Acadian Weaving's rich Cajun history

"Laissez le bon temps roulez!" [Let the good times roll] topped off the introduction of Debbie Todhunter's presentation on Acadian Weaving at the April meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild.

Brown cotton rolags (left), Acadian woven hand towels,
and uncarded bolls of brown cotton.

The Acadians, original French colonists of the eastern Canadian maritime provinces and a portion of modern-day Maine, were inhabitants of New France's unspoiled wilderness colony since the early 1600s. In the early decades of the 1700s, "the turmoil of six colonial wars," Ms. Todhunter said, "finally resulted in the Great Expulsion (1755-1763) of the Acadian people [by the British]."

Debbie Todhunter

After being ousted from their homes with not much more than the clothes on their backs, some Acadians migrated down North America's Atlantic coast and eventually found refuge in southern Louisiana. Here, they blended their French Canadian culture, language and domestic skills—including spinning and weaving—with what they found in their new Louisiana home. These French Canadian immigrants became known as Cajuns.

For weaving and spinning, the Acadians that settled in Louisiana had forgone wool fiber and mostly used the readily available short-staple brown cotton and some white cotton. Ms. Todhunter distributed packets of brown cotton to the meeting attendees and demonstrated the process of hand ginning (removing the seeds).

Ginning the cotton by hand.

 Guild members had an opportunity to card the cotton fibers into rolags. 

Carding the cotton fibers into rolags in preparation for spinning.

Limited dye resources yielded a small color palette in Acadian woven textiles. The colors were white, cinnamon, brown, indigo and a unique green tone achieved from overdying the brown cotton with indigo. "Plain weave" was used to weave utilitarian items; many having patterns comprised of stripes of varying widths and colors.

The Acadian style of weaving, the focus of an extensive study of 150 samples by the Complex Weavers Study Group, illustrates both diversity and simplicity of what is achieved with two harness looms. Ms. Todhunter's presentation included weaving samples from the study, and her collection of newspaper clippings, books and other articles on Acadian weaving and its weavers.

Newspapers and other articles on Arcadian weavers, textiles,
and Acadian lifestyles.

What started as a desperate situation in the history of the Acadian people has given rise to a treasured and unique form of weaving that is regarded by today's weaving aficionados and textile historians. "They had to introduce patterns with color..." stated Mrs. Elaine Bourque, who studied with master Acadian weaver, Gladys LeBlanc Clark, "... and I thought, my goodness, these people were artists... they just didn't know it."

For more information and a video of Gladys LeBlanc Clark, go here. "To hear [Mrs. Clark] speak is to really get a sense of how she lived her life, sharing her heritage," adds Debbie Todhunter.

Brown cotton, carders and a reference book on textiles of northeastern Canada.

Uncover the mystery of Acadian weaving

You may know about the German weavers in Pennsylvania, the coverlet weavers in New England, and the overshot weavers across Tennessee, Kentucky and through the Southern Highlands... but Acadian weaving is a mystery to many. To find out about these wonderful woven textiles, visit the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on April 14 for a program on Acadian Weaving presented by Debbie Todhunter, a hand weaver and Acadian weaving aficionado.

Acadian weaving has historical roots in French Canada and Louisiana. In their native Canada, the Acadians raised sheep and used the wool in their woven fabrics. In 1765, they were removed from Canada and immigrated to southern Louisiana where they replaced wool with cotton, the indigenous fiber of their new home.

 A young Gladys LeBlanc Clark at a loom. Courtesy of National
Endowment for the Arts. 2011. "Gladys LeBlanc Clark ."
KnowLA Encyclopedia of Louisiana. 

In her presentation, Debbie will discuss the spinning of cotton and the variety of patterns that can be achieved with Acadian weaving and simple, two-harness looms. She'll take us on a journey into the rich history of this weaving technique and via the magic of DVD technology, you'll meet

• Mrs. Gladys LeBlanc Clark, probably the last Acadian spinner/weaver to learn spinning and weaving from her mother, father, and grandmother;
• Mrs. Audrey Bernard, who amassed a vast collection of Acadian textiles, and who herself spun and wove. Her collection was part of the basis for the Complex Weaver's Acadian Weaving Study Group;
• Mrs. Elaine Bourque, who demonstrated the techniques taught to her by Mrs. Clark and regales us with stories about weaving and spinning;
• Mrs. Mary Lynn Jackson, who provides background information about L'Amour de Maman, and shares personal reminiscences of Mrs.Clark and Mrs. Bernard.

Join the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild on Saturday, April 14, for a look into the unique woven textiles and culture of Acadian weaving. Visitors are welcome.

Beaded Adornments: 1 bead at a time

Susan J. Parks, beadsmith

"It's about adding one bead to another bead," says beadsmith Susan J. Parks when talking about the process of creating her exquisite beaded adornments. At the March meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, Ms. Parks provided a demonstration on ladder, herringbone, peyote and coral stitches and showed examples of her beaded jewelry.

Susan has a BFA with an emphasis in jewelry and also studied at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts in Alberta, Canada.

"Every culture in the world does beadwork," Susan says, and she enjoys blending influences, techniques and motifs from different cultures to create her own style of beaded adornments. She uses gradual changes in colors, values and shades to create vibration, dimension and movement in her pieces.

Off-loom beaded hangings.

Beaded crochet bracelets and a beaded necklace by Susan Parks.

Visit Susan's web site, www.parks4adornments.com to see more of her beautiful beaded designs.

Show and Tell

Guild Show and Tell included a woven wrap, 3D beaded pieces, various knitted and crocheted items, a sewing kit from recycled blue jeans, and an antique weaving device that was obtained at a local estate moving sale.

Woven wrap.

3D beading and 3D crochet.

Hand knit baby pants.

Recycled pockets from blue jeans made into a sewing kit.

Antique weaving device.

Fleece blankets find good homes

Meet Schroeder. He and his friends at the Pet Placement Center of Chattanooga were the recipients of fleece blankets made by members of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild.

Here's Schroeder:

"Wow! Look at all the nice soft blankies the ladies from the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild brought to us."

"Hey guys, com' on check these out... they are really soft..."

"We like to romp and play here at the Pet Placement Center. We especially like when people visit, adopt us and take us home with them."

"... all this romping is making me sleepy..."

"I think I'll snuggle up on my new blankie and take a little snooze."

Additional fleece blankets were donated to RIVER, the Regional Institute for Veterinary Emergencies and Referrals. Angie, a technician at RIVER, thanked the guild on behalf of the staff, dogs and cats that will love the blankets and put them to good use.

Thank You from RIVER!

The McKamey Animal Center also received nine dog pillow beds. Guild members made the beds by stuffing flannel pillowcases with scraps of fleece.

Sewing for the love of animals

Five sewing machines + one serger + a passionate group of fiber art enthusiasts from the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild = 31 dog and cat blankets and 9 pillows for animal care facilities in the Chattanooga area.

Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild members sewed fleece, flannel and terry towel
blankets and bed liners to provide warmth and comfort to animals and pets.

The February guild meeting began with a presentation and videos about rehabilitation services for animals that was given by Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practictioner, Cassy Englert. Many pets and service dogs have benefited from the underwater treadmill, neuromuscular electrical stimulation, athletic conditioning and other theraputic services available at RIVER and similar facilities.

Carbon, a flat coated retriever, uses the underwater treadmill.

After the presentation, guild members got to work cutting fleece, flannel and terry towels for the animal blankets.

Cutting terry towels for a dog blanket.

Measuring and trimming fleece fabric to size.

Flannel pillow cases were stuffed with knit and fleece trimmings to make dog beds and crate liners.

Stuffing pillow cases with trimmings and fabric scraps.

Sewing machines and servers were humming. Pillow cases that were stuffed with scraps were sewn closed.

Sewing the pillow cases closed to create dog beds.

Pieces of fleece, flannel and terry towels were sewn together to make cat and dog blankets. Old flannel shirts can also be cut and repurposed for these blankets. Step-by-step instructions for making dog blankets with flannel shirts can be found here.

Serging and sewing per blankets.

At this meeting, guild members completed 31 blankets of various sizes and 9 dog beds for their annual community service project. It all went to the dogs... and cats.

Show and Tell

Left: A year-long "Sky Scarf" knitting project inspired by
the changing colors of the sky.  Right: A quilted batik table topper.

Left: Neckwear woven on the triangle loom with bead embellishments.
Right: Knitted items with alpaca yarns.

Woven cotton dish towel.

Soft blankets for furry friends

Kitty Love.

Unconditional Love—this is what we get from the furry, four-legged friends in our lives, our pets. At the February 4 meeting of the Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild, we'll be spreading some "puppy (and kitty) love" with Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner, Cassy Englert, who will give a short presentation on rehabilitation and wellness services for dogs and cats. She will also provide an overview of the emergency services and specialized care provided by the Regional Institute for Veterinary Emergencies and Referrals (RIVER) in Chattanooga.

In addition to the presentation, the guild will be making lap blankets and crate liners to support local animal care centers and shelters. The blankets provide warmth and comfort to our furry friends. Guild members are asked to bring the following supplies and tools to the meeting:

• old towels in any size (beach, bath, hand and facecloth size)
• flannel fabrics, old flannel shirts or flannel pillow cases
• scissors for cutting fabric
• rotary cutters, cutting mats and acrylic rulers

Fleece fabrics will be provided, but donations are gladly accepted.

"We've made these quick and easy fleece lap blankets in previous years and it's been an enjoyable activity for our guild members," says Veronica Hofman-Ortega, the guild Website Administrator. "Everyone chats and giggles while we assemble the blankets. It's very social."

Join us on Saturday, February 4, to partake in some Puppy and Kitty Love. New members and visitors are always welcome.

Animal, vegetable or mineral: a 3D Challenge

Pat Keran presents
triangle loom weaving.

Do you remember the game, "20 Questions"? Initial inquiries into a mystery object's discovery usually determined whether it was an animal, vegetable or mineral. These three attributes are the basis for the 2012 "Animal, Vegetable or Mineral" Guild Challenge, announced at today's Riverbend Fiber Arts Guild meeting.

This fiber art Challenge takes on a dimensional approach with the creation of a 3D fiber art piece inspired by something in nature. Upcoming guild programs are being planned to support participation in the Challenge by presenting topics related to Challenge requirements and creating fiber art that is three dimensional.

And speaking of trios, the January guild program featured weaving with triangle frame looms.

Guild members and guest attendees had the opportunity to weave on small wooden looms using yarn to create single-strand triangular weavings.

This interesting warp-and-weave-as-you-go technique can produce solid, striped or multi-color plaid triangular pieces. The process is quite magical—weaving from both ends simultaneously to finish in the middle.

Show and Tell
Members also showed various projects that included lace knitting, felting, crochet, rug hooking and quilting.

 

Several guild members offer their fiber and fiber art creations for sale at the Chattanooga Market, Alpaca Melissa on Etsy, My Little Darlings Alpacas, and at regional fiber art events throughout the year. Classes in knitting and quilting are offered through FiberAntics by Veronica, and weaving classes for beginners and on more advanced techniques are also available.