Our Program will be presented by Marilyn Romatka on the topic of Uzbek Ikat. This is a technique that many of us have been intrigued with over the years. We will be able to
experience the exotic from our own homes; traveling to Central Asia in this multi-media presentation. Uzbekistan isn’t just bluetiled monuments. We have been enchanted by Uzbek Ikat in museums and on the runways in New York and London. We will accompany Marilyn to see the Uzbek artisans weave the bold patterns into this fabric. Each thread is manipulated, dyed and woven into exquisite cloth – truly hand-crafted.
Marilyn says that her “…focus is living folk art crafts. I teach a wide variety of crafts from painting techniques to weaving. The common thread being that the techniques are all deep-rooted in a culture from around the world. You might say the techniques that I teach have all survived the ‘test of time.’ I have the best job in the world. I travel to various countries gathering folk art techniques, then I return to the US to teach enthusiastic students.”
You are encouraged to visit Marilyn’s web page to learn more about her and to see the large
selection of international folk ar ts that she is available to teach at marilyn@taprootfolkarts.com.
NOVEMBER PROGRAM
November 12, 2020
Anastasia Azure will present a program entitled Weaving a Story: Personal Expression in Handwovens
Weaving a Story is a design-oriented approach towards creating self-expressive and meaningful handwoven cloth. As weavers we often focus on the end product, however there is an alternative approach that allows higher creativity to lead the way. Anastasia will share step-by-step exercises that can connect you to artistic weaving.
Anastasia earned her MFA in Textiles at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011 and BFA in Jewelry Metal Arts at the California College of the Arts in 2005. She has participated in many artist residencies and travels the globe teaching imaginative textile and jewelry workshops. Presently she is developing a fair-trade, woven jewelry collection that will provide economic empowerment to Mayan women weavers in Guatemala.
EXPLORING UNCONVENTIONAL MATERIALS WITH KATHLEEN REMSA
OCTOBER 8 , 2020
Exploring Unconventional Materials is a presentation that examines the work of several fiber artists who have challenged the concept of what a textile is or have incorporated unusual or nontraditional materials in their work. The presentation is designed to encourage weavers to think “outside the box” and perhaps embark on their own material exploration. As weavers we often become complacent with traditional materials and all of the pre-determined constraints associated with them. Essentially, our creativity becomes confined to working “inside the box”. Undertaking an unconventional material exploration can free us to work without pre-conceived ideas or restraints, reinforce the creative process and spark new creativity in our approach to using traditional yarns and materials.
Kathleen Remsa is a member of Harmony Weavers Guild and South Jersey Weavers Guild. She is a fiber artist currently living in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She attained a Bachelor of Science from Cook College, Rutgers University in Plant Science and a Master of Science in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. After recently concluding a fifteen-year career designing and styling jacquard woven fabrics and collections for the residential and outdoor markets for Sunbury Textile Mill and Glen Raven Corporation, Kathleen now devotes her full attention to creating fiber art and instructing others in the design process and textile explorations.
NOTE: Guild members who would like Kathleen to consider particular unconventional materials they are interested in are invited to send her their ideas in advance of the meeting. They can email her at kbremsa@aol.com.
You can join the program beginning at 9:45 am.
The presentation will begin at 10, and will be followed by the business meeting.
Amanda Robinette with Tai Chi for Fiber Artists
March PROGRAM
MARCH 12, 2020
AMANDA ROBINETTE–TAI CHI FOR FIBER ARTISTS LECTURE AND WORKSHOP* Amanda Robinette is a professional weaver and Tai Chi instructor residing in Mechanicsburg, PA.
She has published several articles in Handwoven magazine, taught at The Mannings Handweaving School and as a guest at weaving guilds, and spoken at the Weaving History Conference at the Thousand Islands Arts Center and Handweaving Museum, as well as at weaving guilds across the U.S.
Amanda shares her interest in all kinds of weaving and clothing recycling on her blog at westernsakiori.com. Through combining her knowledge of weaving and Tai Chi, she also developed Tai Chi for Weavers, a program dedicated to teaching weavers how to use the principles of Tai Chi to improve their weaving ergonomics and stamina. She has taught the program at The Mannings Handweaving School and at weaving guilds, and in 2017 released the program on DVD.
Her current work is focused on continuing to extend the possibilities of rag weaving, yarn recycling and Tai Chi programs for other fiber artists. She lives with her husband and two children (and lots of looms and rags) in central Pennsylvania.design process and textile explorations.
Kathleen Remsa on Sophisticated Color
February Guild Meeting
ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CHURCH
345 BEAR-CHRISTIANA RD (RT. 7)
BEAR, DE
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Color is usually the first thing one sees. It is a very powerful and influential element of design. Color can be symbolic, subjective, emotionally evocative and very complicated. Using color successfully in woven textile design can be an especially daunting challenge. This presentation examines the basic principles of color theory, addresses what makes a color palette sophisticated and offers tips and techniques to developing a more discerning color sense and the confidence to design with color.
Kathleen Remsa is a fiber artist currently living in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. She attained a Bachelor of Science from Cook College, Rutgers University in Plant Science and a Master of Science in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. After recently concluding a fifteen year career designing and styling jacquard woven fabrics and collections for the residential and outdoor markets for Sunbury Textile Mill and Glen Raven Corporation, Kathleen now devotes her full attention to creating fiber art and instructing others in the design process and textile explorations.
To learn more about Kathleen Remsa, please visit her website https://kbrwovens.com
Harmony’s Holiday Party
We are having our Holiday Party on Thursday, December 12th at Vulcan’s Rest Fibers
on Route 213 near Chesapeake City, MD.
We will be gathering in their nicely appointed room upstairs starting at 10:30. Our meeting will begin at 11:00 with Show and Tell to follow. Please bring a favorite dish to share at our potluck luncheon. After lunch, please plan to browse around Vulcan’s Rest
Fibers to see what they might have to add to your knitting and weaving stash!
The Theo Moorman Technique
Joanne Gretz will share her experience with the Theo Moorman technique starting with some background and the basics of the weave. Then she will show you some of her own experiments and finished pieces hopefully giving an idea of how versatile this weave structure can be.
Fine Threads Workshop and Program
Last fall, Sue wanted to experiment weaving with fine threads. She had some in her stash, but ordered a few more from Habu Textiles and Colourmart. She enjoyed working with these yarns and after sharing my samples at one of the guild meetings, offered to lead a program and workshop on fine threads.
The program will focus on what may be learned while warping and weaving with yarns of a very fine grist, types of yarns available, sources for fine threads/yarns and a review of the different sizing systems used for yarns.
Sue will bring woven samples and some of the different yarns used. Participants who have signed up for the workshop will be provided with over 30 different fine threads to sample. We look forward to learning and sharing what may be learned working with fine threads!
The October guild meeting and the workshop will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Bear, Delaware.
JADE PAPA, CURATOR, THE DESIGN CENTER, JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
MAY 9, 2019
ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CHURCH
345 BEAR-CHRISTIANA RD (RT. 7) BEAR, DE
JADE PAPA, CURATOR, THE DESIGN CENTER, JEFFERSON UNIVERSITY
The Textile and Costume Collection also has under its care hundreds of items from the Philadelphia Civic Center, which closed in the early 2000s. These objects represent commercial textile and costume production from around the world in the late-19th and 20th centuries and are a rich, new area for research. Holdings include textiles made for export in Eastern Europe, China, and India, a remarkable collection of woven straw hats, and much more.
Jade Papa, Curator, of the Design Center, will bring samples of items from the collection and talk about the Design Center’s work and mission.
April Program
April 11, 2019
ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON CHURCH
345 BEAR-CHRISTIANA RD (RT. 7) BEAR, DE
Nancy Middlebrook: Woven Panels in Doubleweave
Nancy creates woven panels with her hand dyed yarn using the doubleweave technique, nancymiddlebrook.com. With this weave structure, she develops patterns and colors with surprising depth.
Her work has been featured in many magazines; she has exhibited work nationally and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Her work is in many private collections including Jack Lenor Larsen’s Longhouse Reserve.
