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Moonspinners
Moonspinners is an evening guild interested in all types of fiber crafts with an emphasis on spinning,  weaving, dyeing and knitting. Most of our 22 members come from Pierce county, Washington, which includes the communities of Puyallup, Sumner, Tacoma, Bonney Lake and Auburn. Membership is open to all persons interested in the fiber arts. Annual dues are $15, payable in June.
Moonspinners own various pieces of equipment (wheel, loom, drum carder, fiber stash...) which are available for use by the members. It maintains a library of books and periodicals related to the fiber arts and these are available to be checked out by any member. Membership includes a monthly newsletter.
We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the United Methodist Church of Sumner. It is one block off Main Street on the corner of Wood and Maple: 901 Wood Avenue, Sumner, WA.
For membership information contact:
Georgean Curran e-mail
412-114th Ave. E.
Edgewood WA 98372
253-927-8779
MOONSPINNER HISTORY
Moonspinners started as an evening guild by former members of Arachne Weaving Guild in the late 70s. The only remaining member from the beginning is Georgean Curran.
"The first Sumner Days we went to was a sheep to shawl competition with Arachne guild at least 16 or maybe more years ago. We won. They were a very big guild at that time, and we had about 10 members then. It was a few years after that we were asked to come and demonstrate regularly. Our primary purpose is to spread the art and craft of spinning and weaving. Related crafts are dying basketry, then knitting, crocheting and other uses for our handspun. To do this, we demonstrate to the public wherever we can. We reach new members and educate the public this way." Georgean Curran
ACTIVITIES
We participate in the following community events:
- Mecker Days (June) in Puyallup
- Sumner Days (1st weekend in Au gust) in Sumner, WA.
- Western Washington State Fair in the Sheep to Shawl and 4x4 events.
We engage in various fundraising activities, including the Tapps Island Garage Sale, Sumner Days, the Western Washington state Fair, and a yearly Shawl Sale and Raffle.
As part of its stated aim to further educate its member, Moonspinners has created a C.A.M.E.L. project. "C.A.M.E.L.'s are an educational project passed around to interested members who sign up to keep it one (or two if complicated) week(s) at a time then pass it on to the next member. We have learned how to do a number of things this way and members have found out if they are really interested in certain fiber arts or not. The letters stand for 'C'reative 'A'pproach to 'M'obile 'E'ducational 'L'oom. Moonspinners also participate in the Western Washington State Fair at Puyallup, notably in the Sheep to Shawl competition, in which it took first place at the 1998 fair.
"We are members of Handweavers Guilds of America for which we get the magazine: Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, access to: videos & sideshows of fiber related activities, the Spinning and Weaving Certificate of Excellence programs (two separate programs), a swatch exchange program and other study groups are also available. We are also members of the Association of Northwest Weavers guilds and have had booths in the biennial conferences from before I became a member. We are also a source of videos, slides and people in the region with fiber skills who are willing to demonstrate those skills." Joette Haase
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