Susan McFarland
Susan is a Wisconsin shepherd of Teeswaters, a rare breed from Northern England. Each member will receive a 1 oz Touch Sample which dyes in Technicolor.
TREADLES TO THREADS GUILD
JANUARY 29, 2022, SATURDAY
10:00 A.M. ZOOM MEETING
President Vickie M. Opened the Zoom meeting and introduced Melissa Weaver Dunning in Shepherdsville, WV, near the Shenandoah Valley. Melissa allowed recording, so this presentation will be available through Pam. Please make individual requests for access later.
Keeping with the theme of “Travel the Whorl”, Melissa will introduce us to Norman Kennedy, originally from Scotland. Melissa’s weaving family came from France and she and her sisters still are weavers and singers. Melissa met Norman Kennedy in the 1980's at the Marshfield School of Weaving in Vermont. Norman was also the master weaver in Colonial Williamsburg. He was a collector of folk songs and a singer as well. Melissa then treated us to “The Night Visiting Song”, a happy love song. This is a song she sang with Norman at his 80th birthday party a few years ago. There are many recordings by him, some available on CD’s, some on YouTube and some posted on Facebook. Melissa also sings with an Irish Zoom group.
Norman Kennedy was born between WWI and WWII in Scotland. Growing up when there were so many “shortages”, people survived using “the old traditions of agriculture” for food and clothing. Norman worked in the Royal Tax office and got to see all of Scotland at this time. He was mentored in the traditions in the Outer Hebrides. As a young man, he built a loom in the bomb shelter in his back yard. He began cutting out pictures of textile production from the National Geographic and creating a physical scrapbook. This was the start of his “Ethnic Spinning Slides”. The pictures were made into slides, the slides scanned, and here we have this presentation. Melissa led us through slides from Mayan petroglyphs showing the beating of fleece to loosen fibers to Romanians washing wool in oil drums in th 1970's after the Communists burned their mills. The pictures through the decades showed the similarity of women using spindles to produce yarns for clothing and household use: Hungary, Portugal, Greece, Breton and Spanish linen production. There were pictures of spindles of all styles being used, then examples of wheel types. Finally, slides showed groups of women waulking the fabric to full and shrink it before it was tailored. In the Hebrides, lengths of cloth were accepted as payment for rent on the land. Groups would gather outside in the Spring to walk the wet fabric, singing to keep their hands moving in sync. (The recording of these slides will be worth reviewing!)
Once weavers were high society. The industrial revolution in spinning and weaving brought wages down to poverty level. Those practicing these crafts were no longer revered. Norman Kennedy used the knowledge gained from his Scottish travels to become proficient in weaving and spinning and began promoting these crafts. He taught at the Marshfield School of Weaving in Vermont where Melissa met him in 1980. She described him as a strict teacher, no hand holding. She completed a 90 inch tartan blanket in a month. Melissa now teaches at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She had slides of the school, showing students at work. Classes include a four week course on spinning for blankets and 19th century linens. Kate Smith now runs the Marshfield school. Melissa will send a resource list we can publish. She was excited to do these cross country talks and ended her 90 minute talk with a short Q and A.
Business Meeting:
There were 17 attending the holiday party at Tineke’s home. There refreshments were great, a beautiful day. The sheep ornament exchange had many lovely examples, see the previous blog page for an example.
Treasurer Pam M: The donation approved by the guild to Heifer International for the purchase of one sheep ($120), tallied up with individual donations at the party, bought two additional sheep and six shares of another sheep! Pam reported the treasury is flush at this moment.
President Vickie M. Reported the seven scarves donated to foster care will be donated on Valentine’s Day. She will change the deadline for completion of scarves the coming year will be November 1, 2022. These scarves should be 60" by 5", unisex and predominately red in color.
The second service donation was to “Snugglers” pads for shelter animals. The Contra Costa County Animal Services in Martinez were very grateful. These fabrics should be washable, dryable and sizes made for their beds.
Tones project: Carol C. has offered her yard for an in-person dye day, May 1, 2022, from 10-1 pm. This is for “Tones” participants only who need to have both vaccines and booster. There may be 14 participants.
CNCH: Dawn J. has the schedule for registration coverage at CNCH. The registration packets and goodies will be put together one week ahead, May 14, at Dawn’s home, outside patio. At Conference, Thursday afternoon and Friday will be busiest with package distribution. Several of our usual “worker bees” are taking 3-day classes, cutting into their time to help. There are 2 people signed up for Friday afternoon and 2 on Saturday for the registration desk. Carol C. and Carol G. are open for other types of volunteer helpers, too.
Winery: Will and Kate haven’t heard back about the winery being open for groups just yet. Please work on your raffle donations to bolster the guild treasury. The physical labor of set up and take down will, if at all possible, be given out to high schoolers needing community service projects and/or Boy Scouts. Our members need to cover parking, raffle set up, ticket sales, etc. Carol C. has the bullhorn for the raffle. Kate is arranging vendors. There will be no potluck, so provide your own snacks. The admission price of $10 per person is given directly to the Winery.
Calendar: February 23, 2022, Wednesday evening 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. Susan McFarland will speak about Teeswater sheep. There are touch samples of wool available for pick up at Pam’s front porch.
March 26, 2022, Saturday, 10:00 a.m. will be Sabine Schroder-Gravendyck from Germany. Touch samples of the wool from the rare breed, Coburger Fuchsschafe, are available at Pam’s now, too.
April 28, 2022, Thursday, 6:00 p.m., Amelia Garripoli will discuss Turkish spindles.
President Vickie will check with the Walnut Creek library that is opening February 7 about meeting room availability.
Shearing: Robin L. says the guild can schedule a private day to look at new fleeces. $26 coated/$17 uncoated per pound for Jacobs. There will be a skirting table set up outside. Members indicated they are not ready to make a commitment to an in person gathering. We will revisit this in February.
Forest Home Farms in San Ramon, shearing day April 23, from 10-3. See their website.
Show and Tell: Reba was helping at Meridian Jacobs and unavailable for power point.
Carol C. showed 20 groups of colored fiber from a “grab and go” exchange at Studio 49. She had a pound of fiber. Wendy L. and Amy have been quilting, Mary B. showed a shawlette. Vilija had a scarf repurposed from crochet squares from a vest.
We adjourned at 12:20 p.m.
Linda B.