Author: Sally Kemph

Since COVID-19 has made such an impact on live meetings, the Peachtree Handspinners Guild has been meeting via Zoom.  Members are sent the link to the meetings.  The February 27, 2021 Zoom meeting program will be presented by Christine Cox.  The subject is Sashiko and Boro Revealed.  

Yay, it’s time for our Holiday Social, which starts at noon!! Bring a dish (salad, appetizer, main or dessert), wear your reindeer antlers or sparkly headgear if you dare, and get your jingle jazzed. After welcoming of guests and abbreviated announcements, we eat and the festivities really begin. Special visitors usually arrive to entertain us and bestow Dizzy Spinster Awards and gifts to the unsuspecting (Rumplestilskin usually brings one of his ooo-la-la sisters); will you be on the list? Be prepared to laugh and possibly blush! We also hold the biggest raffle of the year – the Teacup Raffle. Everyone is encouraged to bring a really nice, fiber-related contribution. With one or more items from everyone, we’ll have LOTS of prizes to award. Extra special items have a $1-ticket but everyone present gets one fifty-cent ticket. This meeting is a blast so make plans to be here and have a good time!

November’s program is one all long time members look forward to and new members should be sure to not to miss. Although there is no teacup raffle you won’t miss it. Our Guild Sale and Flea Market is one of the best ways to stock up on fiber supplies and have a lot of social fun. You never know what people will bring to destash but you can always find a bargain or something for a lot less than retail. In past years we’ve seen looms (all types), big bags of roving and unprocessed fleeces, fiber books, handmade sheep ornaments, pretty jewelry, felted scarves and handmade soaps, hand-thrown pottery knitting bowls, homebaked goodies and jams, and more. Be sure to come to this month’s meeting with a bit of extra cash. Oh, and don’t come late as buying often starts in the parking lot as cars start being unloaded. It’s a very fun meeting!

We will also be voting for the 2020 Officers.

Thanks to a big handful of volunteers, our annual ‘Wheel Go Round’ will happen in August for our program. For the new members, this event allows guests and members to try out different types and brands of spinning wheels, plus time to talk to the owners about their wheel(s), what they like or don’t like, what recommendations they’d make, et cetera. We usually have an antique wheel or two, sometimes a walking/great wheel, several contemporary styles, a few traditional, an ultra-portable or small wheel, and sometimes an electric wheel. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to try something new, even if you have no intention of bringing a new wheel home in the near future.

Ruth will bring some fiber for each person who has signed up but if anyone has several ounces of wool they don’t think they’ll ever use (any color or breed), a donation of 1-2 ounces would be appreciated. If you did not sign up to let others try your wheel but would like to, please email Ruth at rjrowell.ua@gmail.com before August 15 with your name, type/brand of wheel and whether or not you are comfortable with others trying it or if you prefer to demonstrate only. See y’all at the August meeting!

The Peachtree Handspinners Guild will meet Saturday, March 23, 2019, 1:00 to 4:30 pm in the fellowship hall of North Decatur Presbyterian Church (NDPC).  The door will be open at 12:30 with the business meeting starting at 1:00.

The program for the March meeting will be presented by Paula Vester on Band Weaving. All over the world, people have the need for narrow strips of cloth; to wrap around bundles or packages, to trim bags and clothing, to make ties for all sorts of things people need to carry or close. You can cut strips off of old pieces of clothing, but throughout history, people have also simply woven narrow bands of cloth for those uses.

During the program-time, we will see some different tools people use to weave narrow bands. Attendees will also have a chance to weave their own narrow bands. We will use Tape Looms, backstrap looms, inkle looms, card-weaving sleds and other forms of looms to weave. If you have played with this type of weaving bring your looms and your own examples to show off.

The Peachtree Handspinners Guild will meet   Saturday, February 23, 2019, 1:00 to 4:30 pm in the fellowship hall of North Decatur Presbyterian Church (NDPC).  The door will be open at 12:30 with the business meeting starting at 1:00.

The program will be presented by Leslie Bronson and Carol Hassell. Box and paper maker Claudia Lee, https://www.claudialeepaper.com/  taught an amazing Stitched Boxes workshop at SEFAA.  Several folks from PHG took her workshop. We learned new ways to use some old fibers we already know and love. We created whimsical boxes made with gorgeous handmade cotton and hemp papers and stitched them with waxed linen and in some cases, handspun yarns.

Carol and Leslie were at the workshop and will give a presentation to the guild at our February meeting. We’ll discuss the class, Claudia’s amazing work and the basics of making a stitched paper box. We’ll have a PowerPoint presentation (thank you, Carol!) and show and tell. If you attended Claudia’s workshop, please bring your boxes for show and tell!