2013 Squaw Valley

CNCH 2013 Conference at Squaw Valley, USA

Textile Games

June 25, 2013

There is nothing like a photo album to send you down memory lane. Although CNCH 2013 was just a couple of weeks ago, we are still reminiscing about our good times at Squaw Valley and since we had some great photographers in attendance, the 2013 committee wanted to share their pictures with everyone.

The Textile Parade went by all too quickly for the audience and for the participants. There aren’t many photos of those carrying their textile entries, but our conference photographer did manage to get a photo of most of the wearable ones. We wanted to include everyone, but found that some of the photos just didn’t turn out well and we didn’t want to embarrass anyone with a blurry or unflattering picture. To see our CNCH spring collection and a few related photos, go to the conference photo gallery.

Textile games were a big hit with the evening crowds. We have photos of most of the activities and just look at the faces of the participants or the onlookers. To find the names of the winners for each game go to the web site here.

A really big hit with the conference attendees was the raffle drawing for Scholarship Baskets. The individual guild contributions to the baskets are posted here on the website. There was such a richness in the donated items, that the committee decided to assemble theme baskets. A couple of guilds had put together their own particular theme basket of goodies and these came already beautifully wrapped and ready for the raffle. The 2013 scholarship recipients helped with wrapping and bows for the remaining baskets and then sold tickets at the evening events. (The amount raised from ticket sales was $1739). We have a set aside a special section in the photo gallery dedicated just to the scholarship baskets and included a few photos of this year’s scholarship winners, each of whom helped to make this event a big success. A special thank you goes to all of the guilds and their members who made donations to this fund raiser.

There isn’t space to describe all of the events and wonderful classes, so we are relying on our photo gallery to fill in the details. Thanks to Elizabeth Cavasso who was our official conference photographer. She was everywhere and took hundreds of photos. Cheryl Taylor, Erin Maclean, Gudrun Polak and Toni Lowden also shared photographs with us and we are pleased to include them in the gallery. And now, we start looking forward to next year’s conference in Oakland!

May 16, 2013

We are coming around that last bend before CNCH finally arrives and can almost see and feel the glory of the high Sierra. This is brand new territory for most of us so the CNCH committee thought you might like a check list that you can refer to before you leave and also have on hand once you arrive to get your weekend off to a smooth start.

First of all, have you reviewed your class supply list? The information is on the web site under “class material list” if you have forgotten where you stored your confirmation e-mail from the registrar. This gives you a list of supplies you will need to bring with you for each of your classes in addition to a notebook and pen or pencil for taking notes. You can also double check the materials fee (if any) for the classes you are attending.

Are you delivering your guild’s contributions for a raffle basket? Keep them close to the rest of your luggage so that they are not forgotten in the last minute flurry before you leave. You will be delivering them to the registration desk in the lobby which will be open from 2 to 6 on Friday.

As you check in at the registration desk, you can also drop off your lanyard (if you are entering that contest) between 2PM and 5:30 and then return at 6 to pick it up and attach it to your name badge. There will be an assortment of safety pins, etc for attaching the lanyard or you can bring your own attachments if you like. Be sure to wear your CNCH badge to all events! Also, Friday door prizes can be claimed at the CNCH Registration Desk as you check in. Look for your name on the “Door Prize” bulletin board. The remaining winners of door prizes donated by our instructors will be posted on Saturday evening.

Once you arrive at the Resort and have gotten your room squared away, don’t forget to come outside to the parking lot for the Tailgate Market. Vendors will be in place and ready to sell by 1PM and there will lots of merchandise to entice every fiber lover. The market closes at 5PM sharp.

There will be a bulletin board for posting “Wanted and For Sale Equipment”. Postings should be the size of a postcard and push-pins will be provided.

During evening events, keep a lookout for this year’s scholarship winners who will be selling raffle tickets for the Scholarship Baskets. ($1 each or 6 for $5, 13 for $10). Each basket will be wrapped in cellophane so that you can see the contents. You select the baskets that capture your fancy and deposit your ticket stubs in the appropriate containers. The raffle drawing for the baskets will take place on Saturday evening after dinner. You must be present at the drawing to win and if the winning ticket owner is not in attendance, another will be drawn. So, if you need to slip out of the room or can’t be at the dinner, make sure to leave someone in charge of your tickets!

An updated schedule has been posted here on the website to help you keep you informed of what will be happening and when and where. Print out a copy to bring with you to the conference so you won’t miss a single detail of this fun filled weekend. See you there!

April 18, 2013

The Story of the Maroon and Cream Handwoven Coverlet

Note: This is the story of a coverlet assembled by the Mother Lode Weavers and Spinners Guild. It will be on display at CNCH 2013 in Squaw Valley. Along with this story, will be a diagram showing the weavers and pattern names, when known, for each of the squares.

Jewel Wedegartner gave me the twenty squares that make up the maroon and cream coverlet in the Spring of 2011. She and Vic were in the process of cleaning out and selling years of weaving/spinning equipment and she handed me the box with the 20 squares, a file folder, which was filled with letters, notes on how the coverlet group came to be, names of participants, the patterns that everyone chose and source of yarn. I had seen her blue and white one she had woven years earlier and heard a little bit about the Stockton Weavers Guild. So the coverlet squares that now belong to MLWS were not woven by Jewel, although the records were kept by her.

Her recollection of how she came to have the maroon squares is interesting. She and Vic had gone to a garage sale, somewhere in Arnold. When she found the box of squares she knew immediately what they were and bought them for $5.00!! I showed Jewel the coverlet when completed but she could not remember who may have owned them.

I did some research on various methods on joining the squares. With a quilting background and the help of my husband Steve, we determined the yardage needed to weave borders for the squares. The records showed that all the weavers used a 20/2 cotton which we also used for the borders. We grappled with the issue of size, thinking it would be most useful to make a queen but in the end used border dimensions that I found in quilting books. The blocks themselves were very irregular and had to be trimmed so that the squares were a uniform size. There was also the issue of the width of the loom we were using and the cost of the thread we needed. We were using Vic and Jewell’s “knucklebuster” (their name for it) Le Clerc 20” table loom so we had a narrow fabric width and many yards of warp. I completed the weaving and sewing in the fall of 2011 packed it back up in the box still not sure what to do with it.

It was heartwarming to take it to a MLWS meeting in the fall of 2012 and feel such enthusiasm by the members to cherish this as a guild heirloom. Marilyn Brown lovingly took on the task of assembling it with a back, batting and quilting it with Lindy Miller. Britt Lamb, Nancy Horne, Steve and I accumulated all the names and patterns available to us and consolidated into a document (which will be displayed at CNCH 2013).

Vic and Jewel Wedegartner
Steve & Therese May

April 1, 2013

News Flash!

The CNCH 2013 committee has fantastic news. As of April 1, (no, we aren’t fooling) you will have the opportunity to register for individual conference workshops and lectures at a price of $75 per class (plus any materials fee applicable to the class you choose). These are the same classes that are being taught at the full conference on June 1 & 2 and there are still lots of choices available.

When I last checked the website, I found wonderful choices in spinning, felting, jewelry and basketry techniques, embroidery, surface design and more. There is good news for knitters too; Lorna Miser of Lorna’s Laces fame will be teaching four classes at the conference.

To start browsing the class list, go to the CNCH 2013 web page and find the links on the left side bar. “Classes at a Glance” is a good place to start your search and will let you know where there are classes with openings available. Then click on the “Classes” link where you will find complete course descriptions. There is a “Class Materials” link under “More CNCH 2013 Info” which will let you know what you need to bring, what the instructor is going to provide and if there is a materials fee. In the same area, you will click on the “Individual Class Registration” link to get complete details on reserving and paying for your class. Sorry, no refunds on this very special offering.

Please feel free to share this information with your friends. They don’t have to be members of a CNCH guild to get in on this deal and traveling as a group so that everyone can indulge their fiber passion sounds like a neat idea. Did I mention that there will be a Tailgate Market on Friday evening, May 31, and you are welcome to attend? There are so many options for making this a fun mini vacation so we have put together a bunch of web links for activities in the Tahoe area to give you ideas for a fun filled weekend. Hope to see you at Squaw Valley.

March 28, 2013

Time to Start Thinking about the Lanyard Competition.

Are you making a lanyard for the CNCH 2013 competition? Have you started yet??? If you signed up during registration to make one, you probably read the instructions in the booklet and know that this will be used to hold your registration packet. But, if you are like me, you keep procrastinating and haven’t gotten down to the nitty gritty of actually making one yet.

In thinking about the possibilities, I browsed through my collection of textile books and saw techniques for braiding, twisting, knitting and crochet. Beads can be added for an elegant look or could be the focal part of your lanyard. Kumhimo braids can be plain or exotic and you might challenge yourself with a mind bending braiding sequence. Think about brushing off your macrame skills – I’ll bet you still have an old 1960’s “how to book” in your library. And, I haven’t even touched on weaving techniques; use a table, floor or inkle loom and think about patterning and pick up possibilities. Do you have a bead loom tucked away in your studio? Well, what are you waiting for!

While you make your lanyard, you need to realize that you will be attaching it to the registration packet yourself and you may want to bring your own fasteners or incorporate them in your design. I believe that safety pins will be available if you don’t have a creative fastening idea.

Lanyards will be dropped off during the registration process and they will be judged by three of our instructors who will award first, second and third place by consensus. Each winner will receive a comment card and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Friday evening. You must remember to pick up your lanyard at 6:30 PM (but someone will be reminding you as you register).

Good luck to you all. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people come up with for this fun textile game.

March 15, 2013

The Drop Spindle Slalom Race

I had a conversation with Sue Robertson who is organizing the drop spindle slalom just so that I could pass on all the “fine print” rules that weren’t mentioned in the CNCH booklet. It turns out you may use your own spindle, or race officials will lend you one of their super duper CD spindles. The same roving will be provided to all contestants. You may attach your fiber to a leader prior to the contest, but no pre drafting (drat!). The course will be approximately 35 feet in length and will be a zigzag path marked by cones. You must travel down the course and back twice to give you a good opportunity to spin some yarn, but you must keep moving – no fair stopping to spin and then run through the course! You can can, of course, pick up your spindle if you drop it, and if you knock over a cone, you must pick it up and put it back in its place. (Knock on wooden spindle – we hope neither of these things will happen to you.) Did I mention that the yarn you spin must be a continuous piece? (Double drat!)

The winners will be chosen on the amount of time it took to do the course and the length of yarn spun; there will be three medal winners. Need I remind you that you must be prepared for random drug testing in this important Textile Olympic event? Actually, I don’t think a couple of shots of espresso will get you disqualified, and you might chance it for a little edge on your competition. See you on race day!

March 6, 2013

Are you hesitant to start winding a warp because you fear you will run out of hand spun yarn before you complete the process? What about weft? How much are you going to need to weave the complete project? These questions keep a lot of us from using up that stash of hand spun yarns in our weaving projects. A cone or purchased skein of commercial yarn usually spells out how many yards per pound you have and weavers rely on that information when they are gearing up for a project. Stephenie Gaustad is just the person to get you out of your corner of uncertainly and will teach you how to make weaving sense from what you have spun. So bring a couple of bobbins of yarn and project ideas to the “What Do I Have” class and let Stephenie’s expertise guide you through the process. The calculations aren’t difficult; you just need to know what steps to take to get answers and your hand held calculator will be there to do the hard parts.

If spinning is your particular interest, Stephenie is also teaching a class that will help you create woolen-spun yarns. These are great bouncy yarns that you will love to use. She assures us that the techniques aren’t hard to learn and that these yarns spin up quickly. Sign up for the “Fuzzy, Bouncy, Soft” class with this master spinner and you will soon have piles of wonderful yarn suitable for fulling or making warm and cosy projects. This class is suitable for weavers and knitters.

Visit Stephenie’s web site (Dragonfly Farms) to read more about this well known spinning instructor. http://pweb.jps.net/~gaustad/index.html

February 21, 2013

Anita Luvera Mayer is a name that many weavers already know. Some may know her personally through guild membership or one of the workshops she has taught over the years. During her weaving life, Anita’s art has expanded from weaving rectangular pieces such as throws, scarves and shawls to her current love of lavishly embellished handwoven clothing.

I’m sure you can see why the 2013 conference is lucky to have secured Anita as one of its instructors. Her “Beaded Heart Pin” class still has room and I think you may want to give it serious consideration when you choose your classes. As you learn how to do a beaded edge and beaded fringe, you will be creating a special piece of embellishment for your own wardrobe, or for someone you love. The best part is that not only will you have learned new skills, but you can easily make more pins on your own once the class is over. Seal the deal with Anita’s special ability to inspire your own creative muse.

Taking cues from her own life experiences, Anita emphasizes the need in the modern woman for self definition and creative expression. Watch this short video produced by Interweave Press to advertise her “Creative Cloth” video workshop to see why we think that a class with Anita is a pretty special opportunity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64k3OJc_HLA

February 11, 2013

There are many techniques for making baskets and basket makers are like all other weavers; their skill takes practice and sometimes years to perfect. Alternate year conferences can be a good time to try something new and this year we are fortunate to have more classes than usual in basket making techniques. I thought you would like to know about a couple of interesting mini workshops being taught by Therese Fisher. Neither of these classes has a prerequisite, which means no prior basket weaving experience is required!

The “Mini Wrapture Pouch Necklace” class will instruct you in a couple of techniques such as fashioning a windmill knot for the base and warp wrapping for the walls of the pouch. The completed miniature basket would be the perfect vessel to house a small, but important gift for someone you love. A friend suggested using the pouch as a spinning wheel oil holder; the choice is yours. Another of Therese’s classes that sounds like fun is the “Faery Pocket Rattle”. This project features a “rim start” technique and using waxed linen thread and beads in the basket making process. Each rattle is an individual and you are the creator of face and personality. Put lots of bells on your rattle and hang it on a door for little tinkling sounds as the door opens and closes. This joyous project may be your portal to a basket weaving career!

Be sure to check out Therese Fisher’s personal website so that you can enjoy the gallery of her basket art and read about her journey as a Reiki healer.

http://www.fisherartstudio.com/

http://www.reikiweaver.com/

January 31, 2013

Handwoven Scarf by Betsy Abrams

A friend of mine recently commented that she looks forward to conference because, for her, the benefits come in interaction with other fiber folks. Since this is true for her, then I suspect it may be true for many other attendees. The Textile Parade idea was hatched so that everyone can show off their special talents wearing or carrying one of their fiber creations. The interaction part flows naturally and since the idea is sharing, you won’t have to be so surreptitious in your approach to reach out and touch someone’s gorgeous angora sweater.

The Textile Parade can and will be anything that you wish it to be. If you have put your heart and soul into a creation of which you are very proud, admirers will flock to your side to get a better look. Or maybe you spawned a disaster and would love to tell everyone the dreadful the story; by all means – wear it or carry it. No matter what you present in the parade, it will be a story of your journey to share with others.

Handspun & Hand Knit Cap and Scarf by Joan Soth

Surface Design on Handwoven Cloth by Dee Jones

A great reason to participate in this fun event is that you will come home with all sorts of inspiration to use in your own projects. Think unexpected color choices, out of the box style or use of materials. Did you like it, hate it, or just can’t wait to try out a variation once you are home? You will find yourself thinking about what you have seen long after the parade has ended.

Blessing Bowl Pine Needle Basket by Cheryl Taylor

So please fill out your entry form from the booklet or download a copy from this web site. Note that you can enter multiple items as long as you have volunteers to “parade” each item. And there will be a 2013 Textile Olympic medals for “People’s Choice” votes in both wearable and carrying categories. Photos will also be allowed which will make for wonderful sharing experiences with guilds and friends at a later date when you relive your textile experiences from CNCH 2013.

January 23, 2013

This year’s Textile Olympics is a great way to show off your shuttle throwing muscles. A special Textile Olympic event has been designed with medals awarded for the longest three throws of a three pound felted weight. I don’t think your best underhand throw is going to cut the mustard here. Try watching this video to get a feel for the technique and various stances you can try out. Then, practice, practice, practice.

Be sure to browse all of the games in your CNCH booklet and decide on the ones that are best suited to your abilities. Get out there and win a medal, or at least have some fun trying.

Sharon Campbell recently visited with Rae Stewart who is on the CNCH 2013 committee and Sharon’s practice throw is being measured by Rae in the snow!

January 12, 2013

Looking for portable weaving projects? Maybe the Cardboard Pin Loom is what you are looking for. Julie Barbic’s class can get you beyond the basics and into weaving small bags, tapestries and more. (See the photos for some little pouches done on pin looms.) Julie will have lots of pin looms available. Some will already have warps on them and some you will warp yourself. Soon, with Julie’s help, you will be creating something completely unique and individual and I’ll bet you will have dozens of ideas after you get a taste for what you can do with color, weave structure and texture. Think of all those thrums you have stored away or maybe the box full of little balls of yarn left over from knitting projects. Bring them to the class if you like and get weaving!

If the whole idea of using up your fabric and yarn odds and ends interests you, then take the “Twine a Placemat” class on Sunday. The class fee will pay for a portable loom that you will be using in class and Julie will have lots of fabric and yarn for you to play with. Learn twining and fiber joining techniques and then translate your new skills to other projects such as basketry after the conference ends.

After reading the short biography about Julie in the Textile Games booklet, I was curious to know more about her and her work. I found a wonderful article written in 2011, right here on the CNCH website, filled with photos and more information about her personal weaving journey and the twining process she uses.

January 4, 2013

Marilyn Moore is known for her twining with wire and blending color using fine wire as a twining material. Once you have mastered the earrings in her introductory class at CNCH 2013, you will have the skills necessary to work on more advanced projects. For the conference class, Marilyn prepares the spokes for you so that they are uniform and will make a matching pair of earrings. You will have enough twining wire to complete more earrings or perhaps have enough to start another larger project. You will learn about preparing your own spokes as well as all the skills necessary to continue with this exciting technique.

A pair of earrings like those that will be made in Marilyn’s Crescent Twined Earring class are in the photo above. The other two photos are examples of what kinds of things you will be able to make on your own after you have learned the twining technique. For more inspiration, go to Marilyn’s website and prepare to be amazed!

http://www.marilynmooreswired.net/index.html

December 28, 2012

Christmas has come and gone but our hopes are that each of you had a warm and wonderful celebration with family and friends. This next week is the time to take care of a few chores to make your fiber journey the best ever in 2013. First of all, take some of the Christmas cash that Santa stuffed into your stocking and send off your CNCH registration. Then, call Squaw Creek Resort to make reservations for your accommodations at the conference price. The original block of rooms at conference prices has almost been filled, but CNCH can still add more at this time. (A gentle reminder to those who have already registered, do not delay any longer if you have put off this important item on your check list.) Now you are ready to sit back, with fiber project in hand, and enjoy the arrival of the new year.

The CNCH 2013 committee wishes that your new year be filled with luxury fibers and friends and family who appreciate your many talents.

Happy New Year!

December 19, 2012

The cyanotype procedure was discovered in England by Sir John Herschel in 1842. He used it to reproduce his notes and diagrams and thus the word “blueprint” became part of our vocabulary. Anna Atkins, who was reputed to be the first woman photographer, discovered she could lay plant specimens on treated paper and once they were exposed to the sun and the chemical reaction stopped, she would have a silhouette image in blue and white. Today cyanotype is still used in photography and you can even convert your photos to look like they have been processed using this technique through the miracle of photo editing software.

The CNCH committee is excited that they are able to offer a workshop in cyanotype techniques taught by Wendy Patrucco. The focus will be getting images printed on to cloth. Ultra violet light from the sun is needed to develop the image, but Wendy brings her own UV light box, so it won’t matter if the sun is under a cloud on the day of the class. After your designs have been transferred to cloth, you will have fun adding more colors with a variety of surface design techniques, with Wendy at your elbow to coach and give suggestions.

This class is going to get you started experimenting with thecyanotype process, but just stop to think of the possibilities once the conference is over. I see custom T-shirts for the family, hands-on sun printing with the grand kids, surface designs for handwoven cloth or even unique print blocks for quilting.

Please check out this little slide show of fabric cyanotype designs and recent workshop photos. If you are the curious type, Wikipedia has a fairly short and easy to understand history and description of the cyanotype process. After that, the next step is to fill out your CNCH registration form and sign up for Wendy’s Saturday afternoon class!

December 10, 2012 `Everything you need to know about knitting up your stash of space dyed yarns` I was flipping through my CNCH 2013 booklet the other day and my attention was caught by the class taught by Lorna Miser, “Tips for Knitting with Space-Dyed Yarns”. I could certainly use some tips and I am betting that there are other knitters who want to solve the dilemma of how to make these yarns work in a project. I wrote to Lorna to see if she could tell me a bit more about what students in this class might expect. Here was her reply. “Color lovers, does this sound familiar? You create or purchase the most gorgeous hand dyed yarn you’ve ever seen. The colors look amazing together. You can’t wait to knit it into that perfect sweater. But when you start knitting, the colors pool. The colors aren’t mixed and blended, they’re in blobs and stripes and target circles in ‘all the wrong places’. To make it worse, it looks exactly like all the other hand dyed sweaters you have. Nothing original. You are disappointed and discouraged by the yarns and vow to never use them again.” Stop the train! Lorna to the rescue! First of all, Lorna KNOWS hand-dyed yarns. This is Lorna aka Lorna’s Laces and she has dyed it, designed it, and tamed it. If anyone knows the tricks and tips to help you fall back in love with hand dyed yarns, Lorna is your girl. She will have garments and other knit projects that show a multitude of different techniques that put the design control back in YOUR hands. You own the yarn, the colors, the design. In class you will make some hands-on swatches of fun stitch patterns, watching for yourself how you make the colors all happy together. Prepare to feel that passion for hand-dyed yarns again and have a great time doing it!” I’m sold. Just check out the photos of these knit swatches to see if you aren’t eager to dip into Lorna’s bag of tricks too! For more information about Lorna and her knitting design work, be sure to check in at her website and blog. http://www.lornamiserdesigns.com/ http://www.lornamiser.blogspot.com/

December 6, 2012

Did you check “Shuttle Race” on your entry form when you sent it in and have you found the time to dig

around in your weaving studio to find an old shuttle to modify? Maybe your guild wants to sponsor an entry and they are looking for shuttle customization ideas. I found a couple of web sites that may help you get started on your quest for designing a gold metal entry. Before you start your modifications, be sure to check out the Pinewood Derby Car Specifications in your registration booklet so that you have a shuttle with the correct specs. (You can also read the details at the CNCH program booklet site – click on Intro, Lodging and Events)

When I started thinking about how to prepare my shuttle for the race, I was curious about what the race track would look like and what I would need to do to modify my shuttle to race. It turns out the race track is being loaned to us by the Truckee Cub Scouts. Here is a little U-Tube Video of their soap box race from 2011. The visual picture of the track and little cars being propelled down it immediately gave my project a boost.

Another great place to start looking around is Derby Dominator. This is a web site devoted to selling parts that customize the little soap box cars the kids race. I found a pretty good array of wheels and all kinds of tips on making a shuttle go fast. I liked their slogan, so I modified it for CNCH shuttle racers. “Don’t just win the shuttle race – dominate!”

For those of you that don’t want to enter a shuttle in the race, then enter the Concours d’Elegance with a “dressed up” shuttle. Full details are in the registration booklet and there is a cool cash prize for the winner.

Whoops! You didn’t check the box on your entry form and have now decided this sounds like fun? Just contact Suzanne (see the booklet for her e-mail) and she will add your name to the list of contestants. See you at the races!

October 27, 2012

Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock!

November 1st is just 5 days away! Please remind all your fiber enthusiast friends and guild members to mail their registration forms as time is ticking away! Although CNCH 2013’s TEXTILE * GAMES offers a long list of interesting classes to choose from, and making your final selections can be difficult, sending your selections by November 1st will increase your chances of getting your priority choices!

+ Plus, don’t forget to mark your registration form for entry in the TEXTILE * GAMES for the fun and the opportunity to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal in the Lanyard Contest and the Timed Shuttle Race.

More Good News!

Selection and registration for your hotel room has gotten much easier! The Resort at Squaw Creek has set up our very own “passkey” web link to CNCH 2013 conference rates. Just click the link to tour the hotel’s amenities and all room types available at our discounted conference rate, make your selection and then reserve the room of your choice! And remember, all conference registrants are eligible to extend their stay 3 days before and after our conference! Alternatively, you still have the opportunity to make your hotel reservations by phone by calling (800) 403-4434and tell them you are part of the CNCH conference. PASSKEY
But wait… 2 more things!

Scholarship Applications are also due Nov 1.
Companion Passes are available for our evening events if you’d like your guest to join us in all the fun and scrumptious food!

Your CNCH 2013 Conference Committee is looking forward to seeing YOU!