Black Sheep Handweavers Guild

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The Black Sheep Hand Weavers Guild is an HGA-affiliated guild located in the San Francisco Bay area. The purpose of the Blacksheep Handweavers Guild is to promote the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the textile arts, and to encourage efforts and activities in all fields of textiles. Guests are encouraged to make a $5 donation on evenings when we have outside speakers. The membership dues are determined by the guild and cover the period from September - August. Annual membership is still only $25. Members receive a copy of the newsletter, discounted or waived fees for guild-sponsored events and workshops, access to the guild library, discounted registration for CNCH, and a strong sense of community.

July Meeting, 7/15, 7:00 pm

An evening of guild members sharing.

Guild News

From our President: Results of Nominating Process for the Black Sheep Board, 2009-2010

Results of Nominating Process for the Black Sheep Board, 2009-2010

Thank you to the nominating committee - Betty Ward, Karen Brommer, Patt Sheldon, and Rosemary Brock - for their work in inviting guild members to serve on the Black Sheep Board, 2009-2010. We have most of the board positions filled. The current nominating slate is:

President: Chris McClelland
Treasurer: Rachel Levy
Newsletter: Deborah Dowling
Membership: Teddie Guenzer
Publicity: Barbara O'Connor
Library: Ruth Temple
CNCH Coordinator: Billie Bennett
Programs: Gloria Miller, Kathleen Dickey,
Hospitality: Laura Gale-McNevin, Donna Jeffrey
Web Site: Rosemary Brock
Study Group Coordinator: Mary Anderson

Open Board Positions: Vice President, secretary, exhibits. If you would like to serve on the board in any of these positions, please contact anyone from the Nominating Committee.

And a Big Thank You to the board members for 2008-2009 for your work in serving as the scaffold that allows our guild to thrive.

Dues and Membership

from Jean Thompson
We now have 105 members. There is one roster update this month, with a new mailing address for Whitney Miller. Current contact information for most members is in the password protected "Members Only" section of the Guild website. Any member who doesn't know the password can contact me to get it. If you have membership questions or if your address, phone or email changes, please contact me by email or phone: 650-324-9344.

Our membership year is Sept 1 - Aug 31, with dues of $25 ($15 for new members joining after March 1). This includes the CNCH contribution. Please add $10 if you want to receive newsletters by postal mail rather than by email. Checks should be made out to Black Sheep Handweavers Guild, and mailed to treasurer Rachel Levy, 755 Newell Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303. Rachel can be reached by email or by phone, 650-325-0917.

Guild Library

from Ruth Temple
Members are invited to visit the library with an appointment. A complete list of the library’s holdings is available on the guild’s website and an annual list is in your membership directory. Materials checked out from the library are due back at the next guild meeting, but may be renewed by contacting the librarian, Ruth Temple.

Paper-making Workshops with Jeanne Tillman

Explore the art of making unique decorate paper using recycled papers and plant fibers. Have you been curious about how to make paper? Do you want hand-made paper for your collage work or scrapbooking? In these one-day workshops, you will learn the fun and creative art of making unique, decorative papers using recycled papers and plant fibers. I will share my creative process and show you how I use paper as an artistic medium. In each five-hour time period, the focus will be on creating many sheets of recycled papers with decorative flourishes.

Four One-Day Workshops will be held at my home in the Santa Cruz Mountains from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, on the following Saturdays: July 18, August 15, September 19, and October 17. Cost for each one-day class is $65 (materials included).

Register early, as enrollment is limited. To reserve a space in one of these workshops, please send a check payable to Jeanne Tillman to 15000 Old Ranch Road, Los Gatos, CA 95033. For more information, call (408) 353-3921.

Beginning Study Group

The group will meet at the home of Andrea Niehuis on Sat, June 13 to dye cotton yarn. We will be meeting from 10-2. This extra time will allow for the workshop. If you want a special color of procion dye, you can get it at Dharma Trading Company. (Call 800-542-5227 for a catalog.) Andrea will have a variety of colors available. Wear old clothes and shoes; bring a plastic dishpan, plastic wrap, yarn and an old towel if you have them. There will be yarn available at the workshop also. You will be washing out the dye at home so you will need a container to carry home the yarn. There will be a $5 cost for dye if you do not bring your own. You can also come and just watch and learn if you like. See you at the workshop. Contact Andrea Neihuis for more information, 650-306-9218.

Next Board Meeting

Our next board meeting will be held on Thursday, 9/10 up at a site to be determined.

Our board meetings are usually held the second Thursday night of each month.

Newsletter Deadline – September 1st

We don't usually have a newsletter over the summer intersession. Information about the summer programs, which don't usually involve an outside speaker, will be posted on the guild's site.

Send submissions to our newsletter editor: Deborah Dowling. Watch your email and check the web site for updates!

Guild Members are Welcome to Contribute to our Monthly Newsletter
Anyone who would like to provide information, articles, or announcements about weaving, knitting, dyeing, spinning, etc that other guild members would find interesting, is welcome to send them to Deborah Dowling. Also any suggestions to enhance or improve our newsletter are also welcome.

Other Textile Events

Monterey County Fair Wool Show and Auction

Consider making something to enter in the Handcraft competition, and buying fleece at the Wool Auction. There are cash prizes for skeins of handspun yarn and for items made from handspun yarn. Rules and entry forms will be available at www.montereycountyfair.com. This year's featured class is sock yarn. Classes have been redefined this year, so check the premium book online or call 831-372-5863 to request a copy. Handcraft competition is open to residents of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties, plus people entering items made from wool they purchased at previous Monterey County Fair wool auctions. Dates to remember: Entry Forms due: By mail: Fri, July 10, 2009. Online: Mon, July 20, 2009. Exhibits received: Tue, July 21. Wool Judging: Sat, July 25, at 10 am.

2009 NBO BIENNIAL CONVENTION, “TRADITIONS & INNOVATIONS V”

July 28 - August 2, 2009, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon

Looking for something interesting to do this summer? Barbara Shapiro suggests the National Basketry Organization's conference in Portland, Oregon.

The National Basketry Organization is a 10-year-old, non-profit corporation dedicated to basketry and everyone who appreciates this unique art form, which is both an ancient craft and modern art. This year's convention features three-day workshops by five Native American basket makers along with outstanding contemporary and traditional artists in the field. This is the first West Coast Convention and should be an outstanding event. Keynote speakers include Marci McDade, editor of Fiberarts Magazine and Native Americans Mary Schlick, speaking on Columbia River Baskets and Pat Courtney Gold lecturing on the Chinook history and culture. Ms. Schlick and Ms. Gold are both scholars who will enlighten the conventioneers with local native lore. http://www.nationalbasketry.org/portland2009/index.html, MDBaskets@AOL.com for more information.

Comprehensive Handspinning Workshop with Celia Quinn

October 17, 18 & 19, by Handweavers of the Valley

The current estimate of the cost per registrant is $140 which includes the materials fee for two days, for three days the fee is $167. This is based upon the maximum class of 20 students.

Checks should be made out to Handweavers of the Valley and mailed to Sharon Warren, 42662 Heidi Road, Three Rivers, CA 93271. Please include your e-mail address and/or phone number.

This workshop is open to all members of ASCH/CNCH with no additional charge for those who are not members of the Handweavers of the Valley. Questions? sharonwarren@att.net or sharonwarren@heidihousestudio.com. Or 559.561.3805.

NOBLE TOMBS AT MAWANGDUI: Art and Life in the Changsha Kingdom, (3rd Century-BCE to 1st Century CE)

This exhibit is a collection of objects excavated in the Hunan province of China in the 1970s. The objects on display date from the second century BC and are in remarkably good condition, including several extraordinary silk textiles. This exhibit can be viewed at the China Institute in America, New York, NY through Sunday, June 7. http://www.chinainstitute.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageID=794&nodeID=1. Closer to home, the exhibit will also be on display at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Sept. 19 – Dec. 13, 2009. http://www.sbmuseart.org/exhibitions/upcoming.asp, or visit Fern Devlin’s blog: http://buyathread.wordpress.com/2009/05/24/2009-weave-of-the-week-21-lady -dais-mittens.

Presentation and Braiding Workshop with Rodrick Owen

Rodrick Owen will be the speaker for the October 14 meeting with the Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild. The meeting starts at 9:30 a.m. with business and announcements and will then be turned over to the speaker at 10:30. The meeting place will be announced later.

The braiding workshop with Rodrick will be October 15, 16 and 17, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It will be held in the studio of Martha Stanley. The cost of the workshop is $150 for the three days

Contact Barbara Boone at 831-688-2893 or beeboone@comcast.net for more information.

CNCH

Next year's conference, CNCH 2010, will be held April 9-11, 2010 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. More information will be available at the CNCH website (www.cnch.org) over the summer.

Our guild has a policy of not allowing the membership roster to be used for commercial uses. Any unsolicited commercial mailings, including those over the internet, will incur the collective wrath of our membership. As my mother used to say, "Do that, and I'll make your life a misery." rbrock@prosaix.com

This site is hosted by Prosaix because Rosemary made Lynn's life a misery until he agreed to do so. Think of it as a wee bit of community service.