November 2019

Diablo Weavers Guild meets in Walnut Creek, usually on the third or fourth Friday of the month from September through June, 10:00 am until noon or a little later. We do not meet in July and August.

New members and guests are welcome.

In September, December and June we meet at a member's home. Other meetings are usually held at the Thurman Casey Library in Walnut Creek (Ygnacio Valley Library).

Thurman G. Casey Library

2661 Oak Grove Rd.

Walnut Creek CA 94598

See the link below or the side menu bar, upper left, for meeting dates and topics. This will be updated throughout the year.

Programs: 2019-2020

Library location details and a map:

Meeting location

Membership:

Dues for the 2019-20 year, September - June, are $30 per person; $40 per family. If joining half way through the year, dues are $15.

We are encouraging everyone to bring their own mug or cup for hot tea or coffee. The guild provides tea and instant coffee, plates and napkins. We will have some drink cups available as well.

Our next meeting will be November 22, 2019

10:00 at the library

Video Presentation: Threads

An episode from Craft In America: 53 minutes

The Peabody Award-winning CRAFT IN AMERICA series promotes and explores America's rich craft tradition. Through filmed visits to four nationally acclaimed artists working at the forefront of their media, Threads documents how the needle arts continue to evolve and influence contemporary culture.

Faith Ringgold, internationally celebrated artist, teacher and author, creates painted story quilts to bring the proud history of African Americans and Harlem to a new generation.

Randall Darwall is a colorist in warp and weft. His woven cloth is the palette which he and his partner Brian Murphy transform into woven garments and quilts that inspire and adorn.

Consuelo Jimenez Underwood incorporates weaving, sewing, painting and applique to produce a proud political statement, presenting her indigenous heritage and questioning the borders that divide nations.

Terese Agnew creates densely embroidered quilts by a process she calls "drawing with thread." Her themes are environmental and social, going beyond pure technique to tell truths that awaken our sensibilities.

If you have any of Randall Darwall’s woven creations, please bring them for Show & Tell

Snack for November: Joan A.

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Looking ahead:

Our holiday pot-luck luncheon will be on Friday, December 13 at Vilija's.

New Coffee/Tea Policy for Our Meetings

Effective with the January meeting, Diablo will no longer provide coffee or tea for the members. Everyone is advised to BRING THEIR OWN TO GO MUG OF COFFEE OR TEA or vodka or whatever!

We will keep to the snack part which we all trade off in because our short breaks between business and program parts are a great way to have short conversations between ourselves. People some of us only see once a month.

In the case of a guest speaker, they will be asked ahead of time if they would like a cup of something to be brought for them, explaining there will be nothing to drink at the meeting.

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A comment from one member of the program committee: by Vilija

It is increasingly difficult to come up with new and unique programs for Diablo. Most of us have been wrestling with this job for many years. Speakers are more expensive than ever before, ideas for in-house programs seem to have run the gamut, and ideas in general are in short supply.

Most of us love meeting up once a month to talk and see what we have been doing. None of us wants the guild to run so dry that members quit coming. We will need to fall back, probably more than most of us would like, to video programing. Most are really quite interesting, so don’t pooh-pooh the idea of having to watch a video. Please support the guild any way you can, and that is mostly by trying to attend as many meetings as possible, along with presenting ideas for affordable speakers, and/or in-house projects or themes.

Local Events

CNCH Update:

The annual Conference of Northern California Hand Weavers in Burlingame 2020

Registration opened November 1, 2019. Many classes are still available and early registration is still open.

https://www.cnch.org/conferences/2020-burlingame/

The grant application for CNCH2020 has been extended to Sunday, Nov 15. It is not need based and the value of the grant is $390. The form is available at CNCH.org on the conference site. It is a fillable form that can be emailed.

Aiko has an open studio coming up:

911 Studios

Holiday Art & Craft Sale

December 7/8 2019 - Saturday and Sunday 11AM -5PM

900 E 11th St (@9th Ave)

Oakland, CA

info: ellenbepp@gmail.com

Aiko and 9 other artists are participating

KPFA Holiday Benefit Craft Fair

The 49th Annual KPFA radio holiday benefit craft fair will be December 21 and 22, 2019

10 am - 5 pm at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA

The Craneway Craft Fair provides an opportunity for the Bay Area community to support,

enjoy and be nourished by local artisans in much the same way it interacts with KPFA.

The Fair showcases 200 juried and diverse exhibitors, including both master artisans and emerging newcomers. Their original art and crafts fill the pavilion along with fair trade and non-profit vendors. Food is catered by GDC Kitchen – a minority, woman, and veteran-owned local catering business.

Admission: $12 ages 18-64, $10 Seniors & Disabled, Youth Free

For Sale and free to a good home

A table top tapestry loom is for sale. It's about 14 + inches wide and about 18-20 inches high, wooden with stand. The owner is asking $65 but that's negotiable. Contact Linda Van H. for further information if you are interested.

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Two Floor Looms available:

From Linda Hartman:

Downsizing so I can justify buying a Wolf Pup.

I have a Gilmore 42" 4 harness, 6 treadle jack loom that I'm looking to give to a good home. It's in excellent condition. It's currently in Placerville so I'd need some time to coordinate bringing it here.

I also have a 36" Leclerc counterbalance, 4 harness, 6 treadle floor loom with bench for sale, make offer. I can easily deliver this one to a new home.

Linda Hartmann

Text me at 925-285-3223

Request for fabric

We received a request for fabric donations, and I think it is quite likely many of us may have suitable fabric:

Dear Diablo Weavers,

Would any of your members be interested in a project that helps Mexican students in the primary grades through the university? We are asking weavers to send us sturdy unused fabric or remnants of at least 18 inches by 40 inches—any color or pattern would be fine. The fabric will be sewn into drawstring backpacks (16 inches x 19 inches) and distributed to poor students in Mexico who are being sponsored by Project Amigo [www.projectamigo.org]. This is a charity that supports students from Colima in rural western Mexico so that they can create their own educational opportunities and better their quality of life.

Please go to www.srbrown.info/backpacks for more details about the project. Thank you.

Samuel R. Brown

Project Amigo volunteer

219 Argyle Road

Cheshire, CT. USA

Email: sam@projectamigo.org

Cell phone: (203) 597-7181

Travel Opportunity

Aiko's daughter Mari is leading two tours to Guatemala this coming March. See the itinerary and other details via the link below or selecting the page from the left menu.

Textile tours to Guatemala

Do you have items to add to our website? Local events, news, things for sale? Please let me know, we can do updates at any time.

carol.gray@gmail.com

For questions, suggested items to add or edit on this web site, please contact Carol.