The Toronto Guild of Spinners and Weavers aims to promote the crafts of handweaving, spinning and dyeing by advancing the skill and artistry of those practicing the crafts within the guild and the community through educational programs of interest and value to our members.
We host a mixture of in-person and virtual (via Zoom) meetings, many of which feature an illustrated presentation by a respected textile artist. Members receive an e-blast prior to each meeting providing details of the Zoom link or meeting location and lots of other news. We love to see what exciting fibre projects our members are working on. Photos can be email, or posted to our Facebook page. We will share them with other members, and maybe also here!
Guild News
May 2023
Following the presentation from Amanda Rataj we will hold our Annual General Meeting. The agenda and minutes of the previous meeting are posted in the Member’s section of the website, along with all the reports and the proposed 2023-2024 budget. At the AGM we will also announce the winner of this year’s bursary. See you there!
We have developed a password-protected section of the website with additional announcements for Members, details and followup resources from past meetings, and information on how to access some of our shared resources. This section will be expanded over time based on Member suggestions. The AGM documents are also up on this page. For the login information, please consult your latest member’s email (Sent May 3, 2023). If you are a member and aren’t getting the members’ emails, please email the Guild.
April 2023
After several years of excellent work, Sarah Lawson will shortly be stepping down from her role as treasurer. We therefore need a volunteer for this position. You don’t need to have previous financial experience, but it would help if you are organized, detail-oriented, and willing to do on-line banking. Please don’t wait until the last minute – step up now and email us if you’re interested! This would be a great opportunity for a newer member to get more involved in the organization. Sarah is willing to help train the new volunteer to make the transition painless!
At our upcoming AGM, we will also be looking for some other new members of the Executive as well. Please watch your Member E=Blasts for more information.
The Resource Centre move went smoothly, thanks to a group of volunteers. Some came in the preceding week to pack or drop off bags (thanks Mike, Julia, Carolyn, Anne, and Joe), to move (thanks Sarah and Julia, and the landlord and another tenant at 915 Dupont), and to unload and sort all the materials into the cart (Tianna, Uma, Julia, Sarah, Carolyn).
We have a number of books that haven’t been checked out since the 1990s and which don’t contain practical information, or aren’t about spinning/weaving, that we are culling to make room. We will have a bunch of knitting books, magazines and DVDs for sale at the April 12 meeting, and more books at the May meeting.
Of course you would, but if you would like to do it sooner rather than later, here’s your chance!
A member has generously donated a beautiful 12-shaft 45” loom to the Guild, with all the necessary accessories. If you would like to borrow it, let us know. You’ll need a good-sized vehicle and some muscular assistants. If transportation is an issue (near Bloor and Spadina) we can put out the word for help with it.
If nobody wants to borrow this loom, we will likely be offering it for sale. Watch this space!
Miriam also notes that if you need some space to store this lovely giant while you’re working, there is a space available for rent now at our recently vacated Resource Centre.
March 2023
After a year of meeting at various venues around the city, the Guild is moving back to The Meeting House in Riverdale Farm! Starting in April we will hold our monthly meetings there, host weekly spinning drop-ins on Thursday afternoons (12:30 – 3 pm; come and spin, knit, or do other portable textile work), and have access to our stored print resources. This move will save us the considerable expense of renting space for our book carts, and will provide a stable, familiar, affordable, and welcoming venue for us to gather in person.
Moving Days will be March 23 and 24. We need members and volunteers to help, either with packing, transport, or temporary storage of items. Please email us and let us know how you can help. Thank you!
The Guild offers a bursary each year to any paid-up members of the Guild who is undertaking a specific study or research project. The bursary award of $300 can be put toward the costs (including purchase of materials) of a specific project or course of study designed to improve the skills and artistry of those practising our crafts. So, if you are planning to develop specific skills, participate in an educational program, or undertake your own study, and if $300 would help you towards this end, check out the Bursary page of our website. Download the 2023 Bursary application form here. Submission deadline is April 26, 2023. The Bursary will be awarded at the May meeting.