March Dyeing Madness with Kathrin Weber of Blazing Shuttles

color sample skeins drying in the sun

 

Kathrin Weber of Blazing Shuttles came west this spring to do several workshops and teach at CNCH2016 in Modesto.  RFG considered themselves quite lucky to be able to book her for a dyeing workshop "Not Your Grandma's Dyepot" while she was in our vicinity. 

 

We donned our funky clothing - brought buckets, cups and measuring spoons and an array of containers along with warp chains and skeins to learn the art of creating fabulous dyed yarns.   Now to the comments about this fabulous class from participants.

 

"I had a great time. I learned a lot. Wish there had been a bit more on mixing the colors, but I think she wanted us to learn by trial and error. Kathrin Weber was fun and engaging. I also liked the cupcakes and samples projects."  - Shelley N.

"I've been steering clear of dyeing. That has changed since Kathrin's workshop. Her technique is easy and fun. My "cupcakes" turned out to be like the variegated yarns I'm always looking for . Now I can make my own. Kathrin was a helpful and patient instructor with humor mixed in." - Lorene S.

"I have already put much of what I learned this week to work. No matter how long I work with yarn, dyes and color, I keep learning more. Would recommend Kathrin's workshop to everyone."

Nancy P.

"The Weber workshop was fantastic! It was well organized, fast paced, and very informative. Kathrin is a good teacher, very lively, and I'd recommend it and her to any others. I learned new ways to dye, and a new regard for colors I wouldn't have thought to try together. I still have a lot to learn about color, and am excited to use the new warps/skeins with materials I already have to see what happens when they cross--hope it isn't mud. Many thanks to Suzanne, et al., for organizing this one, and Igor for acting as angel. "  - Kay F.

"Kathrin made this class educational, informative and fun. She generously shared her expertise and tricks and encouraged us to take risks. What a gift! For someone who thought I would NEVER need to dye, I can't wait to do some more!" -  Nancy S.

"For some time, I’ve been watching the wonderful projects coming forth from Kathrin’s workshops and wanted to get in on the action. I have quite a bit of previous dyeing experience, but this workshop  had a ton of techniques and interesting directions that I hadn’t tried before. It was an exciting couple of days and I heartily recommend Kathrin’s workshop for anyone who wants to make projects that explode with color and visual interest."      
 Beryl M.

"Must say this was one of the best and possibly the best workshop I have attended. The presentation was top-notch, smooth, professional and not confining. I think those in attendance probably took more information with them than they expected.  Kathrin is a very good instructor; very much a promoter of learning by doing and this means getting in and playing with the colors. Very enjoyable, highly recommended." - Igor R.

"We had a wonderful 2 days of learning Kathrin's method of space dying skeins and warps.  What a fun couple of days!  Lots of techniques for both weavers and knitters...This is a "must have" class for weavers.  It was amazing to see what had been woven on the warps that she had dyed...simply gorgeous!  Knitters will enjoy her class as you learn to blend the colors on the skeins." -  Jane M.

 

 

Linen and Kumihimo!

Linen runner woven by Nancy B.: Pattern is Spot Bronson

If you are following this blog, it almost looks like the Reno Fiber Guild has been resting on their laurels since Christmas.  Let me assure you, this has not been the case.

You may remember that the guild had a linen workshop with Sara von Tresckow in late October.  She had a bundle of tricks and many of her favorites are now standard practice with our weavers. (starched warps, beveled lease sticks, leaving the lease sticks in the warp after it is wound on the back beam)

Over the past months, linen towels and runners have been shown at Sage Weavers' meetings. 

Linen towels woven by Shelley N. using A German Bird's Eye from Davison (pg. 20)

 

Then, in early February, the guild had a Kumihimo workshop taught by members.  Kits were ordered from "What a Braid!" and we gathered on a Saturday to learn how to braid with beads. 

 



With several instructors that learned braiding with a disc at a workshop a couple of years ago, the group was in very good hands. 

And look at this lovely necklace made by Shelley on her very first attempt at Kumihimo (with beads, no less!)

What's upcoming for the guild?  A dye workshop with Kathrin Weber in late March.  Still a couple of spaces open, if you are interested.  And, of course, CNCH will be in Modesto the first part of April. 

Christmas Party with a Pacific Rim Theme

The Reno Fiber Guild annual Christmas party was held yesterday at Jen's home.  The weather was overcast - just a little nippy but not too cold and we all enjoyed a fantastic view of Mt. Rose with snow on its ski runs from Jen's sunroom. 

Each year the guild tradition is to bring a gift for a raffle basket.  This year, the theme was Pacific Rim (which it turns out covers a pretty big area).  All the gifts are stowed away in the basket (see photo above) waiting for the lucky winner to take everything home.  But before the raffle drawing, we all lined up for a fantastic feast from pot luck dishes (again the theme was Pacific Rim).  There was a glorious array of different foods from all sorts of exotic places.  I didn't get the camera into the kitchen until after the crowd had descended on it and the other side had the deserts - yum!

 



 After we had eaten all we could hold, the raffle ticket was drawn and Nancy S. was this year's winner.

Nancy's basket was filled to the brim and overflowing with Pacific Rim gifts.  Of course there were origami kits, sashiko embroidery kits, and a kumihimo disk in the basket, but also unique handmade items, showing off the skills of this creative group. 


handmade coin purse



kimono pin

Handwoven dévoré by Anne Field

tote bag with Japanese style motifs



As you might imagine, Nancy was having a terrific time opening all the gifts in her treasure basket.  In the photo below, she holds up one of a pair of knitted bath mitts (Pacific Oceanic fishes we must presume). 

Nancy is now the holder of the basket for the coming year and she will decide the theme for next year's raffle basket.  



 Happy Holidays from the Reno Fiber Guild!





Linen Workshop with Sara von Tresckow

Sara von Tresckow, of the Wool Gatherers, presented a three day workshop in warping and weaving with linen.  The evening before the three day workshop, Sara and her husband, Hans, brought lots of examples of linen and hemp cloth to help illustrate Sara's lecture about the qualities of both linen and hemp.

On Friday, workshop participants learned Sara's approach to warping their looms with previously wound warps that had been sized with starch.  After warps had been beamed on and threaded, everyone settled down to weave a structure that they had chosen to be their project for this workshop.

You can tell from the little slide show below,(best watched from U-Tube)  that everyone was enjoying their linen experience.  I'm sure everyone went away with valuable new knowledge about the quirks and advantages of this fabulous fiber.

Weaving - demonstrations and hands-on at South Valleys Library

Reno Fiber Guild was invited to participate in Artisan Saturday at the South Valleys Library in Reno on September 19. At the event, were basket makers, quilters, a beader, a needle felter and several spinners from Carson Sierra Spinners and Weavers Guild.

RFG brought three warped looms, two for the public to weave on and one for demonstration only.  In addition there was a card weaving project on an inkle loom and a couple of display racks with handwoven items for the public to enjoy. 

Kids (of all ages) accepted our invitation in a big way to weave on a real loom.  We also had cardboard loom kits with enough yarn for a tapestry project  and these were handed out to our participants and also those interested in weaving, but not yet ready to take the plunge for a "big loom" and the space it requires.

There were many photo opportunities at the event, but most of the time we didn't want to tear ourselves away from our interested public.  We did manage this short video clip.

Japanese Textile Studies - A Year Long Adventure

Jill  showing a garment that she constructed and dyed using Shibori techniques.

September means the beginning of a new guild year and this year Reno Fiber Guild is on a Japanese Textile adventure.  At our meeting, we invited two members who have been on textile tours in Japan and several more who just love  Japanese textiles and techniques  and agreed to share their work and textiles with members.

 

Diana  shows a scarf made of polyester that has been heat set so that the textured surface is permanent

 

 

The guild is interested in learning new skills and one of those that has a lot of potential for use in jewelry and decorative bands and braids is Kumihimo. 

 

Suzanne shows off her Kumihimo technique on the Marudai.  This pattern is using 16 tama in an 8 move sequence.

Nancy is braiding with eight tama and changes the colors after a certain length is braided so that she will have materials for three neckpieces.



 



Mary explained some interesting facts about Sashiko embroidery in her presentation.

Sashiko (an embroidery technique) is also something that seems quite plausible in decorating cloth for a variety of uses.

 

Julie purchased Haori from Kasuri Dyeworks in Berkeley quite a few years ago.  She brought her collection which had interesting surface design work.

For the grand finale, the members showed items that they had in their own private collections. Some of us had enjoyed the "old days" in which used kimono could be purchased by the 200 pound bale. Diana explained that now, the used kimono are being sold directly in street fairs instead of allowing them to be exported.  However,  prices still remain reasonable for cloth that was painstakingly created and still gorgeous.

This very long textile is an elegant obi embroidered with real gold threads.  Toni says she has used it as a table runner for holidays.

 

We ended the evening enjoying all the books and textiles on display with an eye on a full year of indulging our passion for weaving, dyeing and surface design.  Stay tuned for more posts as we learn and create our own Japanese style textiles

Weavers in Training

Our group of students started out at the beginning of May with a warped loom and directions for weaving a four shaft sampler.  We hoped to get them hooked on weaving before we got down to the nitty gritty of winding warps and dressing a loom for the first time.    

This past weekend, a group of seven got their feet wet with the real stuff. 

You will notice that student and mentor faces aren't quite so relaxed as they were on the first fun day of weaving, but everyone worked without complaint and even when there were errors to fix, did it with composure and good grace.

These are the toughest days for our newest weavers; learning how to handle the warping process on their own.  As a guild, we are attempting to provide a safety net so the offer is open to help them whenever assistance is needed.  We keep our fingers crossed that our new weavers will stick with it until they can fly solo.

 

Watch this little video to see everyone absorbed in the weaving process.