Programs and Workshops for 2011 - 2012

The Guild offers a wide variety of programs and workshops. Registration is required for all workshops. See the description of each workshops for details about registering. If you sign up for a workshop and later would like to cancel, a cancellation refund will be made only if we can fill your space.

Interested in attending a workshop at a reduced cost? Considering being a Workshop Coordinator and Hostess for a presenter. Contact the Program Director for more information.

David Johnson is the program director for the 2012-2013 Guild year. If you have any ideas for possible program presenters or workshop instructors please contact David.

September -- Elinor Peace Bailey

  • Day Guild Mon (12th)
  • Evening Guild Tues (13th)

Doll Making

Elinor will be sharing her wonderful dolls and fabrics with us in this lecture that will also explore what she has learned from the artistic form of the doll.

  • Workshop
  • Sunday (11th)
  • 9:00 -- 4:00 pm
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $65

Doll-Maker's Choice

Spend the day learning the techniques and skills specific to the doll you choose to make from one of Elinor's wonderful patterns. Doll patterns are available for purchase online at her website, and will also be available for purchase by August, at Shuttles, Spindles and Skeins, thus avoiding a shipping charge. For first timers, the dolls recommended are: The Modern Woman, The Victorian Doll, The Mermaid, or Mehitabel Dell. Most patterns cost $10.

Purchase your pattern ahead of time. Bring your sewing machine and materials listed on the back of your pattern. It is recommended that you read the pattern through and cut out the paper pattern before class.

Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

Elinor Peace Bailey is a globetrotting teacher of doll making, and a fabric designer extraordinaire! She received her art education through Parson's School of Design, Tyler School of Fine Arts, and Brigham Young University. She wrote "Mother Plays With Dolls", "The Rag Doll From Plain to Fancy", and recently, "Two Doll Makers Meet In The Middle". Elinor has self-published 65 doll patterns and 7 books which cover doll making from the simple to the complex. She founded, writes and illustrates a quarterly newsletter for APWPWD, the Association For People Who Play With Dolls. She has illustrated books for Bernina of America and Fairfield Process, and has designed fabric for P & B Textiles, Daisy Kingdom, and Concord Fabrics. She has acted as consultant for Crafts Magazine, Prym Dritz Corporation, Fairfield Processing, and Springs Mills. "A walking advertisement for fun" is how someone once described her. With her bright clothing, outgoing nature, and lively sense of humor, it is obvious that Elinor is not your "typical" sewing teacher. To view Elinor's work, check out her website.

October -- Susanna Hannson

  • Day Guild Mon (10th)
  • Evening Guild Tues (11th)

Knitting -- Bohus Stickning

The Bohus Stickning organization came into existence in Sweden in the 1930's during a time of financial hardship for many. This organization was born out of need and for 30 years it created wondrous and beautiful hand knitted garments while helping the women who knitted them support their families financially.

  • Workshop
  • Tuesday, October 11th
  • 9:00 to 12:00
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $45

Off the Cuff: Beaded Wrist Warmers

Are they accessories or jewelry? It's hard to say. Either way, they knit up quickly; make great gifts and fun additions to a wardrobe. There's nothing complicated about this type of bead knitting so cuffs are an ideal project for newer knitters as well as more experienced ones. Learn an easy way to calculate how many beads to string so you don't have to count each and every bead. Material list will be emailed (or snail mailed) to all people who register. Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

  • Workshop
  • Tuesday, October 11th
  • 1:00 to 4:00
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $45

Jogless Stripes and invisibile Joins

You are expected to know how to knit in the round prior to this class. The class sample is a baby hat - striped to perfection. We'll also discuss the many ways of joining stitches in the round and use the Fibonacci sequence to create rhythm in the stripes. This class represents the most popular elements from Susanna's all day Stripes workshop. Material list will be emailed (or snail mailed) to all people who register. Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

Originally from Sweden and now living in the Pacific Northwest, Susanna Hansson learned to knit in Grade 5, like all Swedish girls. As an adult, her knitting interests lead her to develop an expertise in northern European knitting techniques. In recent years, she has travel to Estonia, Iceland, and Finland to attend the annual Nordic Knitting Symposia, which has given her an opportunity to connect her knitting life here, with her cultural and linguistic roots there. Susanna goes to as many knitting retreats and conferences as she can to further her own education and stay connected with what happens in the knitting and fiber world. Check out Susanna's website.

November -- Mary Tafoya

  • Day Guild Mon (14th)
  • Evening Guild Tues (15th)

Mixed Media Bead Embroidery: Construction Techniques

Mary will discuss her mixed media embroidery process from planning to finishing. Using slides and examples of her jewelry and wall pieces, she'll share a few ideas for choosing colors and materials, and nail down some creative construction techniques for combining unusual materials on beaded surfaces. Mary will entertain your questions and comments along the way.

  • Workshop
  • Tuesday, November 15th
  • 9:00 to 12:30
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $40

Color Theory for Bead Workers and Artisans

This is basically a participatory lecture, which is one-part lecture, two-parts discussion, and three-parts fun. We'll wind our way through Mary's original color workbook. We'll learn the vocabulary of color theory and how to choose colors for our own work and become empowered to use our own personal palette. Bring something to write with and examples of your work if you'd like to discuss them in terms of color. Mary will supply colored pencils, chalks, and workbooks. Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

  • Workshop
  • Tuesday, November 15th
  • 1:30 to 5:30
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $40

Beading with Sequins

Learn the secret techniques of hidden thread, full coverage, the Haitian "mound", and floral tricks and tips, using flat and cupped sequins, with and without seed beads. You'll create a sampler in class and leave the workshop prepared to explore your own motifs and imagery using the basic stitches for attaching sequins to a stitch-able substrate. Bring scissors, paper and pen for notes (optional), task light and/or magnifier (optional). Mary will supply needles, beading thread, substrate to stitch on, sequins, and beads. Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

Mary Tafoya has worked as a freelance writer, mixed media bead artist, graphic designer, community college educator, technology trainer, and instructional designer for over 20 years. Her beadwork focuses on advanced bead embroidery techniques, and she works in various other media as well to create memorable pieces about women, spirituality, and mythology. Mary has been a frequent contributor to Beadwork and other fine craft magazines. She teaches and lectures nationally, and her artwork and jewelry have been juried into numerous regional and national exhibitions, including Bead International, where she won Best of Show in 2004. Mary has just finished her Master's degree, and is thrilled to be getting back to teaching and lecturing. Visit Mary's blog for more information.

December -- Luncheon and Ornament Exchange

  • Saturday (3rd)
  • Joint Day and Evening Guild
  • Univer. of Colorado, UMC
  • 10:00 to 2:00
  • Cost: $10

A Tribute to Linda Ligon

Our meeting in December will be a luncheon tribute to Linda Ligon, founder of Interweave Press, and long-time advocate for the textile arts. The program will include an introduction by Interweave alum Marilyn Murphy, Linda's remarks on what she has seen in nearly 40 years in the textile field as well as a peak into the future. During our dessert we'll enjoy comments by Deborah Chandler, Anne Bliss, and Barry Schacht. You'll also meet other weaving world luminaries in what promises to be a most entertaining event.

This is our opportunity to show our appreciation to Linda for all she has done for the textile crafts. The books, magazines, and videos published by her Loveland Interweave Press have given us inspiration, information, instruction and opportunities for the last 40 years. Her interest in textiles and the people who make them have encouraged and influenced craft creators around the world. We are fortunate to have her business nearby and extremely fortunate to have her this December as our principle speaker.

Seating is limited. Tickets are going quickly. Do not miss this very special event! Tickets for this lunch are only $10 because the special library fund (your resold books and magazines) is underwriting the event. Tickets will be on sale at the October Day and Evening Guild meetings. If you are unable to attend one of those meetings, contact Priscilla Wagener. For further information, contact the Tribute Committee: Louise Bradley, Gail Madden, Jane Patrick, Linda Toomre.

  • Evening Guild Tues (13th)
  • 6:30
  • Shuttles Classroom

Potluck and Ornament Exchange

The Potluck and Ornament Exchange will meet at 6:30 in the Shuttles classroom. Bring a dish to share and a wrapped handmade gift (handmade by you or someone else) to play in the gift exchange game. Good food and much laughter is the order of business.

Linda Ligon started Interweave Press as a young mother and textile enthusiast in the 1970's. Working with her children to label and mail her first magazine on her dining room table, Interweave grew as the enthusiasm for weaving and spinning spread. From humble beginnings Interweave has become a multi-dimensional corporation with a global reach. The importance of Linda Ligon and Interweave Press in the creation and fostering of the textile community cannot be underestimated. From its first publication Interweave, the magazine, to Handwoven and Spin-off, and countless how-to textile books, Interweave Press has been significant in educating a generation of textile makers, as well as creating community through all of its many endeavors. Members of the Handweavers Guild of Boulder have been frequent contributors to Handwoven and Spin-off, as well as authoring books and videos and teaching at Interweave conferences and events. Interweave has provided many opportunities for our members to be published that would not have had these opportunities otherwise. In addition, Interweave Press books, magazines, and now videos and on-line forums enrich our textile community as well as help foster the crafts we love.

January -- Colleen Hill

  • Day Guild Mon (9th)
  • Evening Guild Tues (10th)

Eco-Fashion: Going Green

Colleen will present a lecture about the past Fashion Institute of Technology exhibit, Eco-Fashion: Going Green. Eco-fashion is one of the most compelling topics in fashion today. Eco-Fashion: Going Green explored fashion's complex and multi-faceted relationship with the environment, discussing both bad and good ecological practices of the past 250 years. The exhibit featured more than 100 garments, accessories, and textiles, and used contemporary methods for "going green" as a framework for studying the past. Colleen's lecture will include the major themes of the exhibit, including: the re-purposing and recycling of materials, material origins, textile dyeing and production, quality of craftsmanship, labor practices, and the treatment of animals.

Colleen Hill has a Master of Arts in Fashion and Textile Studies: History, Theory, and Museum Practice, from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City. She is currently the assistant curator of accessories at the Museum at FIT, where she has worked since 2006. Colleen has curated or co-curated a number of exhibitions on the history of fashion, including Seduction, Arbiters of Style: Women at the Forefront of Fashion, His and Hers, and Eco-Fashion: Going Green. In addition to her work at the Museum, she is currently co-authoring a book on fashion's relationship with the environment over the past 250 years. For more information, visit the Online Exhibition.

February -- Strickler Fellowship Reports

  • Day Guild Mon (13th)
  • Evening Guild Tues 14th)

Strickler Fellowship Reports

Marilyn Cowgill will talk to us about her study of Swedish weaving. Jean Cleavinger will speak about her trip to Peru to learn about their world of weaving.

  • Workshop
  • Sunday (12th)
  • 1:00 to 5:oo
  • Meadows Library Branch
  • Free

Knitting an Estonian Pocket

Knit a bag with Judith Taylor! Using sport weight yarn, we will knit a small "pocket" using a few Estonian techniques. We will use a 2-color cast-on, vitts (braids), a small 3-color design and intarsia in the round. You will need a skein of neutral yarn having a 2 end pull, an ounce of secondary color also with a 2 end pull, 2 or 3 small balls for color work, and 5 double pointed needles (your choice of appropriate size). You need to be familiar with knitting - know the difference between knit and purl, enjoy challenges and knitting in the round. If you are a true beginner, the cast-on will be one you choose and are familiar with. This workshop is free to HGB members, but you must register, as it is limited to 15 participants! Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

March -- Gail Rutter-Van Slyke

  • Day Guild Mon (12th)
  • Evening Guild Tues (13th)

Finding Infinity

This slide talk will chronologically cover Gail's creative and professional track, including technical knowledge, conceptual inspirations, and applications for her work of 40+ years of weaving and art making.

  • Workshop
  • Saturday (17th)
  • 9:00 to flexible
  • Shuttles Classroom
  • Cost: $40

Thinking Interlacing

Gail will give a demonstration of how she weaves, emphasizing efficiency and streamlining processes by eliminating labor-tediousness. The session will progress from planning, to warping, to drafting, to weaving a small fabric. Students will need notepaper (preferably 1/4" inch graph paper) and pencil with eraser. Gail will cover a lot of information in the session so students will only observe and take notes if they wish. Download the registration form to register for this workshop.

Gail started weaving in 1970 at CSU, earning a BFA, followed by an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Over 4 decades of involvement in the visual arts has afforded her a full gamut of career experiences. Gail's interest as a weaver is complex fabric structures. Her long-term focus as a weaving instructor is teaching the principles of weaving structures. Gail's goal for weaving students, in general, is the ability to design their own fabrics, by "thinking interlacing." Visit Gail's website for more information.

April -- Tom Lundberg (Day Guild) and Angella Dirks (Evening Guild)

  • Day Guild Mon (9th)

Poetic Textiles

Tom will treat us to a survey of contemporary fiber work in the U.S. and the U.K., with a summary tour of the knitting and stitching shows that are in London, Dublin, and Harrogate.

  • Evening Guild Tues (10th)

Crafts of Our Mothers

This program is an opportunity for us as HGB members to show and talk about our mother's crafts. Many of us are who we are today because of the strong influence of our mother's busy hands. Often times, their crafts were passed down to us, either directly or indirectly, shaping us into the fiber artists that we are today. The program will include on introduction and summary by our own Angella Dirks. Let's honor our mothers be dedicating this program to them.

Professor Lundberg of Colorado Statue University earned his B.F.A. from the University of Iowa and his M.F.A. from Indiana University. At CSU he coordinates the fiber arts program and teaches courses in weaving, printed-and-dyed fabrics, and mixed-media textiles. His studio work is exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collections of the Arkansas Arts Center; Art in Public Places, State of New Mexico; Indianapolis Museum of Art; Museum of Arts and Design; and Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum. Visit Tom's website for more information.

May -- Angella Dirks

  • Day Guild Mon (14th)

Crafts of Our Mothers

This program is an opportunity for us as HGB members to show and talk about our mother's crafts. Many of us are who we are today because of the strong influence of our mother's busy hands. Often times, their crafts were passed down to us, either directly or indirectly, shaping us into the fiber artists that we are today. The program will include on introduction and summary by our own Angella Dirks. Let's honor our mothers be dedicating this program to them.

  • Evening Guild Tues (15th)

Challenge and Swap!

The criteria for the Evening Guild Challenge will be decided at the September meeting. We will also have a swap of supplies, books, magazines, etc., from members. This is a great way to do spring cleaning of your studio and find a good home for those things you no longer need or want.

Programs from Past Years