Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild Charleston SC

Workshop Starts Today

noreply@blogger.com (Luann Fischer) — Fri, 20 Oct 2017 11:53:00 +0000

Martina arrived yesterday and visited some of the beautiful sights of Charleston.

And today, all of these supplies will be brought to the workshop. We are going to have a blast!

I'll try to post a few more pictures of our creative journey.

Fiber Bowls, Vessels, or Trivets

noreply@blogger.com (Luann Fischer) — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 23:13:00 +0000

We had a lot of creativity going on last Saturday during our general meeting of the PFA Guild. As you can see in the photos above, Pam is always got a smile on her face. She showed us 2 distinctively different ways to make 'fiber vessels'. During the discussion, that tends to happen during such activities, there were several ideas shared for embellishing the pieces that were being made. We all had a great time, if you missed it, you really missed a great hands-on learning experience.

Just in case you'd like to check out an online tutorial on the process, Pam has shared this link:

http://www.craftstylish.com/item/33825/how-to-sew-a-fabric-bowl/page/all

We also had show and share time. Many things were displayed by several members. A sampling follows. Weaving special patterns is always of interest to the group. Michaela showed us several hats that she made for some kids that will appreciate them, once our weather cools down.

Hope this finds you all staying cool and creative.

August Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Luann Fischer) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 22:00:00 +0000

Here are two baskets/vessels. Pam will explain the techniques for these at our August 19th meeting. Hope you can attend. Guests and visitors are always welcomed at our meetings.

She'll be doing a demo If you want to bring your sewing machine and threads, fibers, fabric strips, and clothesline feel free to do so. She'll help you get something started that you can finish later. If you have any questions please contact me and I'll try to get you an answer ASAP.

HAVE A GREAT DAY.

July Meeting and 2 Thank Yous

noreply@blogger.com (Luann Fischer) — Sun, 16 Jul 2017 20:53:00 +0000

This was some of the lovely pieces seen at our June meeting. This past Saturday found us

enjoying a wonderful presentation by Dawn Hortman Shaw, at the Fabulon Art Studio. She explained Primitive Rug Hooking, and what is meant by Prodded Hooking. We were a very 'engaged' group, as you can see in the next collage. She is quite knowledgeable, and willing to share that knowledge!

A few of the beautiful rugs she brought to show us:

And we saw her equipment and supplies:

She demonstrated the 'prodding' technique for creating dimensional flowers.

This was an excellent presentation and it kindled a few sparks and set a few new fires for this technique of rug making. Thanks, Dawn Hortman Shaw, for a very interesting afternoon.

Pam and Renee have transferred ownership of this lovely spinning wheel and its accessories. Pam shared a sweet grass basket she is working on. We also chatted briefly about flower pounding and it's nuance of fading. Then she revealed her 'The Dress' art quilt. It was from a pattern by Laura Heine, but she did a lot of adaptations, so it became 'HER' party dress. (The quilt does have a head, but I think the quilt is sooo her, that this picture captures the essence).

Along with a big Thank You to Dawn, we want to let Ron and Emily know how much their generosity was appreciated. Everyone that was at the meeting had an opportunity to check through some lovely items from the Kinzeys. Most everyone found items that would be welcomed into their creative life's collection. The items left were gathered together, taken to a member's home, sorted and have already been finding homes throughout our community.

The reason I mention this is, if you are interested in 'trying out' a new fiber related technique, contact us, we may be able to put together a 'kit' for you to do that tryout with.

Next meeting will be at Fabulon Studio on Wappoo Road in Charleston, SC. Third Saturday of August will be Pam showing us two unique methods of creating fabric bowls. See you then.

June Meeting Review

noreply@blogger.com (Luann Fischer) — Mon, 19 Jun 2017 15:00:00 +0000

Our meeting on Saturday was filled with sharing of our various Charity focused activities. They included Rip 'N Roll of Bandages, Knitted Knockers, Locks of Love, Homeless Veterans (this was a real eye opener).

Updates on each of the Study groups were given. We made note of the times and places. July and August meeting times for Second Saturday Spinners will be announced on the Facebook page.

July meeting will be at Fabulon on Wappoo Road. Dawn Hortman Shaw will give a demo on Primitive Rug Hooking. This is also called Proddy Hooking.

And here are some of our show and share items.

Hope to see you all at one of the study group meetings and then at the July meeting.

2016 Year-End Holiday Party

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 02 Dec 2016 23:50:00 +0000

Hooked Rug by Emily Kimzey

It's that time again -- and we're going to have a party. Let me just say right off the bat, that this is about the only thing we do all year that is open only to members -- but hey, we'd love to have YOU as a member.

On our regular meeting day in December we'll have a holiday party and pot luck* meal -- December 17 from 11:30 - 2:00 at the home of Kathy Brower. Bring a luncheon dish to share. Wear loose fitting clothes.

And here's the other fun thing we do -- it's a gift exchange. You don't have to participate if you don't want to, but if you do -- bring a wrapped, fiber-related gift ($15 - $20 range). We pile them in the middle of the room and all who want to participate will draw numbers. Number 1 chooses a gift and unwraps it. Everyone oohs and ahhs. Number 2 can now either choose a gift from the pile OR take Number 1's gift (You know you would like to have what #1 chose, or you can gamble on the unknown). It goes around with a few rules about how many times a gift can be "stolen" and it's all in fun. We've never had anyone go home mad. And one more thing -- you really don't have to participate in this if you don't want to -- it's as fun to watch as it is to play. Your choice.

This is a relaxing, fun time we give ourselves each year to just socialize and enjoy each other. Hope you can make it!

And many thanks to Kathy for inviting us to her house!

*For anyone who may not be native to the South and for whom "pot luck" is not self explanatory, you just bring a dish to share - 6 or 8 servings and you've done your part. It's lunch, so anything that you might ever eat for lunch can be on the menu. Hot dishes, something from the deli, traditional holiday dishes, sweets,-- bring it on! Plates, eating utensils, serving spoons, and beverages are provided. It's a pot luck because you just never know what you're going to get -- maybe 15 different pasta salads. Maybe 12 different desserts. (is that so bad?) Somehow though, it usually works out to be quite a variety, and more than enough, and you get to have as many servings as you want. It's a great way to have plenty of food for a large number of people without anyone having to do all the cooking.

Living to Dye -- Part 2 The Wonders of Cochineal

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Sun, 24 Jul 2016 20:45:00 +0000

In June, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild continued our exploration of natural dye possibilities when Michaela McIntosh shared the history and properties of cochineal -- which typically produces a range of vibrant red - rusty orange/reds- brownish reds.

She brought along a mixed-up dye pot and we got to see the results of dipping different fibers in cochineal. While indigo comes from a plant that can be, and is, grown locally, cochineal comes from the dried bodies of insects (ee-ewe) native to South America. Today, Peru is the main source.

Here is how the dye is sold -- you can order it from Amazon!

A mesh bag of these pellets of the dried insect bodies are placed in hot water to make the dye bath.

There is a "recipe" for the amount of dye in an amount of water, and it was found that adding lime peel helped the dye take-up into the fiber.

The story of cochineal's history is a page-turner that is hard to put down. It involves conquistadors, money, power, subterfuge, international espionage, brutal murder, piracy, and controversy among the food safety people. Read on for the quick version:

Far back into history, Europe had access to a red fabric dye. But when Cortes invaded Mexico in the early 1500s his army found red fabric and paints far more vibrant and vivid than any they had seen before. They also discovered the source of that color -- the dried bodies of the cochineal -- an insect that lived on and was harvested from the pads of prickly pear cactus. Cortes took this wondrous stuff back to Spain and by 1600, cochineal was the country's 2nd most valuable import from Mexico. Only silver was more valuable.

Following the laws of scarcity, fabric dyed using cochineal was expensive; affordable only to the elite. Hence, red garments - or even garments trimmed in red, were a sign of wealth and status. Think robes of Cardinals in the Catholic church, think flags, think garments for Kings and Queens. . .

Most Europeans thought the red dye came from a plant and because it was so valuable, Spain made sure the true source of the red dye was kept a secret -- to the point that many Mexicans who worked in the cochineal fields and knew how to produce the dye were murdered to prevent the secret from getting around. Other countries either had to buy cochineal from Spain, or steal it (this is where the pirates come in). Cochineal was a very profitable for Spain.

For years, other countries invested great effort to find out how to get their own cochineal, but these efforts were thwarted because they thought they were looking for a plant. After 300 year, in the early 1800s, French and Dutch adventurers figured things out and were successful in smuggling live cactus pads covered with insects out of Mexico.

So then cochineal production went international with cochineal ranches being established in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. Conditions proved to be ideal in the Canary Islands and in 1868, the Canaries exported 6 million pounds of cochineal.

In the late 1800s, just as things were booming, synthetic dyes became available and as a result, world-wide cochineal production plummeted. This created a major finalcial crisis in Spain as a huge, 250 year-old industry faded to almost nil within the span of a couple of decades.

Today, cochineal is produced primarily in Peru (where the Mexicans got it to begin with) and is used in medical tracers, artists' paints and microscopy stains. It is the only natural red food coloring approved by the FDA. Indeed, as food producers continue to switch back to natural colorings, more and more of what we eat and drink will probably be dyed with dead bugs. There are some people who are squeamish about that.

Fun Fact for travelers: Cochineal can be found in side canyons of the Colorado River, appearing on prickly pear cactus heads inside match head size white fuzzballs. If you see this, mash one of those fuzzballs between your fingers -- a bright red ooze? Yep, that's cochineal.

If this quick romp through history has piqued your interest, find more at these two websites that elaborate on the details on the story: The Bug That Changed History and Putting the Red in Redcoats.

Back to current times and PFAG's experience with cochineal. Here is some 100% silk dyed with cochineal at Michaela's right after she brought this topic to our June meeting.

Living to Dye -- Part 1, Enough Pie, the Mobile Vat Shack, and Community Dye Days

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Sat, 02 Jul 2016 21:46:00 +0000

In May and June, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild meetings focused on natural dyeing.

First, Cathryn Davis Zommer from Enough Pie shared their big project -- the mobile indigo vat shack and Community Dye Days. Then Michaela McIntosh had us dyeing fabric and yarn with another natural dye -- cochineal.

Enough Pie is interesting in and of itself. It is a non-profit organization located in Charleston's Upper Peninsula area that is doing all kinds of interesting things to engage the neighborhood and create a stronger sense of community. Arts are one of their main vehicles to this end.

The sociological term for what they are doing is "creative placemaking" and that means to leverage partners from public, private, non-profit, and community sectors to strategically shape the physical and social character of a place around arts and cultural activities. The place can be a neighborhood, a town, a city, or a region. Certainly we know "Charleston Proper" to be a place known for its thriving arts culture.

PFAG member Arianne King Comer is one of several local experts on indigo and dyeing recruited by Enough Pie to help members of the public learn about indigo's rich history, how it related to our "place" -- the Lowcountry -- and to experience the dye process at Community Dye Days at the mobile Vat Shack.

Enough Pie's idea is that the arts belong in every neighborhood and the arts should be accessible to every sociological strata. Their name means there is enough pie to go around for everyone. They endeavor to cut a larger slice (of the cultural arts pie) for residents, artists, creative entrepreneurs and diverse, local businesses.

Enough Pie looks for ways to "animate public and private spaces, rejuvenate structures and streetscapes, improve local business viability and public safety, and bring diverse people together to celebrate, inspire, and be inspired." (taken from Enough Pie's website, taken from an executive paper on Creative Placemaking)

Earlier in the year, Enough Pie sponsored a "Yarn Bomb" of a tower at their neighborhood's community center. This meant bringing knitters and want-to-be knitters together on Monday nights for weeks to knit the strips and patches for the "bomb". We all know what a great way to build community that is!

Their latest project is the mobile Vat Shack -- a specially designed mobile unit -- equipped with heating units and vats and sinks and racks for drying -- all to celebrate and share the history and process of something so indigenous to Charleston and the Lowcountry -- dyeing with indigo.

Inside the Vat Shack

The Vat Shack will travel to schools and youth clubs and events. Affectionately named "Den Mamas" (like our own Arianne King Comer), who have knowledge of dyeing and of indigo, will be there to teach and guide, and give the children a hands-on experience with the process.

On the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month until early November, there will be Community Dye Days -- a chance for everyone to get involved. On these days the Vat Shack will be stationed at Joseph Floyd Manor Park at 2106 Mount Pleasant St., Charleston, SC 29403. A small, square piece of fabric will be provided to each person to dip in the dye bath at no charge. There is also an invitation to bring something you would like to dye -- it must be 100% natural fabric -- cotton, silk, linen -- (not wool). For each garment there is a $10 fee to replenish the indigo vats. So get your skeins of yarn ready!

Enough Pie is an organization we will want to watch and support!

Wedge Weave Workshop Scheduled for October

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 20 May 2016 00:53:00 +0000

Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild is excited to be sponsoring a workshop on Wedge Weave on Oct. 14 and 15, 2016 with Connie Lippert. Connie lives in South Carolina's Upstate but she travels widely to teach and and exhibit. Wedge weave has been a primary focus for her for quite some time. In fact, she will be presenting a workshop at HGA's bi-annual Convergence conference this summer in Milwaukee that will be very similar to the one she will do for us this fall.


Wedge weave on the loom

In contrast to most weaves which are woven in a plane horizontal to the loom, wedge weave is woven on the diagonal. This results in a weft-faced weaving with many distinctive characteristics and exciting design potential. The technique might be most familiar to us from certain Native American, specifically Navajo, weaving styles.


An example of Navajo wedge weave from the 1880s at a gallery in Scottsdale Arizona.

No one really knows how the Navajos happened onto the technique, which is also seen in Middle Eastern, Andean, and Scandinavian weavings, but they began using it extensively in the 1870s.

Fiber artists such as Connie Lippert have, of course, put their own spin on the technique, creating lovely designs and color plays.


Woven by Connie Lippert

Connie's workshop in Charleston will be a wonderful opportunity to learn and experiment with wedge weave in a very small setting with not only one of the modern weaving world's foremost authorities on the technique, but also one of the weaving world's foremost teachers of wedge weave.

The workshop will be begin Friday night, Oct. 14, and continue through the day on Saturday, Oct. 15. The registration fee for Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild members is $30. The fee for non-members will be $40. One scholarship is available for a PFAG member who would like to participate but finds the registration fee burdensome.

The workshop will be limited to 20 participants. Registrations must be in no later than July 16 and will be handled on a first come first serve basis. The location has yet to be finalized.

Participants should have warping and weaving knowledge. Some weft-faced weaving experience is helpful but not critical. Participants will need to provide their own pre-warped table, floor, or tapestry loom, and a supply of several colors of weft wool.

A list of needed supplied and specific warping directions will be sent to participants after registration.

If you would like to attend, please print and complete the registration form found here. Include payment (checks should be made out to Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild, or PFAG) and mail to: Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild, PO Box 31341, Charleston, SC 29417.

Woven by Connie Lippert

Sad News

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 02:16:00 +0000

Mary Kelly, artist, scholar, and teacher, most recently of Hilton Head SC, has died. See her lovely obituary here.

Mary did a wonderful program for Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild in June of 2014 on the topic she is probably most well known for -- Goddess Cloth. This was her academic area of study and she shared with us her recognition of common goddess design themes (related to feminine power, fertility, and protection) in "folk textiles" from widely dispersed geographic areas, eras of time, and cultural heritages.

See more about Mary's fascinating work here.

Mary Kelly was a fiber artist in her own right, as well as an academic. She wove, and spun, and dyed, and taught all of the above. She was an active and valued member of the nearby Fiber Guild of the Savannahs . Our shared fiber arts communities have lost a treasure.

Shell Chain Chain Shell, Shell Chain Chain Shell

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 15:04:00 +0000

Aretha sets the stage for this post.

We had a great meeting in March where Ashley Schifano guided us through steps to crochet granny squares. Our goal is to make a lot of squares and put them together as blankets or lap robes later in the year to donate. Several national and local organizations were mentioned as potential recipients -- research on this continues.

Comments heard around the room:

"My grandmother/mother/aunt tried to teach me this when I was little, but it didn't go well/I've forgotten everything."
"God Bless the child who gets this blanket!"
"And we thought weaving was complicated!"
"This is humbling."

One former school teacher said that when she was teaching, she and other teacher friends would make it a point to get together and learn at least one completely new thing each year. She said it helped them all remember what it was like for their students every day. What a great practice for a great teacher! (But I digress.)

All this talk about the awkwardness of crocheting for the first time. . . Here's what I made:

The nice tight parts were mostly done by Natalie by way of showing me how. I was mesmerized by her beautiful hands flying and looping, then patting down the new line or corner. "See, Like that." she said. The wonky parts were done by me by way of trying. Needless to say, my hands did not fly.

Ashley shared two good videos. This one shows how to do a granny square in a single color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxW4k-8moRs

And this one goes at a very slow pace (which I found helpful) and shows how to change colors every row. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_5nIpXg8OM (This is how Chain of Fools started running through my mind -- she kept saying "Shell, Chain, Chain, Shell. Shell, Chain, Chain, Shell", my brain shifted to Aretha Franklin.)

Thank you Ashley.

Here's what I was able to do after watching videos:

Thank you You Tube. This square still has some tension issues. There's definitely some loosey-goosey going on. But it's better. . . A lot better! At least it looks more like a square!

Here are a few more tips to remember from Ashley:

There are lots and lots of ways to make granny squares. If you have another way, or if you find a video that shows a different way and it works for you, Go With It.
Ashley (and the "Jayda in Stitches" video) does one chain stitch on the sides and 2 chain stitches at the corner. Some people do two stitches on the side and 3 between the "shells" at the corners. Either way can work. Pick one and stick with it.
A blanket can be lot of granny squares put together (that's another lesson). Or you can just keep crocheting around and around (single color or changing colors) until you get to the desired size.
36" x36" is a small blanket for a child. "40 x "60 is crib sized, or could be a lap robe for an elderly person in a wheel chair.
More experienced crocheters -- do your favorite thing within these size parameters.

Send pictures of your first square to sandee63@bellsouth.net and we'll post them here. Fun! Again, thank you Ashley for getting us going on this! (And thank you Nancy for letting us meet in your garage!

And here's just a bit of Show and Tell:

Luanne had been to a workshop learning a new paper piecing technique. Look at those sharp points -- Beautiful!

And Sandy had a car trip to Florida to see Spring Training baseball games -- so this is the "Baseball Shawl" made in the car down and back. (Donna Griffin's Summer Flies, available on Ravelry, made with a variegated silk/acrylic/cotton/rayon blend. The ruffle is an undyed raw silk).

Sonia admits she usually just spins to "get it done" and doesn't focus too much on the end result. But this time, she purposely slowed down and intentionally tried have this skein turn out the way she wanted it to. She was quite pleased with the result of this "mindful" technique -- not for all the time, but a good tool for the toolbox.

Next month we meet in new space for the first time -- Looking forward to settling in at Fabulon in West Ashley!

PFAG Tries a Surface Design Technique

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Mon, 29 Feb 2016 19:08:00 +0000

LuAnn Fischer was our presenter in February -- She brought everything we needed and helped us jump right into a fun surface design technique that resulted in a marbled design on fabric and/or paper.

First, it was recommended that we wear aprons for this one:

Here's what we did:

1.) Cover a paper plate with a smooth layer of shaving cream. Yes, that's right, shaving cream. We used Barbasol.

2.) Add drops of fabric paint to the shaving cream surface. There doesn't have to be any art to this. It can be totally random. More than one color can be used, but most of us found that more colors had a tendency to become muddy quickly.

3.) With a wooden stick, cut through each dot and swirl the color in the shaving cream -- much like you do when you make a marble cake.

4.) No image of the very next step, but you place a piece of fabric (or paper) on top of the shaving cream. Pat it gently so that the fabric makes contact with the paint, but don't move the fabric or it will smear. Place your hand on top of the cloth and your hand's warmth helps the color transfer to the fabric.

5.) Then, carefully peel the fabric/paper away. It will look much like this picture:

6.) Place the fabric/paper on a hard surface and scrape off the shaving cream with a paint scraper or similar tool. (LuAnn had us using discarded electric switch plates. They worked just fine.)

Here are samples of our work, drying just a bit before the final step -- heat setting.

(All are fabric, except for two postcard size pieces of paper in the upper left corner, and the two narrow cards to the far right)

7.) LuAnn's iron was on a low setting and parchment paper protected the painted cloth.

What Fun! What possibilities!

It could have been a messy, gloopy disaster -- but LuAnn thought of everything -- plastic to cover the tables, cloth squares, paint, wooden sticks for us to use for "twirling", a bucket for trash, a different bucket for throw away today, but take it home to be cleaned up and used again, pretty, hand-dyed "rags" for dealing with excess shaving cream, the ironing board. . . I'm glad I didn't have to pack her car to come to this meeting!

She gave instructions and a quick demo and let us have at it. . . when we whined "I don't like the way this came out." she would just wave her hand and say "Make another one!"

Thanks for a great time, LuAnne!

Luann is just incredibly talented and prolific -- she quilts, she dyes, she designs, she teaches, and she blogs about it all at Let's Create Today.

Happy New Year -- Out with the Old, In with the New

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 01:22:00 +0000

January's program at Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild helped everyone with their resolutions to de-clutter their lives and their art/craft studios.

A fiber swap is the ultimate "one person's trash is another person's treasure" event -- so that's what we did. In the end, we might not have less "stuff" but hopefully we all went home with more of the "right" "stuff".


It would be interesting to see what a color theorist would do with this selection of odds and ends.

Betty says she has a great idea for this piece of fabric.

Michaela is pleased to find this nice skein of variegated wool.

Otherwise our year is off to a really good start. The new board members are already putting things in place for the coming months (see several months of programs already posted in the right hand column under "What's Coming Up")

It's membership renewal time. If you haven't taken care of this, please send a check for $30 made out to Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild (PFAG) to P O Box 31341, Charleston, SC 29417. We'd like to get our roster out early this year -- and plans are underway for a Member Handbook -- so you definitely want to be on the active list!

Holiday Pot-Luck Brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 02:19:00 +0000

In December, the Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild gathered at Michaela's house for what has become an annual holiday pot-luck brunch and a fiber-related gift exchange. What a fun time, and good reminder of how comfortable we are in each other's company. We really like each other! I'm going to trust that old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

Clockwise from top right: Natalie and Malena crocheting away to make holiday gift deadlines. Beth, Maria, and Peggy. Gathered in the kitchen; Kathy, Luann, Beth, Cindy, and Nancy. Sonia received hand-dyed fabric. Ashley and Corinne in red.

Clockwise from top right: Corinne holds a lovely beaded bracelet made by Nancy. Beth, Maria, and Peggy watch to see what Luann is opening. Natalie, Corinne, Malena, and Beth -- with everyone's contributions, lunch was delicious! The last picture is a detail of Becky's new dress -- felted and embellished and made by Margo Duke -- stunning!

Clockwise from top right: Kathy, Michaela, and Luann. A precious antique doll given new life by Becky. Beth holds the gift she received -- gorgeous sock yarn hand-dyed by Natalie (while totally serendipitous as these gift exchanges are - this is a perfect match of gift and recipient!)

As the above picture reminds us, we owe our 2015 board, led by Beth Parrott and including Peggy Pye, Ashley Schifano, Sandy Hutchinson, and Maria-Louisa Gullick deep appreciation for providing leadership for us this year.

At our November meeting, we elected a new board for 2016. Our guild has grown in membership and our upcoming 2016 board combines a really good balance of experienced and new members. We can't miss having another grand year.

2016 Officers

President - Kathy Brower

1st Vice President - Sonia Mccutcheon

2nd Vice President - Luann Fischer

Secretary - Laura Burcin

Treasurer - Ashley Schifano

Members-at-Large - Corinne Appleton and Kathy Truluck

Happy New Year to All of Us.

3rd Annual Lowcountry Fiber Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 18:25:00 +0000

The folks at the Colleton Museum & Farmers' Market in Walterboro, hosted another great fiber festival on Oct. 17. Many Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild members attended to demonstrate, promote our guild, teach, and or just to check out all that was going on. Jill Chadwick and Gary Brightwell with the museum and farmers' market were very welcoming to us (they even provided lunch for us), the space was great, and the weather was gorgeous!

Other vendors were the regular farmers' market vendors with all the local fall vegetables, a shrimp truck, sellers of home cooked treats, and lots of knitters, crocheters, seamstresses, wood turners, jewelers, and spinners.

A gentleman across the way was going to town with this round knitting loom. He said he was making hats because "winter is coming!"

Our booth was between the Summerville Knitters Guild and a couple from Beaufort who used to raise alpaca in Vermont. They have retired to better weather and occasionally go to fiber festivals to sell their remaining inventory of mostly mill-spun alpaca skeins in the full range of natural colors from white and cream to browns and greys and blacks.

Alpaca skeins from the former Coyote Creek Farm. This particular alpaca was named Adano and his coat yielded this subtly shaded, light fawn, 3-ply.


Kathy Brower brought her large rigid heddle loom and spent the day weaving a plain weave with a "sticky" mohair in these pretty complementing colors. Lots of people stopped to watch, ask questions, and some even wove a few sheds themselves. There is always lots of interest in the rigid heddle looms.Kathy didn't quite finish her scarf -- but almost!


People love to watch spinners. Many people who were familiar with spinning as Peggy is doing on her wheel on the right in this picture -- had never seen an electric wheel like Ashley is using on the left. Ashley's wheel is small and has a battery pack that she manipulates by hand to keep the wheel in motion. She surprised herself at how quickly she was able to spin up the rust colored roving you see her feeding into the wheel. (Sorry about the sun and shade line dividing this picture. Click twice on the picture and it will enlarge -- you can better see skeins Ashley spun on the electric wheel that are closest to her wheel on the table -- and the blue/green ones Peggy spun on her foot-powered wheel. )

Sometimes the electric wheel went so fast people couldn't quite see how the roving became yarn -- but when they saw Peggy on her more traditional wheel, it all made sense. Kaleigh Osborne was also demonstrating spinning on a drop spindle. (nice hand knitted sweater, Peggy!)

It was a perfect fall day at the 3rd Annual Fiber Festival. It was sunny and clear but not too hot. Later in the afternoon, Kathy and some of the knitters moved outside to enjoy the sunshine.

As we have in years past, we met several people who were particularly interested in our Guild. We distributed info sheets and business cards and really hope we'll see these folks again at other Guild meetings and events. If you are reading, know we'd love to have you join us for our regularly scheduled meeting on Nov. 21, 1:00 - 3:00 at Bees Landing Recreation Center in West Ashley, near the Walmart off of Bees Ferry and Glen McConnell.

Our program at that meeting will be what we call "Speed Dating the Fiber Arts". We'll have several stations with an instructor for several different beginner level fiber arts -- and everyone will rotate through the stations for 20 - 30 minute "get-to-know-you" interactions. Who knows, you might meet a new fiber art you want to take home with you (wink-wink)!

And at our November meeting, please don't forget to bring your knitted or crocheted 7" x 9" squares that we are are going to give Tamara Goff at Knit Oasis. She will make them into blankets and donate them to Charleston Youth Development later in the winter. For information about this project, click here. Find Tamara's latest pattern, Pixels, at KnitOasis.com.

Have a great time this fall, ya'll!

2015 Charity Project

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Sun, 04 Oct 2015 22:39:00 +0000

For the last couple of years, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild has enjoyed doing a charity project together at the end of the year. Quick recaps of these projects are found at the end of this post.

This year, we're going to tag onto a project someone else has already started. Local knitter/instructor/dyer/blogger Tamera Goff, creator of the blog, Knit Oasis, has started a project to collect knitted (or crocheted) blocks that will be made into blankets and given to Youth Development Center.

Tamera has been posting patterns on her own blog throughout the year, and we can now jump in and select patterns for easy 7" x 9" blocks. All of these patterns are doable for new as well as experienced knitters and should be made with acrylic yarn (washable).

Here are a few pattern choices with links to the directions:

The Eyes Have It

Brickworks (plus Altimeter variation)

Lines and Lines Variations

Get it? It looks fun doesn't it. These knit up really quick and use up those small amounts of yarn you never know what to do with. . .

Tamera's site gives all kinds of guidance and permission -- Any color or combination of colors -- you can make up your own pattern -- you can crochet your own pattern (just stick to the 7" wide and 9" high measurement). She has many more pattern choices on her site as well -- Take a look and cast on!

And if you're not a knitter, Tamera teaches classes -- or come on out to the Lowcountry Fiber Fair in Walterboro on October 17. PFAG members will be there in force demonstrating various fiber arts -- someone will teach you there. (This really works -- A Fiber Guild member taught me to knit four years ago on the return bus ride from our day-trip to Asheville for SAFF and I've been loving it ever since!) These blocks are perfect for brand new knitters!

We'll collect your blocks at our November meeting. Let's make a lot!

Tamera visited Charleston Youth Development Center and did a lovely post about all she learned about their history, their current work, and the important needs they address. CYD is a local umbrella organization serving troubled and at-risk young people. It operates emergency shelters for children who have to be removed from their homes, sponsors lots of good programs like Big Brother/Big Sister, and the national summer Freedom School program.

Recaps of our other charity projects: Let's Keep This Tradition Going Strong!

In 2013 we made warm felted insoles for Charleston Port & Seafarers' Society, a local organization that serves the needs of men and women who work on the ships that come and go from our port. .

Working at sea + wintertime = cold feet so felted insoles are a wonderful gift!

Last year we made fleece blankets and gave some to the Emergency Shelter at Charleston Youth Development Center and some to Charleston Area Senior Citizens.

Barbara Vanselow delivers homemade fleece blankets to the Emergency Shelter at Charleston Youth Development Center in 2014

Revisiting August and our Kumihimo Bracelets

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 21:08:00 +0000

The August meeting was great with our presenter Mily Carmichael teaching us how to make lovely beaded bracelets using the kumihimo disk. She was a wonderful teacher!

Most of us got a very good start on our bracelets, but few were able to finish by the end of our short time together. Mily sends this link where we can review the process we used and see how to finish up.

If you have finished your bracelet, please bring it our Sept. meeting on the 19th to Show and Tell!

Made by Kathy Truluck and posted to her Facebook page 2014.
Perfect for Halloween 2015!

The World Through the Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 22:14:00 +0000

This is Renate Hiller, co-director of the Fiber Craft Studio at Three-Fold Educational Center in Chestnut Ridge, NY. Her take on the meaning, the significance, of working with our hands and its relationship to our lived experience is just lovely. Four and a half minutes. Enjoy.

Good Programs Continue

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 16:18:00 +0000

Despite infrequent posts reporting it all, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild continues to stay busy and have great monthly programs.

In May we had a visit from Chiropractic Dr. Brian Cooke. Why would we have a chiropractor come to a Fiber Guild meeting? If you must ask, you probably aren't someone who spends hours of your free time hunched over your knitting, or perched on your loom's bench, operating treadles and shuttles at the same time, or any number of other contortions and repetitive motions performed in ergonomic confusion all for the sake of your latest creative flash.

The good doctor reminded us of the importance of a freely moving spine, stretching, balance, and helped us find trigger points to release tension. There was also a reminder to not sit for long stretches of time -- no matter how "into it" we are. We have to get up, take a break, walk around, take some deep breaths -- or we're going to hurt.

Whether we are knitters, or weavers, or lace makers, or rug hookers -- most of us give our hands a workout. Here are a few easy things to do to stretch out those cramped fingers.

Click here for a larger, more visible, animated image

In June we had another guest -- this time it was Mrs. Valerie Lobo. She lived the earlier part of her life in India -- and in fact, was an MD there. But she spent time with us showing us a variety of her lovely silk saris -- and lots of jewelry and accessories that are traditionally worn in India.

Brenda was game to be the model as our guest showed us how to wrap a sari.

Such lovely silk fabrics

We took our annual Summer Break in July, so are looking forward to seeing each other again in August. Our presenter will be Maria Carmichael and she will lead us in a "mini-workshop" as we make a bracelet on a Kumihimo disk.

What a coincidence! The latest issue of HGA's Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot has a review of a new book on Kumihimo.

Beautiful Braiding Made Easy Using Kumihimo Disks and Plates by Helen Deighan

The review is a positive one and particularly recommends this book for Kumihimo beginners.

Hope you can join us for this meeting in August -- the date is Saturday the 15, 1:00 - 3:00 pm at Bees Landing Recreation Center in West Ashley.

Margo Duke Workshop June 28

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Sat, 16 May 2015 02:10:00 +0000

Making Machine-Embellished, Hand-Felted Wrist Cuffs with Margo Duke

Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild will host a sure-to-be memorable workshop with Felting Artist Margo Duke on Saturday, June 28, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM.

Margo will teach machine needle-felting and wet-felting techniques, plus tips on free motion stitching that will help you achieve maximum texture. You'll be able to apply all the techniques in your own project and even incorporate hand stitching and beading.

Margo goes by Her Majesty Margo Duke, and you'll see why -- her felting is worthy of royalty! Author of two books on felting and now a resident of Bluffton, SC, she is too close to us for us not to invite her up to Charleston!

This workshop will be limited in size, so it will be an ideal setting to learn and apply what you've learned to a small scale project -- very doable in a day.

Plus, very affordable. Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild members, $65, Non-members, $80, includes your materials kit.

The workshop location is off of Folly Road on James Island, easily accessible via The Connector.

Deadline for registration is June 10. Please print out the registration form, complete the information and mail to Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild, P O Box 31341, Charleston, SC 29417. If you have questions contact our workshop coordinator, Judy Warren at 843-573-9093 or jwarren85@rocketmail.com.

Thanks to Margo Duke for lovely images of her work

PFAG at North Charleston Arts Festival, 2015

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Thu, 14 May 2015 23:35:00 +0000

PFAG was in the Arts & Crafts Vending area at the North Charleston Arts Festival again this year. Members demonstrated an array of fiber arts and gave the public the opportunity to see, touch, and feel AND try felting, spinning with a drop spindle, carding wool, weaving, knitting, crocheting, lace making, and more.

Nancy answers questions about weaving.

Barbara cards a little wool.

Kayleigh makes it look so easy!

There was lots to see at our table -- These folks are checking out embroidery (lower right), lace making (on blue pillow), and knitted socks

Barbara is showing these girls raw wool and roving.

Judy drew quite a crowd to see her felting.

This little girl loved it all! Maybe she'll join Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild soon.

An Afternoon at the Charleston Museum

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 23:29:00 +0000

In February, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild convened at the Charleston Museum to go "Behind the Scenes" with Jan Hiester in the museum's fine textile collection. Jan knows us well because she brought out one beautiful specimen after another -- and she touched all the bases our members are especially interested in -- weaving, quilting, embroidery, knitting, rug hooking, clothing . . . you name it, they've got it.

Embroidered samplers carefully displayed for us on felt sheets.

Showing its age, but still a remarkable example of the classic Blooming Leaf pattern. Look carefully and you can see this coverlet was pieced in three panels, each two pattern repeats wide.

Samples of needlepoint and the back of a quilt top.

We were excited to hear that Kate Larson, blogger for Interweave's Spinning Daily, had noticed our announcement of this program. She contacted us and asked if we could send pictures and a brief summary of our experience at the Museum. We were delighted to do so -- you can see Spinning Daily's blog post here

Big thanks go to Jan Hiester, curator of this extensive collection, for sharing with us some of the museum's treasures that aren't typically on display.

Winter This & That

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 01:47:00 +0000

Odds and Ends

Corinne Appleton sent us this one:

Seems Vickie Howell, familiar to many as the Host and Creative Consultant of DIY Network & HGTV’s show, Knitty Gritty, has been browsing through Google Trends and found this chart representing the ebb and flow of interest in knitting and crochet over the years. Here are a few fun facts she discovered:

Knitting hit its peak in popularity in 2005. Crochet? It's Right Now, Baby!
In the US, the highest concentration of knitters are found in Spokane, Reno, & Boise
American crocheters congregate primarily in Chicago, Atlanta, and LA
But if you crochet, Argentina is the place to be

The Google chart is here . This one may be easier to see and lets you manipulate the displays more than the one embedded in Vickie's article.

And Peggy Pye sent this one in. . .

A. C. Moore collects knitted and crocheted items to distribute to those in need in the US and in 20 different countries of Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Noted in the Winter 2014/2015 issue of Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, an exhibit entitled Man-Made: The Masculine Aesthetic in Contemporary Quiltmaking is currently at the Craft & Folk Art Museum of Los Angeles through May 3.

". . . This exhibition seeks to examine whether there is a male aesthetic in quiltmaking. Utilizing contemporary techniques, materials, technology, and perspectives, the eight exhibiting artists are part of a growing, loosely-knit network of male quilters who negotiate through their interests and concerns through the junctures of quilting with new technologies and machine aesthetics; with expression of masculinity and sexuality; and with person faxcinations such as heavy metal or science fiction. . . "

Continuing in this vein of random miscellaneous:


Meyriel Edge, presenter of January's program on hat making. She taught art to middle/high school students locally for 25 years. During this teaching career, she took advantage of professional develeopment opportunities that included an intensive course in millinery at the London College of Design and later, more hat making with two well-known milliners in France and England.

Our Kayleigh, ready for the runway.

And Valentine's Day is upon us. Here are two great craft ideas blending sewing, quilting, felting, embroidery -- and of course, hearts..

Hugs and Kisses.

PFAG Expresses Appreciation for Michaela McIntosh

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:09:00 +0000

Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild

Ten Years & Growing!

This year, with very little to-do, Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild, reached its 10^th anniversary. At our year-end holiday pot-luck, we gathered at Michaela's house and celebrated that birthday -- and to her surprise, we also took a bit of time to express our appreciation to Michaela -- for her efforts to found the Guild and for the way she has supported and served the organization and nurtured all of us for these ten years.

Happy 10th Anniversary to Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild. And Thank You, Michaela!

There was a group of people who were instrumental in the founding and the establishment of the Guild, but they did not start to organize or meet together before Michaela moved to town, and all of them have now moved away or moved on. Michaela has been "the one" from the beginning with the vision and the unflagging faith in us.

Many know her well, for for those who don't yet, Michaela had a full accomplished life before she ever moved to Charleston. Her former husband was a doctor, so there were the medical school years and the residency years. She raised 3 children. She taught school. She had long been a knitter. She became interested in weaving and joined Weaving Guilds wherever she lived, significantly in Oregon. She took workshops from weaving experts and attended conferences and became a very accomplished, adventurous weaver – always eager to try new projects that would help her learn more, and better understand the finer nuances, whether in regards to pattern, texture, color play, or fiber.

She told me once that she was quite happy in Oregon, but after September 11, 2001, she asked herself what she was doing on the West Coast when all of her children were East – and she moved to Charleston.

Michaela at her loom in her upstairs room in Charleston. The license plates above the window are from Oregon and North Carolina.

Finding no fiber guild here, she joined and actively participated in the Western North Carolina Fibers/Handweavers Guild. She tapped resources available through the national Handweavers Guild of America to connect with South Carolina weavers – but they were mostly in the Upstate or Midlands. She was left to her own to find fellow fiber-philes close to home.

Fortunately, Michaela started working as the demonstration weaver at Middleton Plantation and this put her in an ideal position to meet others interested in the "old-timey" fiber arts and crafts. As Michaela came into contact with people who either knew how to weave (or spin, dye, knit, quilt, etc. etc.) or wanted to -- her interest in their projects often led them to be interested in her fondest dream - a local fiber guild. Eventually a group of started meeting and took the first steps to organizing Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild.

Michaela at the dye-pot at Middleton Plantation's Sheep and Wool Festival 2009 or 2010.

At Middleton, Michaela dressed in costume and warped and worked a loom with historical faithfulness to the 16th century. She helped the plantation host sheep festivals, sheep to shawl demonstration days, and natural dye-pot demonstrations. She was able to experiment with growing indigo and other dye producing plants and dying wool spun from sheep raised at Middleton Plantation. Her skills grew, as did her sphere of contacts and influence. And the visibility of the fledgling guild grew as well.

Ultimately the founding group filed Articles of Incorporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State's office in March of 2004.

Most of us can relate a story about how Michaela invited us to a meeting, or welcomed us, or taught a workshop or a class, or helped us warp a loom until we could do it ourselves, or loaned us some equipment (like a loom) until we could afford to buy our own, or otherwise encouraged us in some important way.

Beth Parrott is our active member who has been in the Guild the longest. She got to know Michaela through a West Ashley knitting group and was one of the early Guild members – since 2004 or 2005, she thinks. Beth remembers a trip with Michaela to the Asheville area to attend a meeting of the Western NC Guild.

When asked how she has experienced and remembers Michaela’s role in founding our Guild and nurturing it through the years, Beth mentioned a long list of Michaela’s efforts and contributions:

She held the group together by serving as President multiple times
Always made sure there was an interesting program
Recruited members, and encouraged sharing knowledge and skills
Taught weaving, and housed looms at her house so they would be available for teaching
Continued to attend distant workshops, conference,s and events and brought back information/ideas to share with us
As HGA representative for SC, she connects weavers and fiber artists statewide with national resources available including learning opportunities, scholarships, the Certificate of Excellence process, and all important – connecting isolated fiber people with like-minded people close-by.
And she continues to hold out a vision of our Guild with a physical home.

Many people say they want to spend their time in a way that "makes a difference." Members of Palmetto Fiber Arts Guild know Michaela has done this for us. Ten years. . . You would think she would be tired of us. . . . but when we thought about where to gather for our year-end holiday pot-luck, she didn't hesitate to invite us to her house. . . so she must not be completely exhausted with us yet.

Thank You Michaela!

XXOO

Putting 2014 to Bed

noreply@blogger.com (Sandy Hutchinson) — Tue, 30 Dec 2014 15:15:00 +0000

Just a few notes to close out 2014.

Right after Thanksgiving, our traveling buddy, Linda L. sent us greetings from New York City. She's heading to Portugal next and plans to be back with us in February.

It was a great year for us. Thanks to our officers, Nancy Warren, Peggy Pye, Barbara Vanselow, Kayleigh Osborne and Sandy Hutchinson. Nancy, Barbara, and Kayleigh will all be stepping down after serving in their roles for two years.

The incoming board elected at our holiday pot-luck in December is: Beth Parrott as President, Peggy Pye as 1st Vice President (Peggy takes care of publicity for us). Ashley Shifano will be 2nd Vice President - primarily responsible for programs, but everyone will help on this one. Maria Luisa Castillo de Gulick steps up as Secretary and Sandy will continue as Treasurer.

Before Christmas, Barbara Vanselow and Judy Warren delivered fleece blankets to Charleston Area Senior Center and Carolina Youth Development's Charleston Emergency Shelter.

As always, our holiday pot-luck was a lot of fun this year. Just a few pictures for you to enjoy. Thanks to all who took pictures!

Fun times. More to come in 2015!