Foothill Fibers Guild
Your Sierra Foothills Community (and beyond) for the Fiber Arts
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Programs 2024-25
September 24: Budget and Beyond!
Our first meeting of the “guild year” will feature the presentation and approval of our 2024-2025 budget, introduction of our theme for the year, Natural Origins, selection of our annual guild challenge, a fundraising opportunity, a CNCH conference report, study group overviews, member show & tell, and an opportunity to win a door prize. It will be a meeting packed full of information and member participation!
We had lots of members participate in last year’s guild challenge: Learn a New Fiber Arts Skill. Think about what you would like to see as our guild challenge for this year and come to the meeting with your good ideas.
Everyone is welcome to bring two items to show & tell us all about what YOU have been creating this summer.
Our door prize for members that attend in person is a $25 gift certificate to Auburn Needleworks, generously donated by Donna Seaman.
October 24: Ann Coddington ~ Organic Vessels (rescheduled from February 2023)
In-person at the Madelyn Helling Library, Nevada City and via Zoom.The community room is open at 6:15 PM for social time and the meeting begins at 6:45 PM.
Ann Coddington utilizes a variety of traditional and innovative fiber techniques including twining, looping, lashing and netting in her sculptural forms. Her recent work is deeply rooted in organic vessels that reference the body, natural and found objects, that enter into a complex dialogue about our place in the world and our impact on the environment. Her work has been shown across the United States and Internationally with recent solo shows at the Contemporary Art Center in Peoria, Governors State University in Illinois, and upcoming at the Praxis Fiber Workshop in Cleveland. Coddington’s work was also selected for inclusion in the 2022 International Fiber Biennial in Pittsburgh this past summer.
Ann is a Professor of Art and Graduate Coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. She received her MFA from the University of Illinois Sculpture Department in 1993, and her BFA from the Colorado State University Fibers Department in1986. She is very active in teaching sculptural twining workshops around the world.
Coddington serves as the co-chair of Exhibitions and as a member of the board for the National Basketry Organization. Instagram: @abcoddington
November 26: Make It & Take It - Pine Needle Baskets with Andrea Budde
In-person workshop ONLY at the Madelyn Helling Library, Nevada City. No Zoom option.
The community room is open at 6:15 PM for social time and the workshop begins at 6:45 PM.
Join Andrea Budde as she walks us through the basics of pine needle coil basketry. By the end of the workshop, you'll understand how to prepare the pine needles, coil and stitch the basket, and more. Some supplies will be available, but please bring what you're able from the following supply list:
- long pine needles (medium-sized grocery bag worth or so);
- small pliers;
- plastic drinking straw that can be cut (like takeout straws);
- thimble or finger protectors (optional).
- Waxed thread in black and white will be provided. You are welcome to bring your own sinew, linen, cotton or similar thread - something a little thinner than embroidery floss.
Supply Cost: $7/person (no cost if you bring all your own supplies). IN PERSON MEETING ONLY.
Bio:
Andrea has been a fiber fan since she was 12 when her grandmother taught her how to knit. Since then, her fiber interests have expanded to include weaving, embroidery, macrame, sewing, and more. She serves on the board for FFG and The People's Colloquium, a non-profit supporting the arts. Originally from Wisconsin, Andrea now lives in Nevada City, CA.
December: Holiday Party and Silent Auction
January 28: Marcail McWilliams - Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill
Meet Marcail and hear the story about how she got started in the business of milling fiber. See the machines she uses and how she turns dirty fleece into pin drafted roving and even finished yarn.
Valley Oak Wool & Fiber Mill, Woodland, CA
Bio: Marcail is that from Woodland, CA. She attended college for art at CCA (California College of the Arts) in Oakland/SF where she majored in textiles. Although her classes focused on fine art, she became interested in the fibers themselves. She thought she would need to go overseas to learn about yarns and milling. Little did she know that there was an opportunity in her hometown to do that! She moved back home after college and worked for the previous owner of Valley Oak, Jane Deamer, for 7 years before taking a job at another mill in AZ, Mystic Pines Fiber Processing. During her time away, the CA mill closed down and the property was sold.
Marcail moved back to California the next summer and the land owners reached out to her and asked if she was interested in the machinery. They worked together for her to open the mill under a new name, and for her to pay off the machinery directly to them. She been successfully operating as Valley Oak Wool Mill for the past 7 years!
February 25: Gretchen Hilyard Boyce - Transylvania Beyond Dracula: The Heritage Textiles of Kalotaszeg and Maramureș
Join Gretchen as she takes us on a virtual tour through the villages of the Kalotaszeg and Maramureș areas of Transylvania (located in present day Hungary and Romania). Gretchen will present photos from a recent tour of the region with Threadwritten Textiles. Hear about the last generation of fiber artists and artisans striving to keep Transylvania’s rich craft traditions alive. Gretchen will share examples of írásos written embroidery utilized for generations to create colorful costumes and dowry pieces that are passed down through families; as well as visits with woodcarvers, spinners, weavers, potters, dancers, musicians, and other artisans. Learn about local efforts and struggles to save Transylvanian craft traditions as well as the villages and agrarian communities that sustained and supported these traditions for generations. Come take a colorful armchair trip to Transylvania with Gretchen and gain some inspiration for your next fiber project!
March 25: Siobhan Harlakenden - The Viking Age Vararfeldur
Learn the history and technique of a Viking Age cloth that mimics the look of a sheep’s pelt. Several Nordic settlements have evidence of this textile but it is Iceland that is most associated with it. Worn as a cloak and doubling as a blanket, the Vararfeldur is flexible, breathable, water repellent, and the epitome of warmth, a truly invaluable item for Northern sea faring peoples. Using this technique today we can experience those same qualities while also applying it to home decor, other personal adornments, and the best pet beds ever!
Bio: Siobhan is a fiber and sheep enthusiast with a special focus on the historical aspects of spinning and textile arts. It brings her great joy to share the threads of history with new generations in the hopes of keep these ancient arts going for all the centuries forward.
Follow ladyharlakendens_handspun on Instagram!
April 22: Pete McWade ~ All About Flax: an Amazing Natural Fiber
Our own Pete McWade will be presenting his experience growing, spinning, and using flax. In not-so-ancient times, flax was a valued and important fiber for textiles, but today it is not readily available. You’ll learn how to grow it yourself or where to find it locally, as well as the process of retting, breaking, and scutching to prepare the fiber for spinning.
This meeting will be hybrid (Zoom and in-person). Pete will bring samples of raw and spun fiber, as well as sharing some of his finished work. He will demonstrate his spinning technique.
Bio: Pete McWade
I have been working with flax and wool for eight years and my goal is to grow my own shirt. My goal was to perfect my spinning so my shirt does not look like a burlap sack. It takes a long time to master the craft. My other goals are to make a full size wool blanket and to make my own wool socks with my antique sock knitting machine.
naturesfiber@gmail.com
Ravelry: ABitTwisted