Challenge Archives - Desert Weavers & Spinners

January 2024 Meeting

Date:
Monday, January 22, 2024 at 9:30 am Pacific time

Program:
Robyn Spady: Thirty-Six Techniques to Make Your Weaving Easier and Happier

Robyn spoke about her history, process and work. Here is a program description from Robyn:

“Would you like to learn a great method for repairing a broken warp end, tracking your treadling while you weave, making your own repair heddles, or just make weaving easier and more pleasurable? This gizmo-and-gadget centric presentation looks and feels like an interactive show-and-tell and will introduce over 36 offbeat tools, techniques, or tricks to assist weavers in all phases of weaving.”

Show and Share

Sandi Wollin: *Warp for Scarves for Winners of Manhattan Amateur Classic Amateur Ballroom and Latin Champions. Cashmere, Silk, Merino Blend 2/28.*

December 2023: DWS Annual Challenge Show and Share

Reveal Date:

Monday, December 18, 2023 at 9:30 am Pacific time

History:

Desert Weavers and Spinners has had an exchange every June for many years. In January, a theme or an object is chosen and members make an item based on that theme. In June the items are exchanged, either at the June meeting, or by mail, if the member is out of the Coachella Valley.

In December 2023, we had a challenge instead of an exchange.

How it Worked:

In June 2023, a challenge bag was given to members who signed up. Their task was to make something with the items that they found in the bag. It was not an exchange as we got to keep the item.

What were the rules? Make something using the challenge items and individuals keep what they make. That’s the only rule.

Special Thanks:

Special thanks to Mariellen B. and Paula D. for their work on making this challenge happen. Mariellen Boss organized the event, and Paula D. donated six pounds of fiber that was divided by DWS members:

2022 Fiber Challenge & December 2022 Show-and-Share

In May of this year we started a Fiber challenge. The same fiber was given to every one who signed up to take part in the challenge, we had around 20 people sign up. We showed off the projects as our December program. Here are the guidelines that were given:

You can combine it in any way you choose to create something unique to you: spin it, knit with it, incorporate it into a weaving, felt with it, wrap it, …you name it, you do it. We are asking everyone to take a few notes as to how you decided to create what you did and take a few pictures as you go along to document how you got to your finished masterpiece! We will share it at the December meeting as the program. It will be fun to see what we all come up with.

Thanks to Martha Lumia for organizing the challenge.

Here is the fiber, pre-challenge:

Here are some of the Fiber Challenge creations:

Garment and Silk Challenge Creations

These are a few of the beautiful items that were modeled and shared at the Dec 17th meeting for the Garment & Silk Challenge. Our President, Linda Bohlinger is wearing a top that she wove and constructed into a blouse. Photographs by Julie Roy