Read About the Board Members of the Association of Northwest Weavers Guilds

Craft work inspires and entertains me. I learned to knit, crochet, quilt, and sew from my mother and grandmothers. I took up tatting and bobbin lace as a stay-at-home Mom. My hobby business outgrew its basement beginnings, and operating The Lacemaker allowed me to teach and travel for more than fifteen years. In retirement, I wanted to learn to weave, and I’ve spent nearly ten years in that pursuit, attending classes and conferences, buying books and fibers. I’ve been making useful things, I hope. My involvement in the ANWG Board comes from a willingness to share the fun. I’ve owned a motley assortment of looms over the years, but for now I weave on an old AVL, No. 876, a 16 shaft PDL.

Volunteer work at Conferences, Convergences, Seminars and workshops has helped me gain information, background and education in planning and expediting projects; working for, and with groups and individuals on personal, local, state, regional and national levels. Serving on the Board of ANWG as Vice President 2003-2005 and as President 2006-2007. I have served on the Portland Handweavers Guild Board in various capacities and am currently a Director of Outreach for PHG. It was my privilege to be President of Complex Weavers as well as Chairperson of 1996 Complex Weavers Seminar in Portland Oregon and to continue as the Oregon Area Rep for CW.

I do not consider my profound hearing loss an impairment but rather a challenge. I am committed to communicate with many people in regards to my “hearing challenge” on how to best provide the needs required to participate in activities. The advent of e-mail and electronic telecommunications contact over distances is now easier. During its initial stages, I was on the Consumers Board of the Hearing Impaired Relay Service in Oregon.

I graduated from OSC, Corvallis OR with a degree in Foods and Nutrition. I worked as a Therapeutic Dietitian at Multnomah County Hospitals where I oversaw office staff, dietetic interns and managed employees.

I have been spinning for about 8 years and am currently working on completing my Master Spinners through Olds College in Alberta. I have a great desire to promote all interests in fibre. I love to see what people are designing with fibre. I had the pleasure of volunteering at Convergence 2002 in Vancouver and that is when I knew I had to get even more involved in fibre. I have since volunteered for Convergence 2004 in Denver and was Registration Volunteer Coordinator at Convergence 2006 in Grand Rapids. I was also voted to the HGA Board and serve as Secretary. A friend and I host a spin in weekend each October for 40-50+ people and have a ball. I belong to the Kamloops Spinner’s and Weavers and HWGA.

My background is clerical and putting together large Conference and such, so would love to be able to help with my diverse interests and knowledge to open the world of fiber to the world. My husband and I own a farm with 27 llamas near Kamloops, BC.

I learned to weave 34 years ago in the Baltimore area. I moved back to my home state of Washington after a few years and joined the Seattle Weavers Guild. I was a member of the steering committee for Convergence 1982 as one of the 3 treasurers. I have been treasurer of Seattle Weavers Guild, Arachne Weavers Guild and of the ANWG conference in Tacoma in 2005. I am in a few study groups and three weaver's guilds - Olympia Weavers Guild being the third one. I joined Arachne and Olympia after retiring from Boeing in 1994.

I own a four shaft Dorset loom, an eight shaft Baby Macomber and a sixteen shaft J-Comp loom. I can't decide if I am a structure person or a color person - maybe both. I like the mathematics of weaving but get bored if I don't see new things happening and changing as I am weaving.

As an attorney and CPA by profession, the mother of four, and on-call for elderly parents, I am a part of the “sandwich generation.” After exploring many techniques, my focus is now on projects that although creative in their development, can be completed when distracted, interrupted, in cars, in hospitals and on airplanes.

Never happy to use other’s yarns or designs, my work is colorful and creative, but also simple and non-stressful in its techniques. A day in the dye kitchen creates many months worth of relaxing projects.

I have been hand spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving and basket making for over twenty years and a board member of MAWS, Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners for many years.

I received my first loom as a Christmas present in the early 80's. Since then I have been lucky enough to meet many people with similar interests and a willingness to encourage, teach, or push each other into becoming better weavers. Along the way I moved from a 4 shaft table loom to an 8 shaft Leclerc floor loom and now I do most of my weaving on a 16 shaft AVL compudobby. I enjoy double weave, weaving with fine threads, and I spent a couple of years working on learning how color acts in woven fabric. I helped with the weaving for the book 8 Shafts A Place To Begin. At the present time I am trying to use up some of my handwoven cloth as the covering for handmade journals and have taught this as a class several times. I am also using handwoven fabric to make quilted, beaded, abstract wall hangings that might be called art quilts. I also spin llama or dog hair yarn and dye some of my warps.

I retired to the West Kootenays and am Vice-President of the Selkirk Weavers and Spinners in Castlegar, B.C. This Guild is well established and is situated in the Doukhobor Village Museum. We have a “summer” retail shop for our fiber arts and an ongoing yarn shop which is for Members convenience. I co-chair both the Library Committee and the Programming Committee which led to starting a wonderfully active Study group which meets monthly and does hands on weaving and techniques and has fun. The Education Committee for ANWG is exciting for me and I am eagerly honing up on computer skills. I am looking forward to the Wild Fiber Conference and the ANWG meeting in Red Deer.