Sample Girl
I am the new sample girl for our Greater Vancouver Weavers’ and Spinners’ Guild. What does this mean? It means that every two months, I serve as a liaison between a weaver/spinner who is interested in providing woven or handspun samples to our guild newsletter and the newsletter editor and other volunteers.
Members who receive paper versions of the guild newsletter will also receive a handwoven cloth sample or some interesting handspun yarn. Members who opt to receive their newsletters by email will see a photo of the sample and can pick up a real, live sample at the following guild meeting. The handwoven samples are usually about 1.5 to 2 inches square to allow people to get a good sense of the structure, drape, and hand and are accompanied with instruction on how to produce the fabric (e.g. draft for weaving, list of yarns, special equipment, special techniques, etc.). For physical handwoven and handspun samples, the provider receives a cash honorarium.
When I volunteered to take on the task this past March, I figured it would be a great way to learn more about weaving using different techniques or fibres… but there can be no learning if there are no samples! Yep. The deadline for samples is this Friday, September 1st and all summer I haven’t heard even a peep from anybody who might be interested in contributing samples. I mentioned this to a couple long-time members and they both agree that if there are no samples, then hey, there are no samples. Too bad, but, no worries. They also mentioned that I shouldn’t feel pressured to weave something myself just so that we have samples. Ok, sounds good to me, but…
I wonder if this situation exists elsewhere. Do you belong to weaving or spinning guilds? Do you contribute samples? Why or why not? Is it just too much work? Or you think your contribution might not be appreciated? Would providing more structure be a more attractive option? For example, for November/December let’s showcase samples that employ interesting use of colour and in January/February we’ll feature handwoven samples that use overtwisted warp yarns… Or would people rather just add an extra yard or two to their warps for whatever they are working on? I have no idea. I don’t even know what would pique the interest of a long-time weaver or spinner. For me, everything is new, everything interesting. I’m sure that for a long-time weaver, things that I find fascinating would be ho hum. What would be inspiring?
So as we speed towards Friday and right past this deadline, I’m already thinking about the November 1st deadline. Maybe I should bring some fabric back from China?
Actually, I don’t even know if weaver’s guild exist here in France. We have Le Forum du Filage, but I will not be able to attend the meeting the 9th of Sept… snif
that’s gorgeous! i saw the langley weaver’s and spinner’s at the pne last week but didnt get a chance to stop by. do you know if they are going to have another festival in fort langley again this sept? thanks!
A little off topic, but I’ve been wondering about these numerical designations for yarn (e.g. 2/8, 2/16) and it finally dawned on me that it’s all about weaving not knitting. Can you explain them to me?
Thank you!
That is absolutely gorgeous! The colors are so soft and calming. They remind me of the sea. I wish I could reach out and feel it! Stupid monitor.
I think this is a great idea! I belong to a SP & D Guild in Lancashire, England and I’m going to suggest this at our next meeting.
I think the problem can be that long time members can become a bit jaded and stuck in a rut of what they’ve always done there, but to keep things alive we need change and incentive.
My guild is divided up into study groups. Last year my study group decided to use colors that you would never put together, and make it work (somehow) in a project. Everyone got different colors. What we do for a project like this is everyone weaves their own thing, and then provides a page with the weave structure, yarn size, and other instructions (warp length & width, type of fiber, etc) so if you wanted to duplicate the project you could. Some people weave a little extra to pass out as samples, but most of us go to Kinkos and color photocopy our item and pass that out with the instruction sheet. It gives a good idea of what the end result is, and it takes up less space in our project notebooks!
Hmm…I have heard of a few things that some guilds do or at least some ideas. Like, you could try featuring a new yarn that is out and providing samples of it for weaving inspiration. Also, there are sample swaps where everyone weaves something different and swaps it with the other members of the group. That way you would get a whole notebook of samples without having to do all the work.
I really like that idea, I’m not a member of any guild (since there are none) but I would so love to get samples of different weaves, as well as instructions on how to produce them myself.
I think a bit more structure might help, but since it’s a bit slow, any samples are good. So maybe have a few themes, but remind everyone that they can submit anything they feel like. The themes are just to give people inspiration.
I found your blog via our good friend Damselfly. Your yarns are beautiful! I stopped into Birkeland Bros and bought some weaving yarns….I can’t see where they have any spare room for such a concept. But a city the size of Vancouver should have a store in my opinion.
Samples: I have contributed previously to the samples, but don’t have anything to share right now. Will keep you in mind with future projects! ( I’m a member too) I also solicit samples for a national guild newsletter. The ‘volunteers’ provide 500 samples, four times a year. Big commitment! I’ve had a small group of two women do all 2000 or entire guilds share the work. The best approach is to simply ‘ask’ a group or weaver directly. It has worked for me every time. I have samples committed right till the end of 2008 right now. All the best, Susan
Saw your yarn today at Three Bags Full - so pretty! Looking forward to seeing more silk boucle, Li