Praxis Inkle Loom Class Opportunity
My name is Jennifer B. Williams, also known as Inkled Pink. I’m an enthusiastic inkle weaver who is even more enthusiastic about sharing the craft with others.
I’ll be teaching a two-day workshop, From Zero to Pick-up, at Praxis Fiber Workshop on April 11–12, and I’d love to invite members of your guild to join us.
This workshop is ideal for absolute beginners as well as inkle weavers who would like a refresher. Over two days we’ll cover everything needed to get started and build confidence at the loom, including:
• Making heddles
• Warping and setting up the loom
• How to read inkle drafts
• Weaving plain weave
• Baltic-style pick-up
• Horizontal stripe pick-up
Along the way I’ll share plenty of practical tips and tricks, and we’ll also touch on designing your own inkle patterns.
There are currently four spots remaining, and I would love to see some of your members join us for a fun and inspiring weekend of inkle weaving.
Registration is available here:
https://www.praxisfiberworkshop.org/class-list
Thank you for sharing this opportunity with your guild members, and I hope to weave with some of you soon!
Warmly,
Jennifer B. Williams
Inkled Pink
www.inkledpink.com
Feb 2026 Minutes are posted on the website
The minutes for the February meeting are now available in the Members Only section of the website. You will need to login to access it.
RAAM Earning Opportunity at Stan Hywet's Ohio Mart!
Our guild has been invited once again to participate in the Ohio Mart, Thursday, October 1st through Sunday, October 4th, 2026.
This is from the Stan Hywet Needlework Guild:
Each year Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens presents a multi-day fall event, Ohio Mart, which draws artisans and crafters from the region. The event is in its 61 st year and is always very well attended. In conjunction with Ohio Mart, the Needlework Guild presents an experience for Ohio Mart attendees, alternating annually between “Stitchery Showcase” and “Textile Arts and Artisans Show”. This year we will be presenting the Textile Arts and Artisans Show and invite your group to join with us and other textile groups and guilds to present this unique show.
Examples of handmade textiles can be found throughout Stan Hywet – and what better way to educate the public about the skills needed to produce such items than by having a variety of techniques available to be seen and experienced.
Please consider clearing your schedules to participate! Further details to follow later in the year.
The Textile Arts and Artisans Show was first presented in 2017 and was attended by more than 1,500 guests who were intrigued by the various displays, enjoyed the demonstrations, and asked questions of the exhibitors. In 2019 the second show drew more than 2,000 guests. In 2022 and 2024 the show drew more than 3,200 guests.
The Needlework Guild is hoping that members of your group would be willing to share their talents with the Ohio Mart visitors, many of whom may not be aware that such skilled artisans are continuing these textile traditions within our community.
Please consider clearing your schedules to take part! It's a great opportunity for our guild.
Sad News
We are saddened to share that Joan Horwich’s husband, Russ, passed away on Monday, February 16, 2026.
Services are Thursday, 2/19. The link to Russ’ obituary is below.
Joan said that we could go sit Shiva shortly after noon rather than 1:00 PM as stated in the obituary. The service at the cemetery ends at 11:45 AM.
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/cleveland-heights-oh/russell-horwich-12749432
February 2026 Guild Meeting Info
President's Challenge Reveal!
Tuesday, February 24th
Cafeteria, Lake Farmpark, 8800 Chardon Road, Kirtland
6:00 Come and socialize
6:30 Show & Share/Tell
7:00 President's Challenge followed by a short Business Meeting when we will be voting on this year's Budget
A reminder that the President's Challenge is to make a series of work that shows your thought process in refining a technique or project OR share a work that you have made that incorporates a coded message.
At the meeting we will also learn of Karen & Quinton's Challenge for next year, as well as happenings in 2026!
The 2025 Year End Financial Report and Proposed 2026 Budget can be found on the Members Only page, Mtg Documents for Review, middle section (there are a few screens to click through).
Zoom Info:
Topic: WRSW February Meeting
Time: Feb 24, 2025 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting via link on the Calendar on the Members Only page
The Feb 2026 Newsletter has been posted on the website
The newsletter can be found on the Members Only page of the website. You will need to log in to access it.
Reminder - No Guild Meeting in January
Instead you will have some more time to complete The President's challenge for 2025. Karen says anyone still wishing to rise to the challenge is to either make a series of work that shows your thought process in refining a technique or project OR share a work that you have made that incorporates a coded message. Any way you like!
All items will be shared at the February 24th meeting.
Fiber Fest - Call for Proposal
The event is June 13, 2026 in Warrensville Heights. They are looking for presenters, but also looks like an interesting event to attend.
Call for Proposals
Fiber Fest
June 13, 2026
You are invited to be a presenter at Fiber Fest, an exciting event dedicated to exploring both traditional and innovative techniques for working with fabric and fiber. This lively gathering will take place at the Warrensville Heights Branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library on Saturday, June 13, 2026. We are seeking individuals and businesses interested in leading a demonstration or workshop that will inspire creativity, teach new skills, or promote experimentation. A diverse range of topics is welcome such as skills and techniques, fiber arts from around the world, reuse, and reinvention. The festival is designed for adults. Attendance will be free for all participants.
Demonstrations and workshops will occur both morning and afternoon. Attendees can choose from 45-minute demonstrations/presentations or 2.5-hour hands-on workshops where they can practice techniques and work towards completing a project. In addition, the Library will showcase its Innovation Center featuring machines and technologies available for fiber arts such as a long-arm quilting machine, embroidery machine, and more. Each meeting room has counter space, projectors, computer, and internet access. There will be a dedicated kitchen room for presenters equipped with microwave, refrigerator, instahot tap by sink.
Presenters will receive a stipend of $50 per demo and $125 per workshop. Additionally, we encourage presenters to showcase information about their services in the Resource Room accessible to all library patrons throughout the day. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with the Fiber Arts Community.
The event is organized by Sew4Service in collaboration with the Cuyahoga County Public Library Adult Programming Department and is supported by grants from Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Fox Valley Region Foundation, and generous in-kind donations to Sew4Service.
To express your interest in being a teacher/presenter for this event, please complete this presenter form. Deadline for responses is February 15, 2026. We will notify you by March 9 regarding the status of your proposal.
Please share this with other Fiber Artists and Instructors.
--
Lucy Kulbago
Executive Director | Sew4Service
Sew4Service
291 E. 222nd St
Euclid OH 44123
The Reverse Drafting Club from The Weaving Mill
Sharing an email that was sent to the guild that may be of interest to some members and potentially a program idea.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Greetings guild-leaders near and far, from cold Chicago!
My name is Emily Winter and I am director of The Weaving Mill and de-facto Reverse Drafting Club president. Reverse drafting is the process of unraveling woven fabrics and diagramming their construction on graph paper using draft notation. Our mail-based club is organized around quarterly mailings which include 3 swatches each, along with solutions to the previous installment's swatches (akin to the weekly crossword!) Each group of swatches tends to revolve around a theme: variations on a specific weave structure, material studies, etc. We design and weave all the fabrics for the RDC on our industrial dobby loom here at our studio in Chicago, then cut them down into 3" swatches to mail out to our members. We have been running the Reverse Drafting Club since 2022 ~ we have members signing up from all over the country, and even internationally! One year's membership costs $42 and includes 4 mailings of 3 swatches each, as well as invitations to virtual gatherings to discuss the swatches and access to a membership directory so folks can connect with other club members in their area.
One of our repeat members wrote this article about her experience with the club club for the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, and I am attaching an article I wrote about the RDC for the Summer 2023 issue of Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot.
I am writing today to 1) let you know about this very fun and special program 2) humbly request that you pass the word along to any of your members who might be interested! The club is far more fun with more members, and we've heard great feedback from folks who sign up as a group and host in-person study/unraveling sessions together.
In addition, I have given presentations to several weaving guilds (Illinois Prairie Weavers Guild, Weavers Guild of the North Shore, Weavers Guild of Greater Baltimore) on The Weaving Mill and the RDC, as well as virtual Reverse Drafting workshops. If those might be of interest to you as you plan your 2026-2027 programming, do let me know!
Wishing you a wonderful end of year, and thanks for taking the time to read this missive,
Emily Winter
--
The Weaving Mill
1801 North Spaulding Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647
www.theweavingmill.com
New Items Listed for sale
Check out the Items for Sale page. Maybe a Christmas gift for you or a friend???
Nov 2025 Minutes are posted on the website
The minutes for the November meeting are now available in the Members Only section of the website. You will need to login to access it.
Website Update of PayPal payment options
On the Join page, the Button links to PayPal have been updated to go directly to a PayPal checkout page for the Guild.
There are now two buttons, one for individual membership ($25) and one for family membership ($35).
The checkout page now has the option to pay via PayPal or credit card. The fees to us are the same.
The QR code remains a direct link to the Guild’s Paypal account with a manual $ amount entry. We understand this may not working for everyone, thus the multiple options.
Posted By: Your Webmasters
WRSW Website Calendar Update
Effective immediately, the Guild Calendar has been moved to the Members Only section of the website which can only be accessed with the member password.
This is to maintain privacy of location information (members' home addresses) and the Zoom link.
Our intent is for all meeting information to be easy to find, in one place, in each calendar entry.
Posted by: Your Webmasters
Oct 2025 Minutes posted on the website
The minutes for the October meeting are now available in the Members Only section of the website. You will need to login to access it.
2026 Dues Reminder
Please pay your dues for 2026 before the end of November to help your friends on the Budget Committee.
Pay either online using the PayPal link on this site (found here) or send a check to Suzanne and earn a RAAM point!
Karen
WRSW Holiday Party
Get your party hats on! This year's Holiday Party will be on Saturday, December 6th from 11:30 to 1:30 at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Chagrin Falls, 6295 Chagrin River Road, Chagrin Falls, Ohio 44022. https://maps.app.goo.gl/NTB7Ss53WqMLPK7T6
Chicken and vegetarian main courses will be provided. Attendees are asked to bring an appetizer, salad/side or dessert to round out the feast. Cost will be $15 each.
As in years past, there will be a gift exchange of handmade items. To participate, bring your well-wrapped fiber gift with a value of approximately $15; the gift can either be made by you or someone else. The game of the exchange is great entertainment, whether you are participating or just watching!
Please RSVP before December 1 whether you will attend and the category of your contribution (appetizer, salad/side, dessert) to karen.gerken@gmail.com
See you there!
It’s a Celebration!!
50 Years of Western Reserve Spinners & Weavers Guild
“Meet” our 14 Founders and learn about some of the history of the Guild’s early years, enjoy refreshments, and enter a chance for door prizes, all in the company of fiber friends.
You will also learn more about our new website.
Note: This in person only event will be held in the cafeteria.
Nov. 18 at 6:30 PM
Lake Metroparks Farmpark, 8800 Chardon Road, Kirtland
More Information on Mayan Textiles
So nice to receive a thanks from the speaker of the program on Mayan textiles Tuesday evening. What fun we all had admiring the details of cloth woven on a back-strap loom.
From Laura Martin:
“Joan, thank you so much. It was a pleasure to hang out with so many textile enthusiasts and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to get them excited about Mayan weaving.
Here is the information about the books I had with me, in case you think some in the group will be interested. There are lots more, of course, but these all coincide with the period in which I did most of my own collecting.
Guatemalan Textiles Today by Marilyn Anderson, 1978 (Watson-Guptill). Very detailed and heavily illustrated account of all aspects of Mayan weaving, including fibers used, dying, spinning, techniques such as looping (crocheting) and netting, and both back-strap and floor loom equipment and techniques.
Living Maya by Walter F. Morris, Jr., 1987 (Abrams). Beautifully illustrated account of life among the traditional Maya communities of Chiapas, Mexico, with special attention to weaving from ancient times to the present.
The Textiles of Guatemala by Regis Bertrand (photographer) and Danielle Magne (writer), 1991 (Studio Editions Ltd.). Valuable for its many close-up photographs of textiles designs and techniques. (Unfortunately uses the term “tribe” to describe Maya communities!)
Threads of Identity: Maya Costume of the 1960s in Highland Guatemala by Patricia B. Altman and Caroline D. West, 1992 (Fowler Museum of Cultural History, UCLA). Town-by-town descriptions of individual components of men’s and women’s traditional dress, linking textiles to geography, history, society, and language.”
Here is some additional information on Weave A Real Peace
Tuesday is Election Day for WRSW
Guild Meeting & Elections on Tuesday, October 28th, 6:30
Lake FarmPark
8800 Euclid Chardon Rd, Kirtland
Persistent Threads: Maya Culture in Maya Weaving
Laura Martin will draw on her vast knowledge of Mayan language, culture and art, both past and present, to acquaint us with the richness of Mayan textiles.
Laura plans to bring several wearable items and reference materials with her and will make those available for the audience to see up close.
She encourages members to attend the program in person to fully benefit from the experience of Mayan weavings.
Please also make every effort to attend the October business meeting either in person or via Zoom, in which we will elect our officers for 2026. The slate is follows: Karen Gerken and Quinton Dybo for Co-President, Sharon Baird for Vice President, Suzanne Paquin for Treasurer and Donna Mueller for Secretary. Many thanks to all who have agreed to step up and guide the Guild through another year.
Note, it you wish to request that an 2026 demonstration event be eligible for RAAM points, the forms are due October 31st, and you may bring it to the meeting.
Zoom Info:
Topic: WRSW October Meeting
Time: Oct 28, 2025 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting via link on WRSW Guild Calendar
Updated 10/4/2025