FUN, FUN Drop Spindle Spinning & SD Fabric Project

Sue Vegter's leaf addition to dyed fabric.

The first part of our program meeting was spent oohing and aahhing over the three pieces of fabric in the surface design round robin collaborative project that some members in the guild are involved in.  Pris Lynch dyed the original white Kona cotton in a Procion MX gray/black dye in a folded pattern.  It was then cut in to three one-yard pieces.  Sue Vegter added hand pounded poinsettia leaves to the four corners and then needle-felted in black outlines.  Alice Breese hand printed circles with a paper tube in silver (next time she'll put some kind of a waterproof glue on the bottom of the tube, she said, so the paper wouldn't soak up so much silver paint).  Jeannie Emery had an old wood stamp that she used to print images all over her piece.  The fabric pieces then went to the next person in each group to add their surface design addition.  That will be the surprise at the next meeting on Feb. 6 (if the weather is good).

Alice Breese's silver circles addition to dyed fabric.

Jeannie Emery's light brown printed addition.

The second part of the meeting became a wonderful, impromptu tutorial by new member, Arlene Tiemeyer, teaching members how to hand spin wool with a drop spindle.  She had brought all of her drop spindles (top whorls and bottom whorls) and a lot of beautiful blue gray carded wool fleece.  There was a lot of dropping of spindles at first (and words...) and then gradually, with a lot of concentration and determination, less and less noise and very determined looks and even smiles at the yarn that was being spun!  We will continue next month on Feb. 6 (weather dependent, of course) with members bringing their spinning wheels and fleece and continue our adventure in spinning.

Check out www.bigfam15.etsy.com, Arlene Tiemeyer's husband's business of making weaving and spinning tools made from rescued, reclaimed, repurposed, and recycled wood.

Photos by Alice Breese