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October 9, 2008

Not just for men

Guild members to show off fiber creations

By Wayne Laepple

LEWISBURG — Sunday will be show and tell day for members of the Susquehanna Valley Spinners and Weavers Guild.

They will join spinners, handweavers, dyers, felters and basketweavers around the world in observing the end of Spinning and Weaving Week (Oct. 5-11). The local guild, which meets at the Senior Citizen’s Center at 116 N. Second St., will show off their skills starting at 2 p.m.

Kathy Wagner, of Danville, president of the local chapter, said more than 75 people from all over the region are members of the guild, with about 20 of that number active.

“They range from their 80s down to teenage girls who started coming with their mothers when they were babies,” said Wagner.

“We actually have two male members,” she continued. “Traditionally, men were the weavers.”

Wagner said the fiber arts, such as weaving and spinning, nearly vanished in the middle of the 20th century as people who had done the work died out.

Outreach and education about the fiber arts, both historic and modern, is one of the most important functions of the guild, Wagner said. Spinning and weaving programs are offered to local schools, Scout groups and community organizations. Guild members partner with local historical societies and community celebrations to promote the fiber arts, and the members demonstrate aspects of the “sheep to shawl” process at local fairs and festivals as well.

“We want to celebrate and perpetuate the fiber arts to make sure the skills go forward,” she said.

Wagner explained that a wide variety of interests are accommodated in the group. While some members are interested in weaving, others are spinners, making threads for others to work with. Some members are interested in dyeing, even growing their own plants from which they make natural dyes.

For those interested in perfecting and developing new techniques and skills, the Guild offers workshop opportunities throughout the year for members. These might include, but are not limited to, basket-making, dyeing with natural and chemical products, felt-making, rug-braiding, paper-making, bead weaving, tapestry-weaving and preserving fibers. Techniques related to knitting, spinning and weaving are always of interest.

The group started 22 years ago with about 23 members and has grown to three times its original membership.

“While many of us are interested in traditional skills, there are some of us who are into fiber art,” said Wagner.

“Most of us do it for the love of working with fibers,” she continued. “Only a few members sell their works for retail.”

Wagner said the guild usually has a stand at Mifflinburg’s Cristkindl Market (this year’s event takes place Dec. 11-13), where any guild member may sell their works.

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