The North Cheshire Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers will be demonstrating spinning and weaving at the following events in 2008:
March 9th Antique Textile Fair Manchester
May 17th & May 18th Arley Horse Trials
May 31st & June 1st Tabley Country Fair
June TBA Knutsford Heritage Centre
June 17th & June 18th Cheshire Show
August 17th Peover Country Fair
September 28th Home Farm Tatton
(Guild weekend)
Monday, 3 March 2008
Sunday, 2 December 2007
Christmas in November and our AGM
This year has literally flown hence the AGM and Christmas part on November seemed to arrived almost by surprise!
The day started with the AGM. Our Chair, Janet resigned at the end of her three year stint and there were three new appointments to the committee plus some changes in positions between existing committee members. Janice was appointed the new Chairperson at the end of the meeting by the committee.
As many members had submitted items for our exhibition there were fewer entries to the competition than usual but that certainly didn't mean a lowering of any standards.
The winners in each category were as follows:
Spinning - Joan
Dyeing - Kate
Weaving - Averil
Congratulations to all of the winners and to everyone who took part.
We then enjoyed a wonderful spread for lunch before a "show and tell" of projects and our final farewells for the year! Let's hope our next year will be as successful and 2007 and more.
Baskets in October
(Sorry for the delay in posting but so much has been happening with our Guild I'm still playing catch up with our recent events!)October's meeting was our busiest yet with the hall literally bursting at the seams. Our membership is now up to a record breaking level of forty members. We also had some visitors for Averil's workshop on soft basketry.
The day started with a quick exercise in making a traditional Maori friendship flower. Here you see us "swords at the ready" before starting to weave a flower and some final results. The flowers dry into a lovely golden colour.
The day started with a quick exercise in making a traditional Maori friendship flower. Here you see us "swords at the ready" before starting to weave a flower and some final results. The flowers dry into a lovely golden colour.
In the afternoon Averil demonstrated the art of creating a small basket from Daffodil leaves. Skills were quickly developed and by the end of the day most participants took away their basket and some material to finish their basket at home.
A special thanks goes to Averil for her hard work in preparing such and exciting workshop.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
Exhibition 2007
Our exhibition opened at the end of October with a private view which was very well attended. It will run until the beginning of the new year at the Castle Park Arts Centre in Frodsham, Cheshire.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Weaving Warrington's Past
At our meeting on September 22, Kit Heald of the Warrington Historical and Archaeological Society spoke on the links between our crafts and Warrington’s long history and really widened our knowledge of the area.
A settlement at the lowest crossing point on the River Mersey, Warrington existed as a community in the tribal era before the Romans took control from the area around what we now know as Stockton Heath. We learned that Wilderspool Causeway was exactly that – a road through the surrounding wetlands.
In this wet and marshy land flax and hemp were grown and production of linen and canvas became one of the main industries of the town. In 1686 there were 16 hempyards around the town supplying the fibre for the manufacture, locally, of sailcloth to equip the huge fleets of galleons which defended these islands. It is ironic to learn that in those days peace meant real hardship for people who produced sails.
In the eighteenth century the manufacture of fustian grew and continued along with canvas. Fustian is woven from a mixture of fibres and is a hardwearing fabric with a pile which had to be cut by hand by skilled workers. Cockhedge Mill was a spinning mill which closed in 1960.
Warrington was never a one-industry town. It was involved in wire making (of course!), tanning, soap manufacture, shipping, brewing, file making, glass manufacture, sugar refining and pin making, to name the main ones. It is good to know that our crafts of spinning, weaving and dyeing were among the earliest of Warrington’s trades and that we are continuing the history of the area.
A settlement at the lowest crossing point on the River Mersey, Warrington existed as a community in the tribal era before the Romans took control from the area around what we now know as Stockton Heath. We learned that Wilderspool Causeway was exactly that – a road through the surrounding wetlands.
In this wet and marshy land flax and hemp were grown and production of linen and canvas became one of the main industries of the town. In 1686 there were 16 hempyards around the town supplying the fibre for the manufacture, locally, of sailcloth to equip the huge fleets of galleons which defended these islands. It is ironic to learn that in those days peace meant real hardship for people who produced sails.
In the eighteenth century the manufacture of fustian grew and continued along with canvas. Fustian is woven from a mixture of fibres and is a hardwearing fabric with a pile which had to be cut by hand by skilled workers. Cockhedge Mill was a spinning mill which closed in 1960.
Warrington was never a one-industry town. It was involved in wire making (of course!), tanning, soap manufacture, shipping, brewing, file making, glass manufacture, sugar refining and pin making, to name the main ones. It is good to know that our crafts of spinning, weaving and dyeing were among the earliest of Warrington’s trades and that we are continuing the history of the area.
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