The Guild offers COURSES through its Weaving and Fiber Arts Center. The Center is a studio classroom located in the Piano Works Mall. Anyone interested in learning may enroll in a course of their choosing. And it's not just about weaving. You can learn to bead, make paper, dye fabric, knit and endless other opportunities. Click to see our current BROCHURE

 

 

”It’s why we gather”... The guild meets from 9:30 am-12:00 pm on the second Wednesday of the month, September through June [no meeting in December]. We gather at the First Baptist Church, 175 Allen’s Creek Rd. in Pittsford, NY.  The church social hall opens at 9:00 a.m. for fellowship and access to the library. A short business meeting is followed by a program. Programs vary with invited speakers and cover a wide range of topics. Please see PROGRAMS for descriptions of current programing.

Two or three workshops are offered each year, led by a well-known regional or national fiber artist. The workshop setting provides intensive study of a given topic over several days. Registration is limited to Guild members. The workshops are held at First Baptist Church, unless otherwise noted. At our May 2010 Archie Brennan discussed Susan Maffei's tapestry with our guild president.  Please see PROGRAMS for descriptions of all upcoming workshops.

The Guild library is of one of the finest collections on weaving and fiber arts in the region. It is a lending library for members only and is available for browsing at Guild meetings.  Items are checked out for return at the next meeting.  New acquistions are regularly made to enhance the collection. The library has more than 800 books and monographs as well as an archive of magazines and periodicals. There are texts on weaving, dyeing, spinning, knitting, sewing and finishing handwovens, basketry, and other related fiber techniques. Magazines include Handwoven, Prairie Wool Companion, Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot, Weaver's, Weaver's Craft and Weaver's Journal. Periodicals include: Handweaver and Craftsman, CIBA Review, the Monsterblad series from Swedish Homecraft Society, and Loom Music. Of particular interest are the 150+ notebooks with woven samples and drafts on the full range of fiber techniques. These notebooks have been donated by Guild members or were compiled from Guild workshops led by well known fiber artists. Also in the library are audio and video tapes, sewing patterns and slides.

Members who share a common interest in a specific area frequently form study groups which meet separately from regular WGR meetings. Current study groups include Vested Interests, Multi-Harness, Color, Tapestry and Swedish Weaves. These groups meet in member homes on differing schedules.

The Guild actively promotes weaving and fiber arts through many community venues. It responds to community requests for demonstrations and exhibits, such as at the historic Stone-Tolan House or at a local grade school. It holds an annual Holiday Sale [in November]. This market site provides a beautiful display of handmade goods and an opportunity for members to sell to the public. During area festivals, booths are set up with members on hand to answer questions and demonstrate techniques. These festival locations have included:

Memorial Art Gallery [Clothesline]
FiberFest in Hemlock, NY
Ganondagan State Historic Site
Genesee Country Museum
Village Gate Courtyard
Rochester Museum & Science Center

The Guild has set up major displays for exhibit at local libraries and regularly distributes promotional literature at these and other sites. In addition the Guild has several traveling exhibits for loan to other Guilds or organizations. Each notebook exhibit includes descriptive material, weaving drafts and fabric samples from a special project.

• Weaver’s Choice: 28 samples from basic to complex, ranging from woven tapes to 16 shaft weaving drafts. There is something for everyone.
• Eclectic Collection: 21 fabrics woven by 15 guild members. The fabric samples range from 4 shafts in a variety of weave structures to color and weave and 16 shaft twill patterns. Fiber and setts range from silk to synthetic and from 6 to 30 epi.
• 50 Years/50 Fabrics: A compilation of 50 fabric samples inspired by a trip through the Guild’s archives from its first 50 years.