animation cels. I worked at retirement centers to help people with Alzheimer's and dementia to re-generate brain cells. (Yes, it has now been proven, art and creativity helps the mind stay younger.)
If you think you want to try something different, try it.
April 20 Alpacas and Their Fleece, Alice Newton
Discover the origins of alpacas and their prehistoric journey from North America to South America and back again. The Incas and their ancestors domesticated alpacas and llamas from wild guanacos and vicunas and used them for meat, fiber, beasts of burden, and religious practices. Because alpacas were central to Incan economics and religious rituals, they were almost driven to extinction in the 16th century by invading Conquistadors. Modern alpaca breeders are only beginning to regain the outstanding fiber qualities developed by Native American pastoralists from long ago. We'll look at ancient peoples' methods for shearing, spinning and weaving, and how to use alpaca fiber today. We'll explore modern fiber qualities including color, diameter, uniformity, and "handle", and how we try to improve these attributes with every breeding. We'll also get to lay hands on some beautiful raw fleeces that represent the best of my own breeding program.
May 18 Textile Travels in Turkey, Janet Dawson
In 2014, I spent three weeks traveling with other weavers through western Anatolia. We visited big cities and tiny villages, and everywhere we went we found weavers at work. Come with me on a photo journey of weaving in Turkey: of ancient Ottoman looms, of industrial mills in small mountain villages, and of several modern-day handweaving studios. This slide show also includes a photo documentary of the three days we spent in a small village dokuma (weavery), learning their practices and methods.
June 15 Felting--A Journey in Creativity, Janet Lambert
A versatile textile technique, felting can be used in weaving, knitting, wet felting, and needle felting. We will look at ways to create accessories and art, covering materials, techniques, equipment, and more!
July 20 Tailgate Sale and Potluck
August 17 My Tapestry Journeys, Kennita Tully
Kennita will take you through her journey in tapestry from past to present, sharing her influences, inspirations, and practices along the way.
September 21 Weaving TnT – Dynamite Tips and Techniques for Every Weaver, Robyn Spady
Robyn will introduce over 36 offbeat tools, techniques, or tricks to assist weavers in all phases of weaving.
October 19 Weavings by Patsy, Patsy Zawistoski
November 16 Color: A Powerful Communication Tool, by Chris Acton
December 21 Holiday Party Potluck
2023 MSWG Meeting Programs
January 21 Color in Cloth - The Weaves You Want and Why, Cameron Taylor-Brown
Weave structures mix color in very different ways. Cameron Taylor-Brown will take us on an exploration of a wide range of weaves across different cultures and time periods as she helps us learn to determine for ourselves what weaves are “right” for what we have in mind.
February 18 MSWG Silent Auction
The Silent Auction is our annual fund raiser for the guild commitment to support the Adopt-a-Native-Elder program by providing money for yarn for their weaving. Be generous and creative!
March 18 Cone to Clothing--One Weaver's Journey, Dianne Totten
Through a PowerPoint presentation of her work, Dianne Totten will share her approach to designing one-of-a-kind garments and what she learned along the way. Follow steps taken to make her "visions" materialize. Hear tips for garment construction using minimal cuts to the cloth. Additional tidbits and finishing ideas, including a demonstration for stitching that perfect hem, will be presented. It concludes with sewing tips from her current work with “crimp” cloth.
April 15 Rigid Heddle Trunk Show, Deborah Jarchow
Deborah Jarchow will share some of her creations woven on rigid heddle looms.
May 20 Wedge Weave, Connie Lippert
Connie will present wedge weave origins, technique, a few current practitioners, short chronology of her own work. Her tapestries are woven in wedge weave using yarns dyed with natural materials. Wedge weave is a tapestry technique originated by the Navajo around 1870. In contrast to most weaving which is woven horizontally on the loom, wedge weave is woven on the diagonal, which gives it its characteristic scalloped edge. This trait, which Connie finds intriguing, is thought to be one of the reasons the Navajo abandoned it in the 1800s, though it has resurfaced in recent years. The colors in her palette are created with natural dyes--mainly indigo, madder, goldenrod, cochineal, and black walnut.
June 17 Tactile Art: Collapse Fabric on 4 to 32 Shafts, Denise Kovnat
Denise will explore the many techniques and possibilities for creating dimensional fabrics. The three basic elements for these fabrics are structure, active and inactive yarns, and finishing techniques. The results make the most of an often-overlooked aspect of weaving: that of texture and depth. Add color and form, and weavers can maximize the potential of our craft to create imaginative fabrics with great visual and tactile appeal.
July 15 Tailgate Sale
August 19 Eco Dyeing, Ruth Greenspan
This abundantly illustrated talk about Ruth’s development as a botanical print artist will start from a point when she had no desire to learn eco printing. Eco printing has pulled or pushed her into continually widening her focus to include a number of other fiber arts that she previously avoided, including felting, natural dyeing, sewing, quilting, and embroidery. She will illustrate this talk with both images and actual samples of her work.
September 16 Designing--From Ideas to Completion, Michael Rohde
Michael says, "Over the years, I've woven many rugs and tapestries. Sometimes the final product comes out of the weave structure, images I have seen in readings or travels, other textiles or suggestions from others. In this talk, I will show ways that can take a source idea and turn it into a weaving."
October 21 Sand in My Shoes, Rebecca Mezoff
Rebecca writes, “I grew up in Gallup, New Mexico surrounded by many different cultures which practiced a variety of weaving traditions. At home I was exposed to traditional European-style weaving by my paternal grandparents. As I grew up in Gallup, I watched the Navajo weavers around the reservation make amazing things on looms often made out of 2 x 4s. When I returned to New Mexico after graduate school, I learned the Hispanic tapestry traditions in a college environment using Rio Grande walking looms. Eventually I came back to European-style tapestry weaving when I became the apprentice of James Koehler in Santa Fe.
This lecture traces my tapestry journey from early influences through my current practice as an artist, educator, and author. I discuss the impact of other traditions on my work, the effect being a teacher and author has had on my artistic practice, and tell the story of how I went from a little blonde girl who crocheted afghans out of acrylic yarn leftovers to a maker of large and small format art tapestries."
November 18 Weaving by Design, Kelly Marshall
Kelly Marshall is recognized for combining rep weave’s rich texture and linear structure into extraordinary textiles inspired by the aesthetics of the Arts & Crafts movement, contemporary design, and traditional Scandinavian weaving. Marshall’s creative and colorful book “Custom Woven Interiors: Bringing color and design home with Rep weave, includes projects, design inspiration, and technique and tips to weaving Rep. Her talk “Weaving by Design” will show you the inspiration behind her designs and walk you through the development of her successful weaving business.
December 16 Holiday Party
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Granite Peak Unitarian Universalist Congregation,
882 Sunset Ave., Prescott, AZ |