Monthly Guild Meeting – Speaker Liz Baltesz

programme on September 25, 2023

Natural Dyeing For Vibrant Knitting – (or how to use lots of small samples!)

The talk is based around six projects made with my plant dyed yarn.

  • The main classic natural dye families – madder, cochineal, logwood, weld, walnut, indigo and woad
  • Building a British palette using indigenous plants
  • Foraging for a place specific palette
  • Smashing some natural dyeing myths, including how to get deep and bright colours, the role of mordants and modifiers, understanding the difference between true dye plants and those that give temporary stains

Evolution of my dyeing practice, including how I got started and my recent projects
Liz Baltesz cowl 2Liz Baletz1Liz Baletz3Liz Baletz 4

Monthly Guild Meeting – Linda Cortright of Wild Fibers

programme on September 25, 2023

Linda Cortright penguins 1 1

Linda Cortright form Wild Fibers (USA) will be giving a Zoom talk to start off the New Year entitled From Fairy Penguins to Funereal Traditions, the natural fiber industry is equal parts ageless and complex  Traditionally, we think of how natural fibers have clothed civilizations for centuries, but in the age of synthetic dominance they continue to have an enduring and environmentally precious use.

Linda Cortright 2

 

 

Janet Phillips Deflected Weave Workshop Part 2

programme on July 1, 2023

On this workshop you will be making a sample blanket which will be woven on 8 shafts.

You will learn the design method to weave deflected double cloth on more than 8 shafts even though the sample blanket will be woven on 8 shafts.

In Janet’s book Exploring Woven Fabrics  she uses 8/2 ne cotton, or 2/17 nm wool but something thicker would be ok 6/2 ne cotton or a wool such as 2/11.5 nm.  You will need 2 colours of about 200 grams each and a tiny bit of a third colour.  Hopefully you will have something suitable in your stash,  If everyone uses a different yarn you will all learn more.

Beginners are welcome to join the course.  It is a simple structure but produces complex looking cloth.  The only proviso is that a beginner must be confident about making a warp and dressing their own loom.

The warp and weft structure will be completed in Lesson 1 so you can then weave the sample blanket in the intervening week and the second lesson would be for developing other ideas and solving problems.

A warping sheet will be sent out to everyone beforehand so that your loom will be ready for weaving. Janet will be available for questions throughout the time of the course.  The lessons will be videoed and available for two weeks after the course. If you cannot attend on the nights of the workshop, the video link will be sent to you but viewing will need to be within thet two week period.

The Workshop cost to London Guild Members is £30.00. Janet also advises that you have a copy of her book Exploring Woven Fabrics as the information in this book will be used throughout the workshop.  This is available from her website janetphillips.co.uk at cost of £39.95.

Janet Phillips2

 

20 Places available

This Workshop is now full  28/6/2023