September 2011
September 2011
Diablo Weavers Guild meets once a month, September through June.
New members and guests are always welcome.
Meetings are usually the third Friday of the month
10:00 am at the Thurman Casey Library in Walnut Creek.
In September, December and June we usually meet at a member's home.
Meeting Friday September 16, 2011 at 10:00 AM
This will be our annual stash sale and exchange at Lillian's house.
Reminder: Dues are due for the coming year, $30 for individual members.
If you are planning on taking the October 28-30 workshop with Anita Mayer, please pay the registration fee of $120 at the September meeting. There is a $30 material fee to be paid at the time of the workshop.
There are still openings available for the workshop we will be having with Anita on Oct. 28 - 30. The cost is $120 for the workshop plus a $30 material fee. Handwoven had a great article about Anita in the last issue. She is a wonderful and inspiring weaver. But, this workshop is all about creative sewing and embellishing once your weaving is done. So no weaving in this class, just inspiration and technique.
If you are interested, email Vilija.
Workshop Title: Vested Interest/Magic Pouch.
Description: This workshop will present an overview of how to transform one generic vest pattern into a wide variety of designs. The lecture/demonstration will cover weaving with sewing thread, recycling shoelaces, lining methods, making vests reversible, photo transfer and more. Everyone will receive a basic vest pattern, learn how to size it and will participate in a hands-on session creating, designing and completing a small “Magic Pouch” while exploring ways to combine crazy quilting, beading, needlelace, stitchery and shisha mirrors. Participants will learn about sources and materials suitable for beading, ways to create and transfer designs, care of beaded items, beaded edges and fringes. Fabrics suitable for crazy quilting, how to combine fabric colors and textures, and quilting techniques will be explained along with ways to use unique embroidery stitches in creative ways. Inspiration will be provided through books, slides, ethnic examples and the instructor’s beaded and quilted garments.
Local Events:
Aiko's tapestries, as part of a concert in Berkeley:
We will have a great evening of music, plus the opportunity to know more about the work of Endangered Threads and Textile Artist Aiko Kobayashi Gray. Please see concert information below.
Aiko studied, traveled and lived in Europe and Central America to widen her artistic experience. During her travels she was inspired by a wide variety of textiles. She began her textile artist career in the early 1970's. Her tapestries and scarves are woven with natural cotton, linen fiber, wool and silk. Her unique style and the combination of the various materials give life to her own working theme- "The Experience of the Journey"- in her textile work.
20 years ago she fell in love with Guatemala and with It's rich culture of hand woven textiles. She lived in Antigua Guatemala for a couple of years and returns once or twice a year to study textile history from the many master weavers in the country and to add to her Mayan textile collection.
Endangered Threads Documentaries is a California-based 501(c) (3) nonprofit corporation founded in 2004.
The goal is to produce educational documentaries recording endangered indigenous art forms, especially those in imminent threat of disappearing due to global economic expansion and the resulting homogenization of cultures. Target viewers are museum audiences, weavers, textile artists and the general public.
I want to see you all on September 10!
Ana Nitmar
Daughters of Mother Earth Concert
Guadalupe Urbina on tour from Costa Rica, MamaCoAtl from Mexico, and Ana Nitmar from Guatemala, Together for the first time.
With Jose Soto, bass, guitar, Guido Moscoso, percussion, Miguel Martinez, flute and winds. Dance performance by Rosendo Aguilar, El Gran Jaguar.
Saturday September 10, 2011. Doors open at 6:30. Show starts at 8pm. Tix $15 gen. Casa de Cultura, 1901 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. 510.528.1958. Food & drinks available. All Ages. Wheelchair accessible.
Three outstanding Mesoamerican vocalists present their latest work and honor their ancient legacy, and mixed ancestry, in a dazzling multimedia, multidisciplinary concert and dance performance. This event is an invitation to heal and pay respect to Mother Earth and intends to bring family together to reconnect - through the power of art - to the wisdom, creation stories, and songs of our Indigenous heritage.
On tour from Costa Rica, Guadalupe Urbina's songs can be found present in events that are about World Peace, Amnesty International, Women's Liberation and Human Rights. In 1988 she performed at the National Stadium in Costa Rica with Bruce Springsteen, Tracy Chapman and Peter Gabriel, among others. In 1994 Guadalupe was given the Gaviota of Iberoamerica Prize and in 1995 she received The American Prize by Radio France International in Senegal, Africa.
Ana Nitmar is a singer, folklorist and recording artist from Guatemala. For the past 10 years she has worked producing Guatemalan community events and concerts and performed at a wide range of venues, festivals, and ethnic celebrations. Her performance style varies from traditional Guatemalan folk songs to Latin jazz and lounge music. Her album Forest in Spring Was produced and released in the summer of 2007. Ana Nitmar is featured in the CD Tocando Juntos, recorded live in collaboration with Primavera Latin Jazz Band in the spring of 2011.
www.mortondavis.com/primavera-CD.php
San Francisco based poet, MamaCoAtl is a performance activist, songstress and spiritual healer, who is known for bringing art, and ceremony to public spaces; city corners, rivers and international borders. Her music and spoken word have been described as an invitation to healing the Earth and renewing the human spirit. Border Crossing Diosa, her debut album, is an innovative fusion of diverse musical traditions incorporating a fearless, feminine rearticulation of trova (Latin American protest song) and spoken word infused with jazz, funk and traditional Mexican sounds.
More information can be found:
Guadalupe Urbina www.guadaluperUrbina.com Ana Nitmar www.ananitmar.com
MamaCoAtl www.reverbnation.com/mamacoatl
CALENDAR INFORMATION:
Daughters of Mother Earth Concert. Three Mesoamerican singers together for the first time in a rare concert of songs, dance, spoken word visual arts, and ritual: Guadalupe Urbina on tour from Costa Rica,MamaCoAtl from Mexico, and Ana Nitmar from Guatemala
CDs available upon request.
All Ages. Wheelchair accessible. Food and drinks available.
Saturday September 10, 2011.
Doors: 6:30. Show: 8pm. Tix $15 gen.
At Casa de Cultura
1901 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley. 510.528.1958
UPDATE: The items below have been sold.
For Sale:
Gilmore, Nilus LeClerc Loom, Spinning Wheels, etc - $2,000 (Concord/Pleasant Hill/Martinez).
If you are interested reply to the Criag's list posting (reply link below) or to Bruce Anderson at
I have a complete set of weaving equipment that belonged to my mother, who was a weaver for almost fifty years. The large loom is a Gilmore Maple Loom, 8 harness, 42" and has 14 pedals. It comes with a matching bench. The small loom is somewhat older, a little four harness table loom from Nilus Leclerc in Canada. The dark oak spinning wheel is an antique, I don't know exactly how old, but it's very well made. The other spinning wheel is a bit larger and more modern. Both yarn and spindle racks are also made by Nilus Leclerc. There is a large basket, stuffed full of some rather expensive wool. There are a lot of books, I would imagine some may be out of print. There are a couple of other large pieces of equipment not in the photo, mostly because I'm not quite sure what they are or what they do. There are a whole bunch of shuttles, spindles, and other similar items as well. I am asking $2000 best offer for the entire collection, I may be willing to separate someof the items.
Craig's list link:
Gilmore, Nilus LeClerc Loom, Spinning Wheels, etc - $2000 (concord / pleasant hill / martinez)
Date: 2011-08-26, 11:42PM PDT
Reply to: sale-neyhm-2552246511@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]
Any items for sale?
We have a side menu item where we can add ongoing announcements about fiber related items For Sale.