September 27, 2022 meeting announcement!

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Hi Folks!
We plan to gather in person at the Congregational Church of Harvard (5 Still River Road) at 7:00pm on September 27th.  While we do have some business to address, this will primarily be an organized social meeting to catch up on what we did over the summer.
Business:
–Dues are due!  If you have not already paid your 2022-2023 dues, you may pay them at the meeting.  Please make your $25 check payable to NVWG.  Dues must be paid by the October meeting to remain a member for this year.
–Vote on Bylaws amendments.  The proposed Bylaws changes were sent to all members on June 29th for your review.  There are some important changes to consider before the vote.  We will send the document again as a reminder to review it before the meeting.  Please watch your email for this reminder.
–Please bring your 2021-2022 Guild Challenge with you to this meeting.  We will take pictures for use in the Annual Report!
Social:
-Fellow member Chris Zook will Emcee the social activities.  Please be prepared to spend 2 or 3 minutes to “show and tell” what you did over the summer!
-There will be door prizes to give out!  These are little gifts that were provided by the HGA.
-Mingling, as time allows.  We have the church hall until 9pm.
New members are always welcome!
In accordance with current local, State and Federal guidelines, masks will be optional.
We hope to see you there!

Harvard-Bolton Open Studios Weekend, October 1-2, 2022

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An opportunity to demonstrate weaving and sell finished goods at the Bolton-Harvard Open Studios weekend of October 1-2, 2022. The hours are 10:00 AM-4:00 PM on Saturday and 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM Sunday, with the option to stay till 5:00 PM.

The Fiber Loft is giving us use of the upstairs space. The Guild will have to take payments for our goods with 10% of sales to be paid to the Fiber Loft for commission. 

The Greater Boston Yarn Crawl is the same weekend and higher than average numbers of people are anticipated to be visiting the store. It is an excellent opportunity for a weaving demonstrations to the public, selling our finished items, along with some of Pauline Duke’s finished goods, and publicity for the Guild.

There will be plenty of company! Several guild members (Leslie, Chris, Reba, and Penny) plan to attend. You can come for just one day or part of the day. Who else wants to join us?

Summer Break

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The NVWG is currently on Summer Break, but things are on track for the fall on the fourth Thursday of the month! Check the Program tab for dates and details as they become available. In the meantime, members are invited to post comments and photos about your own summer fiber fun!  Here are some of mine.

a woman petting two sheep, one black and one white
Fun petting sheep in Iceland!
a wine label with cute little sheep on it
I love Sauv Blanc, but this one I chose solely based on the adorable label!

June Meeting and Pot Luck

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The Annual Meeting and Potluck are set for June 28, 2022, with rain dates of June 29 or June 30, 2022, at the home of Marie Porteus. 

The meeting will start time is 6:00 PM. This is the Guild’s Annual Meeting and on the agenda is a vote on the revisions and amendments to the Bylaws, election of officers, and announcements.

We have scheduled fun time with the guild challenge and other show and tell projects, eating, socializing, and door prizes.

You can bring your own food and drink if you’re not comfortable sharing or bring a dish to share if you feel comfortable doing so.

Please, bring a chair, bug spray, your own place setting, appropriate layers for sun or chilliness, etc.

Masks are optional. Restrooms are inside, but everything else will be outside

We’ll send Marie’s address to the membership list rather than posting it online.

NVWG May 24, 2022, Meeting 7:00 PM Hybrid Format

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Our May 24, 2022, guild meeting will start at 7:00 PM. This is the meeting originally scheduled for April that was postponed. It will be conducted in the hybrid format so those that are interested in meeting in person will have the option to do so and those who would prefer to Zoom will have that option open to them. The meeting link will be provided by Kathy closer to the date of the meeting. The live in-person meeting will be held at the United Church of Christ, 5 Still River Road, Harvard, MA.

Sue Hall-Smith will present Color and Weave Using Huck: The Results of MY COE II Project. Sue will be showing some of the many samples she wove for this study for her COE II, as well as the finished pieces. After a quick refresher on Huck Lace’s structure, she will introduce the variations she discovered during this process. The placement of color (as the float or as the ground) within the Huck unit creates a whole new appearance in the cloth. Adding a third color to the design opens up more possibilities.

 

ZOOM ONLY Guild Meeting, Tuesday, April 26, 2022 7:00 PM

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Change of plans, due to COVID!  We are switching this meeting to Zoom only.  The speaker will be announced shortly.  We will have Sue Hall-Smith come another time.

Our April  26, 2022, meeting will start at 7:00 PM. This meeting will be conducted in the hybrid format so those that are interested in meeting in person will have the option to do so and those who would prefer to Zoom will have that option open to them. The meeting link will be provided by Kathy closer to the date of the meeting. Sue Hall-Smith will present via Zoom from her home in VT.  The live in-person meeting will be held at the United Church of Christ, 5 Still River Road, Harvard, MA.

Sue Hall-Smith will present Color and Weave Using Huck: The Results of MY COE II Project. Sue will be showing some of the many samples she wove for this study for her COE II, as well as the finished pieces. After a quick refresher on Huck Lace’s structure, she will introduce the variations she discovered during this process. The placement of color (as the float or as the ground) within the Huck unit creates a whole new appearance in the cloth. Adding a third color to the design opens up more possibilities.

NVWG Meeting, Tuesday, March 22, 2022 7:00 PM

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We will be having a HYBRID meeting. Those people interested in meeting in person will meet at the United Church of Christ, 5 Still River Road, Harvard, MA at 7:00 PMThe church is next to the General Store. The entire program will be live-streamed on Zoom.  Please be patient with your production team, hybrid meetings are still very new to us all!

There will be two of the presenters in-person with samples, and two more will zoom in remotely.

For a Zoom link please contact Kathy Tappen.

 

NVWG Meeting Tuesday, February 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM

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Our February 22, 2022, meeting will start at 7:00 PM on Zoom. The meeting link will be provided by Kathy closer to the date of the meeting.  Our guest speaker is Kathrin Weber who says this about the presentation she has prepared for us:

Creative Use of Materials, Color, and Technique
“Do you have yarn in various colors, textures, weights, and yarn types that you are not sure what to do with? Perhaps you have a lovely yarn that may not be strong enough for that warp you want to wind. Or your yarn is too fine or too big or the colors are too bright and they don’t go together. Or, to be honest, the yarn you have been hoarding is just too dang expensive to use! How do you make a little go a long way?

This lecture with images will help you think of creative ways to plan and execute woven projects of mixed yarn types and colors that you might have thought would never go together technically or visually. Spend a little time with me thinking, “What if…?” And then dig through your yarn closet for hidden treasures waiting to be woven.”

A bit about Kathrin from her website – blazingshuttles.com

“Kathrin has been a full-time studio fiber artist since 1980. Her work revolves around dyeing, weaving, and teaching. She has a fearless enjoyment in using hand-dyed color in her teaching, shop sales, and weaving. She enthusiastically encourages students to dive into color. No matter what her classes are officially entitled, they are ultimately about color, technique, and weaving good fabric.

Kathrin is a member of the Southern Highland Handcraft Guild. She has a strong belief in encouraging technical proficiency and personal design. She served 6 years on the Standards Committee for Southern Highland Guild and as the chair of Standards for Piedmont Crafts Guild. Kathrin is currently serving as a member of the PCI Standards Committee. She teaches at Penland, Arrowmont, John C. Campbell Folk School, Peters Valley, Appalachian Crafts School, Fiber Guilds, and Fiber Conferences across the country.

Kathrin encourages fiber folks to join her on Blazing Shuttles Chatter Facebook page to meet and join several thousand weavers who are making beautiful woven items with her hand-dyed yarn.” 

January Guild Meeting–Tuesday 25 Jan 2022, 7:00 p.m. on Zoom (link to be provided by Kathy)

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Guild member Penny Lacroix will present “The Abbot Worsted Company; The Business, the People and the Community”

In 1855, a partnership was established in Graniteville, Massachusetts “under the name of Abbot Worsted Company by John W. Abbot, John W. P. Abbot and Charles G. Sargent, special partners, to manufacture fine worsted yarn braid and upholstery yarn, employing 20 hands.” For the next 100 years, the company would operate multiple spinning mills in Westford, forever changing the character of the small farming community.

This presentation will report not only the evolution and growth of the company, but also how it drove the social and economic structure of the town. Becoming the largest manufacturer of carpet worsted yarns in the world by 1916, it provided low cost housing, medical care, and social and recreational opportunities for employees and their families.

This program was originally presented at the 2021 Weaving History Conference hosted by the Thousand Islands Art Center.