SWA: Spinning and Weaving Association
Spinning and Weaving Association

News & Events

SWA in the News

Weaving on TV: Uncommon Threads
Weaving has made it to the wonderful world of cable television’s do-it-yourself shows. The second season of Uncommon Threads, which airs on DIY on HGTV, features five different segments devoted to a variety of weaving techniques. Travis Meinolf and Anita López, two textile designers from San Francisco, demonstrate weaving on a shaft loom and with tablets. SWA member Jane Patrick of Schacht Spindle Company and the author of Time to Weave (Interweave Press, 2006) filmed three episodes introducing the DIY viewing public to the simple art of interlacements by creating elegant projects ranging from basic braids to cut-pile patches on simple looms. more

USDA Grant Awarded to Illinois Fiber Co-op for Promotion
The Illinois Green Pastures Fiber Cooperative received $180,000 from the USDA’s Value-Added Producer and Small Minority Producer grant program. SWA provided a letter of support during the grant-writing process. According to the Cooperative’s Executive Director (and SWA member), Donna Lehrer, whose family owns and operates Lamb of God Farm, there are 2,500 Illinois shepherds. Her daughter, Natasha, runs Esther’s Place, a fiber retreat center in Big Rock. The grant will be used to showcase Illinois-produced fiber through the sponsorship of Fleece to Fiber, a festival at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, June 16–17, 2007 (see photo this page). Large crowds from the greater Chicago area are expected to attend. more

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