Art Batts and Drop Spindles highlighted at September meeting

Left and center: Drop spindles made from CDs.
Right: Top whorl wooden spindle.

Want to learn how to spin your own art yarns? Join the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on September 10 for a demonstration on spinning with a drop spindle, preparing fiber for art batts, and spinning from the fold.

For those new to spinning, CD drop spindles will be available to use and can be purchased after the demonstration for $1. These spindles spin easily and are well balanced. If you have a drop spindle and are unsure of how to get started, bring it to the meeting and guild members will be available to assist you.

How to make art batts on a carder is the second part of the program. From there, a demonstration on spinning from the fold will be provided. Experienced spinners are encouraged to bring their wheels to the meeting if they wish to try this technique. Pin drafted roving will be available for purchase as well.

Come out and take a spin with the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild at the September meeting. The guild is open to new members and visitors are welcome.

  

Try your hand at throwing the shuttle

Visit the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting this Saturday, August 6, and give throwing a try—"throwing a shuttle," that is.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild August program:
"An Introduction to Weaving."

The program, "An Introduction to Weaving," will be presented by guild members and will provide a brief overview of several types of looms. The looms will be warped and ready for anyone interested in throwing the shuttle. Several different weaving patterns will be threaded on the looms so members and visitors can see and experience weaving different structures. There will even be an 8-harness loom warped for the more adventuresome person to try! No experience is necessary.

The guild meeting starts at 11 a.m. with a Show and Tell by guild members, followed by the weaving program.

A whole lot about buttons

Linda Rhodes, button collector

The Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild had the pleasure of hearing button collector, Linda Rhodes, talk about buttons and her extensive collection at the July guild meeting.

In her presentation, Linda provided information about the history of buttons, the various materials from which buttons are made and the categories that collectors use to define their buttons— linear, contour and realistic.

Interesting button history:

• While women were still lacing up their garments in the 18th century (hold it in, ladies, while we lace you up), buttons were being used on men's suits, shirts, cuffs and knee pants. 
• Did you know that in the Victorian era, the buttons on women's mourning dresses were matte black? Only after an appropriate mourning period could shiney black buttons be used.
• Before garments were discarded, the buttons—considered too valuable to discard—were clipped off and saved in the "button box." 
• In the late 1950s, "studio buttons" were made by artists and specifically sold to collectors.

Vases of button flowers and button cookies.

Show and Tell

Veronica Hofman Ortega is published in Summer Belle Armoire magazine. (left)
Kathy Swift-Lawson shows her alpaca yarn. (right)

Pat shows a lace shrug she made from just two knitted rectangles!

Needle felting and hand spun alpaca yarn.

A hand woven shawl. (left)
Hand spun art yarns. (right)

Guild members attended a workshop on the magic loop
technique and learned how to add beads to knit fingerless gloves.

Crocheted kitchen scrubbies.

A shrug made from hand-dyed yarn combines knitting and crochet.

A bit about Buttons, progam in July

Buttons, buttons... would you like to know a bit more about buttons? At the July 9 meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, button collector, Linda Rhodes, will share her insights on buttons and collecting buttons. Linda is a member of several button clubs and state organizations and loves to talk to others about buttons, her collection, and the stories behind these small, ornamental and functional fasteners. Those interested in having Linda assist in identifying a button are welcome to bring it to the meeting.

A Taste of Beaded Embellishments

Beads can add color and sparkle to a variety of items. The May program at the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting offered options for combining beads with knitting. Guild members are reminded that beading and beaded embellishments can fulfill the 2011 Guild Challenge requirement of a decorative design element for a "Fiber and Caffeine get me going..." tote bag. All guild members are encouraged to create an entry for the Challenge. Challenge results will be exhibited at the October guild meeting.

 Show and Tell

Guild members show off their fiber talents at Show and Tell.

Sally Broom models her hand knit Ruffle Scarf (left).
Martha Ooten shows her hand dyed angora fibers and
a knitted shawl from hand spun yarn (right).

Veronica Hofman-Ortega's work will be featured in the July issue
of Belle Armoire magazine (left).
A hand knit beret by Dana Huskey from her hand spun yarn (right).

Mary Wells' hand spun yarns.

Free-form crochet pieces from hand spun yarn by Martha Ooten.

Knit One Below: a stitch for many fabrics

A demonstration of the "Knit One Below" knitting technique was the program at the April Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting. This technique creates a drapey fabric that looks good on both the right and wrong sides. Solid or long striping yarns are good choices for this type of colorwork knitting. A baby hat pattern using the Knit One Below (K1B) stitch can be found here.

As seen in Elise Duvekot's book, Knit One Below: One Stitch, Many Fabrics this technique offers a variety of color, design and pattern options. With the appropriate choice of yarn and needle size, K1B is an option for constructing your tote bag entry for the 2011 "Fiber and Caffeine get me going" Guild Challenge. All members are encouraged to experiment with new fabric and construction techniques for their Guild Challenge entry. Guidelines and deadline information for the annual Guild Challenge are listed here.

In support of the Guild Challenge's decorative design element guideline, the program for the May meeting will be "Bead as you Go." "This is an easy and flexible technique," says Kathy Swift-Lawson, the program's presenter, "and you don't have to pre-plan the design or pre-string the beads." Kathy uses this beading technique on her knitted scarves, but indicated that it could be used on crocheted items as well. So, how easy is that?? Come to the May guild meeting and find out!

Show and Tell

Left: hand woven dish towel   Right: knitted wall hanging from left-over sock yarns

Monogrammed woven baby "blankie"

Beaded knit scarf using "Bead as you Go"

Hand made Sneaters from felted recycled sweaters.

Sneater, Sneater, Sneater

Fleece blankets, blue jean totes support community organizations

When everyone lends a helping hand, quick and easy sewing and fiber art projects are always fun and rewarding.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild members create tote bags for walkers and fleece blankets to support two community organizations.

Members of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild collaborated on two such projects at the March guild meeting to support local community organizations. Tote bags for walkers were made from blue jeans and lap blankets were made with soft, colorful, easy-care fleece fabrics.

Mary Lou shows options for walker  bags.

Guild member and Team Lead for the guild's Community Service Project, Mary Lou Scohier, researched the needs for a local seniors program (Alexian Brothers PACE) and set out to create a pattern for low-cost, easy-to-make tote bags that could be secured to walkers. Blue jeans, with their sturdy fabric construction and multiple pre-existing pockets seemed a most appropriate choice for the source material.

Old blue jeans in various sizes were collected and brought in by guild members. The legs of the blue jeans were cut off at the hip and the opening sewed closed to create the body of the tote bag. The bottom of the bag was boxed and handles for attaching the bag to a walker were made from the jeans legs.

The body of the walker totes.

A tote bag attached to the walker.

Guild members also revisited a project from a 2009 community service endeavor to create lap blankets from colorful fleece fabric. Instructions for creating these popular two-sided throws can be found at this September 2009 post. This is a no-sew project that is fast and fun to make.

Front and back fabrics are aligned with wrong sides together before cutting fringe.

Fringe is tied to create a soft, cuddly lap blankets.

In about two hours, 11 tote bags and 12 fleece blankets were close to completion. Recipients of the items are the Alexian Brothers PACE program and the Hatch's House of Hope program of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for pediatric cancer.

The guild Show and Tell included a bobbin-buster weaving and hand-knit dog sweaters.