Category Archives: Past Programs

In Person Program for Thursday, September 19th, 7:00 pm: Ally Kraus

In Person Program for Thursday, September 19th, 7:00 pm:

From Text to Textiles with Ally Kraus

The speaker for our September meeting is our own Ally Kraus. She will be discussing her journey into art, her current work, and her future plans. Her website is https://www.allykraus.com/
Ally Kraus is a fiber artist – weaver, sewist, and dyer – based in San Jose, CA. Originally an instructional writer and designer, Ally left her corporate job in 2022 to focus on
textiles full-time and apply her professional skills to a creative setting. She spent a year visiting craft schools across the United States before returning to the Bay Area with plans to open a textile hub in Silicon Valley.
Ally is the Vice President of the Black Sheep Handweavers Guild, on the Leadership Team of genets Silicon Valley, the Administrative Editor of Complex Weavers Journal, and a textile instructor at Maker Nexus. Her work has been shown at Bay Area galleries, including the San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, Sanchez Art Center, Olive Hyde Art Gallery, Pacific Art League, Works/San José, and Noble Gallery.

Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Ave, Redwood City. The program will start at 7pm, but the room will be open at 6:30 for those who want to visit beforehand. If anyone would like to bring something finger-edible to share, that would be lovely. We don’t send around a signup sheet for monthly snacks any more. COVID note: Masking is optional, but please wear a mask if you have any respiratory symptoms, even if it’s probably just allergies from everything that’s blooming.

In Person Guild Meeting on Aug 17th – Bring a Friend!

In Person Program for Saturday, August 17th 10am – 1 pm

For August, we’re having a Summer Social meeting. It takes place on Saturday, August 17th from 10am-1pm in our usual room at the Senior Center (1455 Madison Ave, Redwood City, CA 94061).

Come when you can, stay for as little or as long as you like. New members are especially invited!

Friends, family, and prospective guild members are welcome to attend.

Non-guild members can RSVP with this form: https://forms.gle/rF1RBNhRX6ZQ3383A (not mandatory but very much appreciated so we know how many folks to expect).

This meeting will be an informal social event. Bring a fiber project to work on and chat while your hands are busy. You are also encouraged to bring a project for show-and-tell – we’ll set up a little gallery along the windows.

Ally will also create some signage about our programs, library, study groups, etc., for non-members – get in touch if you’d like to help (allison.m.kraus at gmail.com).

Thursday, June 20th 2024, 7 PM In-Person Guild Meeting: Cata Gomez

In Person Program for 7:00 pm Thursday, June 20th


This month we will feature guest speaker, Cata Gomes, an indigenous elder, activist and expert basket maker. Cata has documented lineage from three tribes in Central California and is a Rammaytush from the Timiktak Village along the Calera Creek, which is currently known as Pacifica. She is the founder and executive director of Muchia Te’ Indigenous Land Trust, a woman-led organization with majority of Rammaytush descendants on their board of directors.


Dedicated to the rematriation of her ancestral homeland, the land trust is named in honor of the family matriarch from whom Cata is descended. The Muchia Te website is https://muchiateilt.org/
Cata will share one of their many cultural revitalization programs, focusing on their Basket Circle and the making of pine needle coil baskets.
Please plan on attending this informative presentation Thursday, June 20th from 7-9 pm, at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center. Following the program, we will have the new board elections — your vote is important to the guild!
As we no longer have a hospitality coordinator, we appreciate if you can bring a sweet or savory item to share. Hot tea will be available. See you soon!

Thursday, May 16th 2024 In-Person Guild Meeting: CNCH Impressions

Topic: Sharing of recent projects from CNCH Conference and recent personal projects and any other conferences attended.

Come join us for an In-Person guild meeting to share what you have been up to lately in the area of fiber! We look forward to welcoming each of you and seeing your beautiful works!
If you attended CNCH, let us know about the workshop you attended and your new learnings, as well as any completed projects done then. If you did not attend the conference, we would still love to see you and bring something you have recently completed or share what you are in the process of completing.

Perhaps you have a recent travel adventure to share or a workshop you can recommend.
We will need help with refreshments, so please bring something to share, sweet or savory! Hope to see you soon.

— Barbie, Barbara, Ann and Johanna, Programs Committee

April 18th 2024 Guild Meeting: In Person Program

Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Ave, Redwood City. The program will start at 7pm, but the room will be open at 6:30 for those who want to visit beforehand.
Our program will also bring us back “home” with four of our own guild members speaking about their different paths that took their lives out of the realm of “hobby” weaving.
Our moderator will be Johanna Gelb

Our panelists will be:
• Barbara Shapiro, internationally exhibited basketmaker and weaver, conference and
workshop teacher https://www.barbarashapiro.com/
• Ulla de Larios, internationally exhibited weaver https://www.ulladelarios.com/
• Jodi Paley, weaver of commissions and pieces for gallery and craft fair booth sales
@stitchfiberart
• Barbie Paulsen, elementary school weaving teacher, retired              

Bring your questions and your own stories of where weaving has taken you. We look forward to seeing you in person.
If anyone would like to bring something finger-edible to share, that would be lovely. We don’t send around a signup sheet for monthly snacks any more.

COVID note: Masking is optional, but please wear a mask if you have any respiratory symptoms, even if it’s probably just allergies from everything that’s blooming.

March 21 Guild Meeting with Carson Demmers (Zoom Meeting)

Program for 7:00 pm March 21st via Zoom : Our guest speaker is Carson Demers.

By day he is a mild-mannered physical therapist (well, actually award winning!). But the rest of his life he is spinning, knitting, designing and teaching, always with an eye to ergonomics.

He is the author of Knitting Comfortably: the Ergonomics of
Handknitting. Plus, he is a poodle lover! https://www.ergoiknit.com/

Do you do more than knit or spin? This presentation takes inventory
of the ergonomic pros and cons for a variety of fiber arts including
weaving and finer needle work.

You’ll learn how injuries occur and
the contributions your craft makes both to their occurrence and
prevention. You’ll learn to identify ergonomic risk in your craft and
techniques to prevent injuries including improved posture, stretching and exercise.

 

February 15th Guild Meeting with Kathy Hattori

February 15th, 2024 Guild Meeting with Kathy Hattori

Program starts at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 15th :

Kathy Hattori, President of Botanical Colors and loyal Black Sheep member will discuss current trends in natural dyes and how the “farm to fashion” movement is gaining momentum and providing consumers with a roadmap to demanding and supporting sustainable clothing.  Along the way, we will talk about technology, challenges and some exciting developments.
 
 

 

January 18, 2024 Guild Meeting: Robin Lynde

January 18, 2024 Guild Meeting: Robin Lynde

January Program
Thursday, January 18, 7:00 pm on Zoom
Link will be sent out before the meeting and will be on the Black Sheep Handweavers Guild calendar

Join us this month for some time with a local fiber celebrity, Robin Lynde of Meridian Jacobs in Vacaville. This month’s program is an inside view into where our fibers come from and what goes into the care and production of the yarns we use. It also brings insights into the host of Lambtown, a favorite local textile event.

In her own words, Robin Lynde says:

“There is more to running a fiber business than admiring shelves of yarn and knitting all day just as there is more to raising sheep than cuddling lambs. How do you combine farming, shop-keeping, teaching, and weaving into a successful business? I will discuss my experience developing and managing Meridian Jacobs with plenty of time to answer questions.”

We look forward to seeing your faces and hearing whatever questions you might have about the processes that come before your warp touches the heddles and your weft fills your shuttle.

 

December 14th Guild Meeting: Holiday Party

Program for 7:00 pm Thursday, December 14: Holiday Party


Welcome, one and all, to the Black Sheep Guild Holiday Party! We will be meeting in person at the Veterans Memorial Center, 1455 Madison Ave, Redwood City at 7:00 p.m. Let us gather, greet old friends and new, and share our love of textiles and each other Come in a festive spirit! (Last year, we encouraged donning a special hat or other wearable
decoration, so why not make that a tradition?) As always, we eagerly anticipate seeing your fiber creations at our show-and-tell time. And if you have a textile that holds some special meaning, we would love to hear your tale. May our shared stories be a bright spot in the dark winter!
Please join in our evening of merriment and bring an edible treat to share. For simplicity’s sake, we are just asking for contributions of finger foods, sweet or savory. We will supply an assortment of beverages.
Please also consider bringing an item (or many) from your stash! Instead of a gift exchange, this year we will feature a stash give-away table, which we trust will fill with tempting offerings.
Lighten your cache of those “someday” items, let them become someone else’s treasure, and come away with something that sparks new inspiration! Doubtless, most of us will not be leaving empty-handed!
If you have any interest in helping with the party set-up, please contact Gail (President) or any Programs board member. We look forward to your company!