Last year I joined Complex Weavers Guild. Complex Weaver Link. I joined this guild when I first started weaving and enjoyed the journal that they print and send several times a year.
My first impression was that it was beyond my weaving ability. So I did not rejoin until 2018. Actually my first impression was wrong, the problem was that I did not join any of the study groups and did not take advantage of the library.
Library: Last year I read many books that I would never have had access to. It is easy to get the books. All I needed to do was look at their library on line and email the author and title of the books I wanted to their Librarian. She quickly pulls the books, calculates the postage and emails the options. Once you decide how to send the package she mails it to you. The books are on loan for 1 month and if you need longer just email the librarian and as long as no one is waiting for the books another month extension is given. Payment for the shipping is sent either by check when the books are returned or by PayPal.
The best thing is the sample books created by some of the study groups. They are a collection of samples woven by the members, including the draft and notes. Some of the weavings are spectacular. There is nothing like seeing and feeling the fabrics. It is a great way to see fibers used that you have never woven with.
Study Groups: I started with one study group last year. Designing Fabric, this group does not exchange woven samples. It chooses a study theme for the year and each member submits an article once during the year. We just upload the article to the internet and have the opportunity to discuss it with the other members.
For 2019 I joined 2 other groups, 24 More or Less and Double Weave. I tried to get into the Sixteens group, but they were at their maximum enrollment.
24 More or Less is a group for weaving with at least 17 shafts or more. All one needs to do is weave a draft using 17 shafts or more, any structure is allowed. The samples are typically about 6"x6" to 8"x8" and you need to weave 31 samples. ( one for each member and one for the library). These were due to be sent to the leader of the group by Feb. 15th. That was easy to do. Now I can start planning for next year.
Double Weave is, as the name states, a study of double weaving. This group selects a type of double weave to study each year. This year is Deflected Double Weave. 4 times a year project notes and a WIF file are due, two of these projects need to deal with Deflected DW and the other two can be projects from their lists. Only one of the projects needs to be a Deflected DW woven project.
They have lists of projects, each with a different subject. There are lots of previous projects to see and study and reference material to read.
This is a great way to force myself to concentrate on a type of weaving. Although weaving each project is not required, I find it the best way to learn so I will be doing a lot of DW this year.
More Groups: There are many more groups in Complex Weavers and it is tempting to join more but, I don't want to always have a deadline to meet. The spacing of due dates for these 3 groups works for me and the Double Weave will keep me busy.
Complex Weavers is a great guild if you participate. Every two years they have a conference with a fashion show, weaving competitions, and lots of seminars and learning opportunities. Their next conference is 2020
in Knoxville, Tn.
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