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  • December 2, 2023: Fairy Basket Workshop

    10:00 -16:00
    2023/12/02
    TGSW
    Simpson House at Riverdale Farm

    201 Winchester St, Toronto, ON M4X 1B8

    201 Winchester St, Toronto, ON M4X 1B8

     

    Saturday, December 2, 2023 10am-4pm

    Simpson House in Riverdale Farm, 201 Winchester St., Toronto M4X 1B8

     

    The Toronto Guild of Spinners and Weavers is pleased to host a Fairy Basket Weaving Workshop from Agnes Niewiadomski. In this workshop, attendees will learn to weave a miniature “fairy” basket made from willow bark, garden leaves and other natural materials. This is a beginner level workshop that will introduce you to fundamental weaving techniques and material preparation. A cordage making lesson will also be offered during this class and can be used in the creation of your project. This workshop is open to ages 10+ and no prior weaving experience is required.

     

    Instructor Bio

    Agnes is a visual artist (OCAD Sculpture/Installation grad), small business owner and camp director of Mindful Makers. She offers hands-on arts programming to kids and adults in and around Waterloo Region through day camps, workshops, festival events, craft kits, and her locally produced TV Show!

    Agnes is passionate about teaching hands-on skills and spreading the joy of making through a multitude of crafting methods including: sewing, printmaking, felting, dyeing, weaving, electronics, 2D and 3D modeling, sculpture, mold making + casting, book binding, papermaking cardboard and paper crafts. Many of her projects are now available as at-home kits and can be ordered through her website: www.mindfulmakers.ca

    IG: @agnesmakes @mindful_makers

     

    Cost

    Toronto Guild of Spinners and Weavers Members: $130

    Non-Member: $140

     

    Registration Details

    -Space in the workshop is limited. Registration will be open to TGSW Members from November 1-November 6, and any available spots after that point will be opened for registration to anyone.Simpson House is wheelchair accessible from the north side of the building.

    -If you would like to access member pricing or early registration for the workshop, you can sign up to be a member of TGSW online here (https://toronto-guild-of-spinners-and-weavers.com/membership/).

    -No refunds will be possible, but your registration can be transferred to another person by emailing the Guild at email@toronto-guild-of-spinners-and-weavers.com before 12PM ET on December 1st.

    -We ask registrants to wear masks during the workshop, and practice social distancing as much as possible.

    -Please bring a packed meal if you’d like a lunch break during the event.

    -If you are feeling ill or have COVID symptoms the day of the event, we ask that you do not attend the workshop. Please get in touch with us (email@toronto-guild-of-spinners-and-weavers.com) if this is the case, and we will follow up with you about options.

    -You can plan to pay for registration by Interac, but please ask if you’d like another payment option.

    -Please plan to pay for your registration shortly after you receive confirmation that space is available. We will only hold registration spaces open for a short time.

    -If the workshop is full, we will start a wait list in case a registration opens up, and notify interested participants in the order in which their emails are received.

     

    To register for this event, please email Lisa at email@toronto-guild-of-spinners-and-weavers.com with the subject line “Dec 2 Fairy Basket Workshop Registration”.

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  • Member’s Monthly Meeting: In-Person Festive Gathering

    19:30 -21:30
    2023/12/13
    TGSW
    The Meeting House, Riverdale Farm

    201 Winchester Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1B8

    201 Winchester Street, Toronto, Ontario, M4X 1B8

    This meeting will include a silent auction, optional gift exchange of a ball of yarn or fibre, and more, but no word yet on the potluck aspect! Please see below.

    In light of the fact that COVID infections are on the rise in the GTA and that some people, including our valued seniors, are more vulnerable to the Covid virus, we ask that everyone attending the November in-person meeting:

    • please wear a mask and keep it on indoors
    • stay home if you have any symptoms (done by several executive members for our October meeting)
    • stay socially distanced as much as you can during the meeting
    • use the hand sanitizer provided near the door of the Meeting House
    • if you can, get a booster vaccine, now available through the province’s booking site and soon to arrive at pharmacies

    We regret not having coffee/tea and snacks for the time being. The library will still be open, and we will have show-and-tell as usual.
    Your Executive is considering what to do for the December meeting, when we have traditionally brought and shared food. We will keep you posted.

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REGULAR MEETINGS

MONTHLY GUILD MEETINGS Beginning April 2023 we will resume holding  in-person meetings at Riverdale Farm. We will continue to hold some meetings virtually. Our Member’s Meetings are held from September-June, with a break for the summer. Check out the Calendar for up-to-date information.
If you are interested in spinning or weaving, you are welcome to join us as a guest at one of our monthly meetings.
When: 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:30 – 9:00 pm for in-person meetings; 7:00 – 8:30 pm for virtual meetings
Where: In-person meetings are held in the Meeting House at Riverdale Farm- come in the gate and keep going past the sheep.

TEXTILE/SPINNING DROP-IN 
Guild members join Riverdale Farm staff to host textile drop-ins at the Farm once a week in the afternoons. All are welcome to watch, chat, learn, or bring a project to work on– it’s totally free! Occasionally we have themes, such as a regular Spinning Clinic. At some of the drop-ins, the Farm provides some equipment, including Lendrum spinning wheels, for visitors to use. If you want to take your yarn home, bring a Lendrum bobbin. Equipment is not available to borrow at all drop-ins.
When: Summer 2023: Tuesday afternoons, 1 – 3 pm (through September 2023) at the Simpson House Porch.
Where: Riverdale Farm, 201 Winchester St., Toronto, M4X 1B8

IN THE COMMUNITY

The Guild generally participates in the following Riverdale Farm events , demonstrating fibre processing, spinning, weaving, and other textile skills to the public. After a hiatus during the pandemic, we look forward to resuming these events this Spring.

FAMILY DAY
Riverdale Farm is a great place to spend Family Day, with lots of fun activities taking place, including weaving and spinning demonstrations and activities that the whole family can enjoy.

SHEEP CELEBRATION
Riverdale Farm opens its doors with the farm’s popular Spring Festival at which Guild members use the fleece shorn from the farm sheep to demonstrate the skills needed to wash the wool, prepare it for spinning, make yarn, dye it, and weave it into cloth. Come and watch the process, from sheep shearing on!

FALL FESTIVALS
See the Guild in action on the second weekend in September at the Riverdale Farm Fall Festival, and at the Cabbagetown Festival too!

More information on Riverdale Farm.