SCTAG Meeting Minutes

The June meeting was well-attended at Anna Jean Cummings Park, Soquel, and it was a day fit for a picnic and enjoying the company of like-minded textile makers and fiber people. All of the tables were covered with items from members’ stashes in this end of the year gathering, ready to be sold, swapped and given away. Our Co-President, Joan Vierra, called the meeting to order at 10:15 and welcomed all.

Santa Cruz County Fair, Sept. 14-18 – Cathy Walls, department chair of the Handspun and Handwoven Department, urged everyone to start thinking about what they would enter in the fair before the end of August (since we will not have another meeting before then.) The theme this year is “The County Fair with Ocean Air.” The entry guide will be on-line soon and there is no charge to enter. She also asked for spinners to sign up for demonstrating outside on a shaded platform during the four days of the fair. Laura Rider will be demonstrating weaving rag rugs on the Weavers Delight loom and Bambi Jones will be demonstrating weaving towels on a more traditional floor loom while Kris Nardello spins on the Crisp Great Wheel in the Codiga Museum near the display for this department.

New members – Three new members introduced themselves and told a little about their fibery interests. They are Amy, Elizabeth and Antoinette. Their contact information will appear on the roster with the next update.

“Many Threads, One Cloth” exhibit, Pajaro Arts Gallery opening August 24th with a reception on August 28th, 2:00-4:00 – SCTAG Member, Roberta Valdez, is the curator and spoke about letters being sent out this week to those who have expressed interest in showing their fiber work in this exhibit. The large woven piece created by members of our guild that had been hung in the old Aptos library will be reassembled for this show. She is looking for volunteers to yarn bomb the columns in front of the gallery for this show. Please contact her if you are willing to help with this fun project. She would also like to have members spinning or demonstrating some fiber technique in the gallery during the show’s run. There is a possibility of an indigo workshop, too.

CNCH, August 3-6, 2023 – Shar Brunston, our Vice-president and liaison to CNCH, announced that the next conference was to be held on the Cal Poly campus, San Luis Obispo. They have wonderful housing accommodations like we experienced at the Sonoma State CNCH several years ago in that the rooms are arranged in clusters or pods around a more central common area, so it’s easy to get together as a group after hours.

Tableau, CNCH, 2022. – Marilou Moschetti, our fearless leader for this new feature at the most recent conference, described what we did to illustrate the theme, “All About Hands,” using a script by Mary Quinlin. We got rave revues from the audience and this format may become a new addition to 2023 conference entertainment. There were very creative interpretations given by all eight guilds that participated.

Interest groups:

  • Joan Vierra, floor loom weaving group – She’s been out of town for the past month and needs to set up another meeting of the group that is working on towels as the first floor loom weaving project.

  • Marilou Moschetti, spinning group – Our group has been invited to join the Mavens to spin at the beach in Capitola on June 17th in the gazebo/bandstand. Our next group meeting is on the 21st at the community room at Bruce’s.

  • LeAnn Bjelle, the Basketeers – At their last meeting, the basketmakers made square baskets with natural and RIT dyed reed. Several members brought theirs to show.

  • Maggie Clark, Twisted Tapestry Sisters – Member showed her beginning tapestry on a lovely frame loom.

  • Kris Nardello, Eccentrics tapestry group. – “Tiny But Mighty” group entries were shown with the theme, “Survival.”

  • Peg McCullough, Dyeversity natural dye group – Next beach dye day, June 29th. Cochineal, madder and weld with indigo for overdyeing

Programs for next year 2022-2023

  • September 21: Make a note that because of the fair, we are meeting on the 3rd Wednesday! general meeting and sharing followed by the Barbara Shapiro Hex Weave Basket workshop in the afternoon and the following day for a total of 10 hours.

  • October 12: Play Day

  • November 9: Amanda Gilvan, Zoom on Nigerian Textiles

  • November-early December: Field trip to visit Sally Fox’s farm, naturally colored cotton, wool

  • December 14: Annual Holiday Party

  • January 11: Camilla Henneman on needle felting, wet & nuno, projects and tips

  • February 8: Bonnie Britton on her African textile collection

  • March 8: Julie Kornblum on the baskets she makes using caste-off, waste and recycled plastic packaging and other materials

  • April 12: Red, Glorious Red: Cochineal Production and Use

  • May10: Brenda Collins on spinning art yarns with workshop

  • June 14: Annual picnic and sale at Anna Jean Cummings Park

Lorri Scott Workshop, July 9th, Upcycle Clothing Class, 9:30-4:30 – See our website for more details

Library moved – Marsha Hein is now housing our guild library. Contact her if you want a specific book and she will bring it to the next meeting or arrange to get it to you sooner. She’s asked for suggestions on books that cover a broader theme to reflect our guild name, more textile arts beyond weaving.

Officers acknowledged from 2021-2022 – Marilou thanked each of the officers and presented them with a bouquet and also the program chair, LeAnn Bjelle, and librarian, Janet Pollock. Many volunteers keep our guild going forward.

Nominated officers, 2022-2023

  • President, Marilou Moschetti

  • Vice-president, Bruce Fine

  • Secretary, Kris Nardello

  • Treasurer, Susan Penny

The voice vote was conducted and it was unanimous for the above to become the new officers for the coming year. The new president talked of how we were approaching our guild’s Jubilee Year, the 70th year of existence, and how we should be thinking of ways to recognize and celebrate this landmark. Marilou also requested a new person take charge of the name tag box and Karen Golding volunteered for this.

Show and tell

  • Karen-lovely blue handwoven blanket with handspun weft

  • Gudrun- 2-sided woven wool scarves with weft ends as fringe along the selvedges and sewing thread “reinforcements”. Also split-shed weavings from her CNCH class which allowed her to mimic a 24-shaft loom result on a 4-shaft loom

  • Joan-Chenille jacket woven from shoddy chenille yarn which draped beautifully

  • Mary-clamped indigo shibori scarves, silk scarf with eco-printed designs and silk scarf dyed with weld

  • The meeting was concluded at 11:30, and the shopping began!

Respectfully submitted,

Kris Nardello, Secretary

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