March 2011 Issue 193 Anchorage Weavers & Spinners Guild Next Meeting: March 12, 2011, 10:00 at Anchorage Museum March Program: SOAR and More By Nancy Boardman In the program for our March meeting, AWSG member, Karen Williams will present "SOAR and more..." Karen will share previous SOARs (Spin-Off Autumn Retreats) with us in a slide show and describe this unique event. She ll also talk briefly about other retreats and fiber festivals. Her experiences will illustrate how these outside opportunities can inform and inspire us -- and may well tempt you to SOAR in the future! The program starts at 11 AM, immediately following the 10 AM business meeting of the AWSG Guild. April 9th Program: Dress Rehearsal for the April 10th AWSG Fashion show! Fashion Show Invitations Weaver. Pam has published many articles and has been featured in several weaving magazines. She has participated in numerous exhibitions solo, invitational, and juried, as well as receiving many selected commissions. Pam offers three, five day or two week residencies or she can design a special session to meet the needs of our guild. An intensive session can be designed for the different weaving levels of participants. Her workshops are limited to 15 participants and materials are included with the class fee. At this time we are seeking interest for her workshop and plan to bring Pam up sometime in early 2012. At the guild meeting on March 12 there will be an interest sheet on the back table for you to sign. Pam s website: http://pampatriestudios.com/ Two of Pam s stunning tapestries (From her website) by Mary Janis Please come to the March 12 Guild meeting to pick up postcards advertising the "Threads 2011" fashion show on April 10. The Museum will be providing the Guild with 1000 postcards, or about 10 each to distribute to friends and family. The Museum is bending over backward for us, so let's do our part and get those postcard invitations out there! Possible Workshop for 2012 by Sherry Rogers We are considering bringing Pam Patrie, renowned tapestry weaver, to teach a workshop for the Anchorage guild. Pam s training includes time at the Portland Museum Art School, Independent studies of the Gobelin Technique in France, Independent Study of Aubusson Technique and time spent at the San Francisco Tapestry Workshop as Associate 1
Praise for Rigid Heddle Class and Pictures! By Mary Werner I ve resisted learning to weave for a long time. There wasn t enough time for spinning, knitting, quilting, beading, etc., much less taking up another time and equipment-intensive activity. However, I received a rigid heddle loom from a friend who was downsizing at about the time Dolores Roguszka announced that she would be teaching a rigid heddle weaving class. It was a great class and opened my eyes to a new appreciation for cloth. I have already wound warps for five different projects! Surprisingly, a rigid heddle loom is affordable, portable, and doesn t take up nearly as much space as the floor looms I ve admired in friends weaving studios. There s room in the second session of the weaving class in March, so please take this opportunity to learn a new skill with new friends. (Photos by Mary Werner) Nancy Boardman weaves her scarf on a Beka RH 10. Instructor Dolores Roguszka & Kristine Adams winding warp. Christine Dittrich weaves a mixed warp scarf. Connie Fordham threading warp for a wall hanging project. 2
Are You Ready to Participate in the Guild as an Officer? by Beverly Bronner, President-Elect We re looking for people willing to serve as Guild Officers for next year. If you re interested, please contact either Dolores Roguszka or Beverly Bronner at our next meeting. You can also call Beverly at 230-0666 or email bjt@gci.net. It s that easy to be added to the list no nomination required. Your chances of holding a position are just as good as the person presently in the office, so please give the board a try! Officers for 2012 will be selected in May. President : Preside over Meetings, Set up Agenda, Submit Newsletter articles, answer correspondence Term of Service: 1 Year (after serving 1 year as President-Elect) President-Elect: Attend Board Meeting, Assume leadership in President absence, Consulting member on Guild committees. Chair Nomination Committee. Term of Service is for two years: one as President elect; and the second as President Secretary: Attend Board Meeting, Take minutes, Maintain the Membership Roll with Treasurer. Term: 1 year Treasurer: Attend Board Meeting, Maintain books and financial papers, Keep a key to the P.O. Box etc. Term: 1 year Member-At-Large: Attend Board Meeting, Assume duties of the Secretary or Treasurer during absence, Act as program chair for monthly meeting. Term: 1 year Newsletter Editor: Write, type, layout and publish Newsletter. Term As appointed Librarian: Attend Board Meeting, Maintain library. Term: As appointed Workshop Coordinators: Explore workshop possibilities, Secure teachers, locate instructor housing, etc. Term: As appointed. Historian: Maintains scrapbook of photos and Guild events, and brings book to meetings. Being an Officer is Easy and a Lot of Fun. Try it! by Karen Jensen, Newsletter Editor This message is for anyone who has ever thought they d make a good President or has a lot of ideas for workshops and would like to try being a Workshop Coordinator. Let Beverly Bronner, our President-Elect, know that you re interested! You don t have to announce yourself in front of everybody; you can call or email Beverly or talk to any of the officers at the meeting. Our names and contact information are on the last page of every newsletter. I m a fairly shy person who preferred to just enjoy the meetings. But because I volunteered when the Guild needed a replacement Newsletter Editor, I entered the inner world of the Guild, and I m so glad that I did. First, I was warmly welcomed and got to know many of our wonderful members better. Second, I received all the mentoring I needed to feel good about doing my job. There are many people available to help you. Third, you experience the depth of the Guild the effort and care members put into our events. Fourth, the monthly Board Meetings are a lot of fun! If you d like a closer relationship with our Guild or want to give back, please let Beverly know. My experience this year has convinced me to step up the rewards are so worth it. Embrace the Guild and volunteer to take a turn as an officer. You ll be glad you did. 3
THREADS 2011 Fashion Show April 10, 2011 by Sherry Rogers, Workshop Coordinator Our Fashion show is only weeks away. Here s what you need to know: Timeline: March 18 (Friday) Deadline for turning in garments to: Dolores Roguszka - 346-1024 (Anchorage) Jeanette Kent - 346-6010 (Anchorage) Connie Bingham - 745-2587 (Valley) April 2 (Saturday) 1-4 p.m. Garment selection for models at Dolores Roguszka s, 4400 O Malley Road, Anchorage. All models must attend. April 9, (Saturday) 1-4 p.m. Dress rehearsal for Fashion Show at Anchorage Museum. All models and dressers must attend. April 9, (Saturday) (Guild Meeting) Bring all items for Atrium Sale. Setup for sale begins at 4 p.m. April 10, (Sunday) Fashion Show in Museum Auditorium, 2 p.m. Models and dresser arrive NO LATER THAN 1 p.m. April 10, (Sunday), 12 Noon to 6 p.m. Demonstrations and Guild Sale in the Atrium Process Each garment entered in the fashion show must have a Fashion Show Form filled in and attached to the garment bag. This is the information on your garment that Wendy Craytor will use to describe your item. If the fashion show garment will be for sale after it is shown on the runway you must also have two hang tags on the garment with the following information: item name, fiber content, price, care instructions, artist s name and catalogue number (i.e. JFD 1). One of the hang tags can be replaced by your personal card with the pertinent information, if you desire. Your garment should be in mint condition finished properly, clean, pressed or steamed, on a hanger and in a garment bag for protection. Identify your hangers and garment bag for return to you after the show. If you are bringing items for the Atrium Sale they must be listed on the Sale Item Catalog Submittal Form available on the guild website. Each item must have two hang tags attached listing: item name, fiber content, price, care instructions, artist s name and catalogue number (i.e. JFD 1). One of the tags is for sale records and one stays on the item for the purchaser. Scarf Donations Donation of scarves for professional models in the fashion show is coordinated up by Jean Truscott and she asks that we submit all scarves by March 12, guild meeting day. Be sure to tag these scarves with your name and care instructions for the model. The scarves should reflect your best work our effort to thank professional models for donating their time to our fashion show. Atrium Sale Nancy Boardman, Coordinator for the Atrium Sale, circulated a volunteer signup sheet at the last guild meeting but she is still seeking help in various capacities including setup and running of the sale. Please contact Nancy at nboardman@acsalaska.net. 4
Fashion Show Continued Demonstrations in Atrium Coordinator for atrium demonstrations, Tom Hobbs, is looking for guild members willing to provide intriguing demonstrations of bobbin lace weaving, loom weaving, spinning and dyeing displays. Please contact Tom at thomash@akchaos.com. Dress Forms Bonnie Tisler is working diligently on securing dress forms for our fashion show garments at the museum. The museum has asked that we display all garments from the fashion show in the atrium after the show. If you have not yet volunteered your dress form please contact Bonnie at bonniewevrpt@gci.net. We will be asking many of you to wear one of your garments, after the show, while demonstrating or helping with the sale in the atrium. If you have any questions concerning the Fashion Show, Atrium Sale or Demonstrations April 10, please contact Sherry Rogers at sherryweaves@aol.com or Annita Magee at annitamagee@gmail.com. Fashion Show Atrium Sale at the Museum by Nancy Boardman Just a reminder that if you wish to submit items for sale for the AWSG Atrium Sale, in conjunction with the ASWSG Fashion Show, you may bring your items to the March 12th or the April 9th ASWSG Guild meetings. Hint: earlier is better! You may also contact the Atrium Sales Coordinator Nancy Boardman at 278-3860 or nboardman@acsalaska.net to arrange a time to drop off items to her. Items may also be dropped off at the homes of Dolores Roguszka (south Anchorage ), Sherry Rogers ( Eagle River ) or Connie Bingham (Mat Su Valley). Remember to have your items listed on the inventory sheet and double-tagged as specified in the Fashion Show Information Sheet on the AWSG website, located at www.anchorageweavespin.org. Remember, items submitted for sale must meet the following criteria: The fiber content of woven and knit items may be handspun yarn or commercial yarn. The crafter may choose to weave, hand-knit, crochet or machine knit their item using hand-spun yarn. Hand-spun yarn, as the final product in itself, may also be offered for sale. Please offer enough quantity so that a knitter or weaver may have enough to complete a project. Yarn purchased commercially may be used either in a hand-woven article, or as trim on a hand-woven article. Non-woven, non-knit items such as surface design, felting, beading, etc. must be an original design and must be handmade. If you have a lot of the same kind or color of item (e.g. scarves, towels, etc), the sales staff may choose not to display all of your items on the tables for sale. As your items sell, we will put more items out for display. Thank you to everyone who has volunteered so far. A few more volunteers are still needed to assist with the design and set up of the Atrium sale venue on the afternoon of April 9th, for sales assistance during the sale on April 10th, and for break down of the sale venue following the sale, the evening of April 10th. This will be an ambitious display opportunity for AWSG, so we need creative types to assist. Yes, these will be two long days for us, but if we all work together, it will go faster and more smoothly. Please contact Nancy to volunteer if you have not already done so, at 278-3860 or nboardman@acsalaska.net. 5
Atrium Sale Continued In addition, if you are able to lend any of the following items for the sale, please contact Nancy : Garment racks (please remind me of who you are) An elegant stand-alone mirror Quilt racks or other types of display racks for displaying rugs, linens and scarves. A pick up truck or large van (maybe with some strong teenagers) to move our grid walls from the storage unit to the Museum on April 9 and back on April 10. If you have previously offered your dress form for use during the sale, coordinate with Bonnie Tisler and remember you are responsible for transporting your dress form to and from the Museum. If you need help getting it from your car to the Museum, we will help you. And, yes, we will sell items via credit card at the sale. 2011 State Fair Information by Myler Almandinger I ll be at the next meeting to talk about this year s state fair held August 25 to September 5. Here are dates you should know if you re planning to enter items in the fair: Entry days for Anchorage are: Monday and Tuesday, August 8th and 9th; 11:00 to 7:00 Pick-up dates are: Friday, September 9; 11:00 to 7:00, and Saturday, September 10, 10:00 to 6:00. The entry location is the same as last year at the Boys and Girls Club in Mountain View: 315 N Price Street. Judging day will be August 14th, except for fleece, which will be judged on August 21st. If you won t be available for these dates, Beverly Bronner can collect your items and deliver them to the fair. After the fair, I will get your items from her and return them to you at the September Guild meeting. Tom will be doing signups for demos again, and I want it packed like last year. People were so shocked to learn that so many people still do our crafts. We also have so many foreign visitors at the fair, and it s nice to hear their comments. These visitors also film us and take pictures and put them on the internet. It is exciting to know we can touch so many places in this big world from our little fiber arts display and demonstrations. Without you this cannot be accomplished. Let s show our artistic touch to one and all! Scholarship Funds How About the NW Weavers Conference? by Dolores Roguszka Bequest scholarship funds are available for, but not limited to, workshops, retreats, conferences, fiber related classes for active members of the Guild. Active members are defined as full dues paying members. Scholarships are intended to enhance AWSG member s education in the fiber arts. Monies available for each scholarship will vary. Financial need is not a consideration. Scholarship recipients are expected to share with the Guild the knowledge gained, or serve the Guild in some other way, within one year of receipt of the scholarship. The AWSG Board is open to suggestions as to how that knowledge is shared. Applications may be made any time of the year and are presented in writing to the Board of Directors for approval. Deadline for submission is the AWSG Board meeting prior to the event. Additional information is found on the Guild website. With the NW Weavers Conference coming up May 30-June 5, perhaps a scholarship might make it possible for you to attend. Think about it! 6
The Most Wonderful Chemo Cap Contest by Dolores Roguszka Helpful information for contest entries: 1. Two submissions per person. Open to all Guild members. 2. Each entry MUST have a tag fastened INSIDE the hat with the name of the person entering, phone number, e-mail address, mailing address, fiber content, and laundry instructions, and must include the words Contest Entry. 3. Material used MUST be very soft. 4. Hats submitted must be either hand or machine washable. No dry cleaning options. 5. Hats may be for a man, woman or child. 6. We have noted that knitted hats are generally softer than crocheted, even from the same fiber. If crocheted, larger hooks should be used. 7. Seams must be carefully finished, as they could be an irritant for sensitive heads. Circular needles are recommended for knitted hats. 8. If you need patterns many are available on the Internet. Type into your search engine the words chemo cap patterns and take a look at what is available. We use a goodly number of patterns from the Head Huggers site. The November/December 2006 issue of Handwoven includes a hat pattern for hand-woven fabrics. We have hard copies available of patterns at the Third Thursday knitting sessions. Find a pattern that makes a snug-fitting cap that can stretch comfortably without binding. It should cover the hairline. 9. We are looking for The Most Wonderful Chemo Cap. You may aim for a hat that is beautiful, fun, zany, unusual, or any combination thereof. Let your imagination soar! Embroidery or other embellishments are encouraged. 10. The committee will disqualify any hats submitted that do not adhere to these guidelines. 11. All entries MUST be submitted no later than the first of May to Dolores Roguszka (907-346-1024 or dande80@alaska.net) Entries can be mailed to Dolores Roguszka, 4400 O Malley Road, Anchorage, AK 99507 but must be received prior to the deadline date. 12. The maker of the winning entries will receive prizes of $15.00, $10.00, and $5.00 for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placings. One additional prize will be awarded for The Most Popular Pink hat submitted. A HELPFUL HINT; Even though we suggest the use of acrylics (for easiest care) for our chemo caps, it may be helpful to know that in general, guild members tend to vote for natural fibers. If you are seriously competitive, keep that in mind when choosing fibers for your entry! If your intent is just to provide some comfort for a cancer patient, use the fiber you feel will be the most comfortable. Third Thursday Knitting by Dolores Roguszka Every month, on the Third Thursday, we meet to knit, enjoy refreshments and each other. Every Guild member is invited to join us from one to four at my house. Our next session will be on March 17th. If you have Fashion Show items to turn in, you may do so on the afternoon of March 17. Deadline for those entries is March 18, so feel free to get them in a day early! Bring along your knitting projects or other handwork. We have donated yarns and patterns available for chemo caps. There is still time to create that special hat for the Chemo Cap Contest. Deadline for contest hats is May 1. Contest entries will be used for table décor at the May potluck and winners will be chosen at the potluck. If you d like an e-mail reminder of each of these Thursday afternoon get-togethers, send me an e- mail and I ll add your name to my current reminder list. If you have questions or need directions contact me at dande80@alaska.net or call 346-1024. Come join us for the afternoon, or any part of it. 7
IN THIS ISSUE... March Program... 1 Fashion Show Invitations... 1 Possible Workshop for 2011... 1 Praise for Rigid Heddle Workshop... 2 Guild Officer Opportunities... 3 Threads 2011 Fashion Show... 4 Atrium Sale... 5 2011 State Fair... 6 Scholarship Funds... 6 Wonderful Chemo Cap Contest... 7 Third Thursday Knitting... 7 AWSG 2010-2011 Board President: Lorri Wright, 563-8524 lorrihome@live.com President-Elect: Bev Bronner, 230-0666, bjt@gci.net Secretary: Clydene Fitch, 726-1194, jcfitch@jingal.com Treasurer: Karen Jensen, 375-9376, tieken2@yahoo.com Member at Large: Nicolette Thude, 345-7082, ruehle@acsalaska.net Programs: Dawn Needham, 562-4347, needhamd@yahoo.com Nancy Boardman, 278-3860, nboardman@acsalaska.net Public Outreach: Daina Mirsch, 746-1949, dmirsch@gmail.com Workshops: Karen Williams, 346-2792, kew@pobox.alaska.net; Sherry Rogers, 694-3319, sherryweaves@aol.com; Julie Carter, 929-9360, jacyanne@yahoo.com Historian: Dolores Roguszka, 346-1024, dande80@alaska.net Librarian: Mary Janis, 337-9689, afmkj@uaa.alaska.edu Newsletter/ Karen Jensen, 375-9376, tieken2@yahoo.com Webmaster: Linda Conover, 376-5622, conover@mtaonline.net HGA/ANWG Rep: Pamela Grefsrud, 279-0332, pgrefsrud@alaska.com PO Box 244055 Anchorage, AK 99524-4055 www.anchorageweavespin.org Anchorage Weavers & Spinners Guild 8