Oxford Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers

November Meeting 2024
2024-11-23 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: How Wool Shaped the Cotswolds with Liz Mitchell.
Please note that this date is a change to our usual 3rd Saturday due to a booking clash at the hall.

October Meeting 2024
2024-10-19 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: Textiles and Clothing in London 1150-1450 with Frances Pritchard
Among the most evocative items to be discovered by archaeologists are the scraps of silk and wool and other fabrics that signal so eloquently their owner’s status and concerns. Such clothing and textile finds have figured prominently in excavations of medieval sites in London; they have included knitting, tapestries, silk hair-nets and elaborately patterned oriental, Islamic and Italian fabrics, which reveal for the first time the wide range of cloths available to medieval Londoners; there are beautifully made buttons, and buttonholes and edgings which display superb craftsmanship and a high level of needlework skills; the way that clothes were cut and sewn can be studied in detail. This account should be of wide general interest; dress historians and archaeologists will also find a wealth of new insights into the fashions, clothing and textile industries of medieval England and Europe.
Frances Pritchard is Curator (Textiles) at the Whitworth Art Gallery, University of Manchester.
Plus all the usuals – Show & Tell, Sales Table, and afternoon cake.

October Workshop 2024
2024-10-13 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
Tablet Weaving for Sheep with Anne Hughes
Another chance to for those who missed the first workshop in April!
Learn the basics of tablet weaving, how to read patterns, and how to use your knowledge of practical tablet weaving to change the pattern as you weave. We will focus on warping and will be warping up the sheep pattern for you to take home and weave.
This workshop is suitable for complete beginners, non-weavers, and those with a little experience.

September Meeting 2024
2024-09-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Diana Bird’s Farm, United Kingdom
For Spin in Public day we’re off to Diana’s farm for a what is always a lovely day out.
Bring your spinning, lunch, a chair, and a mug for tea!

Download a PDF version of this poster

July Meeting 2024
2024-07-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: All Things Spinning Wheel with Sarah Allan
Sarah will give a talk followed by an interactive session based on all things spinning wheel:

How to choose the right spinning wheel,
how to maintain your spinning wheel correctly,
how to utilize all the features of your wheel correctly.

We hope to have different types of spinning wheel brought in for members to try, and for Sandie to bring in her Great Wheel.
Also, the Show & Tell, Sales Table, and afternoon cake!
Reminder: we have a break over the summer, so no meeting in August – see you in September!

July Workshop 2024
2024-07-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
*** POSTPONED to Sunday 13th October 2024 ***
Tablet Weaving for Sheep with Anne Hughes
Another chance to for those who missed the first workshop in April!
Learn the basics of tablet weaving, how to read patterns, and how to use your knowledge of practical tablet weaving to change the pattern as you weave. We will focus on warping and will be warping up the sheep pattern for you to take home and weave.
This workshop is suitable for complete beginners, non-weavers, and those with a little experience.

June Workshop 2024
2024-06-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
Sami Band Weaving with 9 Pattern Threads with Susan Foulkes
This workshop will introduce patterned band weaving using traditional Sámi patterns. Susan will bring samples along for display. All patterns in the workshop booklet are traditional Sámi patterns.
Susan will demonstrate backstrap weaving with a standard heddle and a Sunna 9 pattern slot heddle. During the workshop the following points will be covered:

How to start weaving.
How to read a pattern chart for the inkle loom, standard heddle and Sunna heddle.
How to keep an even tension both in width and length.
How to change a weft
How to recognise and correct a weaving error.
How to finish a piece of weaving so that it does not unravel.

These skills will give you the basics to continue weaving at home. Practice is the key.

June Meeting 2024
2024-06-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: Sami Band Weaving and Culture with Susan Foulkes
Susan Foulkes, The Durham Weaver, will give a talk about Sami Band weaving and culture based on a visit to Jokkmokk in Feb 2020 and the Sami winter market which has been held for 400 years and was where the Sami people could trade goods with merchants.
Jokkmokk is a small town in Swedish Lapland. It’s known for the centuries-old Jokkmokk Winter Market, an annual event that draws thousands for handicrafts made by the indigenous Sami people.
Also, the Show & Tell table, Sales Table, and afternoon cake.

May Meeting 2024
2024-05-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: British Wools Sampler by Roger Sheldon
Roger will be talking to us about making a tapestry using all 71 of the wools listed by the British Wool Marketing Board, some of which were harsh and difficult to work with.
Plus all the usual Sales Table, Show & Tell, and afternoon tea and cake.

April Meeting 2024
2024-04-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Have-a-go day: Creating a warp for a loom Anne and Sarah.
Bring along your warping mill or board, along with some yarn and loom to learn how to deal with long warps.
Plus the usual Show and Tell, Sales Table, and afternoon tea and cake.

April Workshop 2024
2024-04-14 10:00 - 16:00 | Forest Hill Village Hall, Forest Hill Village Hall, Forest Hill, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1DY, United Kingdom
Tablet Weaving for Sheep with Anne Hughes
Learn the basics of tablet weaving, how to read patterns, and how to use your knowledge of practical tablet weaving to change the pattern as you weave. We will focus on warping and will be warping up the sheep pattern for you to take home and weave.
This workshop is suitable for complete beginners, non-weavers, and those with a little experience.

March Meeting 2024
2024-03-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
AGM
The main event of our March meeting is the Annual General Meeting. This year we say a big thank you to our Guild secretary and membership secretary who will both be stepping down for a well deserved rest.
The Show & Tell, Sales Table, and afternoon cake will happening as usual.

February Meeting 2024
2024-02-17 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: The Biology of Colour Perception by Janet Farnsworth
Janet is going to give us a talk about the biology of colour perception based on a lecture she gave when she worked at the Textile Conservation Centre. It covers how we see colour, why colours look different under a variety of lights, and mixing dyes to an exact shade along with examples of the record keeping needed.
Along with the usual Show & Tell, Sales Table, and afternoon cake.

January Meeting 2024
2024-01-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
De-Stash Sale!
It is back, ladies and gentlemen!
Declutter your cupboards and suitcases, boxes and selves. We can take any craft items including equipment but, and this is a big BUT, everything must be packaged where needs be, no loose balls or it gets messy.
Every item needs to be clearly labelled with the price and seller’s full name. When you price your items two things come into play: 1. If you don’t want to take it home reasonably price it; and 2. The guild, as usual, takes 12% commission.
No Show & Tell table this time, just the usual afternoon cup of tea and cake.

December Meeting 2023
2023-12-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Christmas lunch and the Chair’s Challenge!

November Meeting 2023
2023-11-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Have-a-Go Day: weft-faced weaving on a rigid heddle loom, with Angela Pawlyn
Plus tea, cake, Show & Tell, and Sales Table.

November Workshop 2023
2023-11-12 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
Workshop: Woolen Preparation and Longdraw Spinning with James Perry aka Longdraw James
James will cover the basis of a woollen yarn and will discuss differences between these and worsted yarns. He will then discuss carding technique before discussing the longdraw spinning technique itself. We will spin from rolags and a couple of other preparations and fibres before looking into plying, discussing how much Ply twist is enough. Finally we will look at finishing woollen yarns.
Experience level needed: ideally attendees need to be able to consistently spin and ply. They don’t need to be super experienced or experts, beginner is fine, but it need to be able to comfortably spin and ply yarn.

October Workshop 2023
2023-10-22 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
Workshop: Speckle dyeing with Debbie Tomkies
Spend a day with Debbie and her husband learning about colour blending and dyeing. You’ll be making sample cards of the dyes used and taking home your wonderfully coloured fibre. Bring your own fibre or purchase from Debbie.
Full details on what to bring to the workshop will be supplied when you book.

October Meeting 2023
2023-10-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: How to create a dyeing record and to how experiment with dye , with Debbie Tomkies

Plus, the usual Sales Table, Show & Tell, and of course, tea and cake.

September Meeting 2023
2023-09-16 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Have-a-Go Day: Bobbin Lace with Anne Hughes.

More info soon.

July Meeting 2023
2023-07-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Have-a-Go Day: Wool Combing with Amanda Henriques.
More info soon.

Please note that we do not meet in August.

June Workshop 2023
2023-06-25 10:30 - 16:30 | Stanton St John Village hall, Stanton St John Village Hall, Middle Road, Stanton St John, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1HD, United Kingdom
Workshop: Carve your own drop spindle with David Knight and Janet Farnsworth
David Knight is a very experienced Wood Bodger and will show participants how to carve their own drop spindles, tools and materials will be provided. Janet Farnsworth will be on hand to give help using your newly created spindle in the lovely setting of Diana Birds barn in Chilton. No previous experience of whittling or spinning are needed.

June Meeting 2023
2023-06-17 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: Textile Narratives from a Northern Land: Iceland by Delia Salter
Delia will be talking about her work and experiences in Iceland. She is an experimental knitter and also does some felting, and will have just returned from a month at Iceland’s Textiles Centre in Blönduós.
More of Delia’s can been seen on Instagram – www.instagram.com/deliasalter.

May Meeting 2023
2023-05-20 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
HAGD: Visible Mending and Embellishments with Janet Farnsworth
Our Have-A-Go Day, with Guild member Janet, will show you how to make unique items from your dull, old, or damaged clothes.
Also, Have-A-Go at the ancient craft of Naalbinding with Pauline.

Plus the usual Sales Table and afternoon tea and cake.

April Meeting 2023
2023-04-15 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: with Ellen Moore
Ellen Moore is a local weaver and a graduate of woven textiles from Brighton University.
She has her own creative practice weaving artwork and experimental pieces with a
sustainable element.
See more of Ellen’s work on Instagram at www.instagram.com/moorewoven and on her website ellenbm9.wixsite.com/textiles.

March Meeting 2023
2023-03-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
AGM
Bring along your wheel, loom, or other fibre projects for a social morning. Our AGM will take place at 1am.
Sales table, and afternoon tea and cake as usual.

February Meeting 2023
2023-02-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Talk: Some 10,000 Years of Textiles with OGWSD member Angela Pawlyn.
Natural textiles normally decay quickly but, under some conditions, samples have been preserved for thousands of years. Angela will present information she has found in various sources.
We are also auditing the Guild equipment, so bring along any pieces of Guild equipment you have been looking after.
Plus, all the usuals – sales table, afternoon tea & cake.

January Meeting 2023
2023-01-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
De-Stash Sale
January sees the return of the ALL Craft De-Stash Sale. This means any materials, equipment or finished items that members want to move on.
Please ensure every item is properly packaged and clearly labelled with price and the full name, or initial and surname, of member selling. Remember with pricing that the Guild takes 12% (as usual) commission.

Cash, cheque and cards taken!

December Meeting 2022
2022-12-17 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
December sees the return of our traditional Christmas Lunch meeting.
Bring your projects from the past year for a collective Show and Tell.
Don’t forget your entries for the Chair’s Challenge – Land and Sea!

November Meeting 2022
2022-11-19 10:00 - 16:00 | Beckley Village Hall, Beckley Village Hall, Woodperry Road, Beckley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX3 9UZ, United Kingdom
Have-a-Go Day: Tapestry Weaving with Amanda Henriques

Amanda will bring ready warped up frames for you to use. The warps will be fairly narrow but long, so that each one could be used by two people, (in turn!).
There will be capacity for about 20 people to have a go, in 2 sessions, and the possibility of taking the frame home to finish the piece if you’d like to.
Amanda will bring some yarn suitable for weft, in various colours.
What you could bring:
Some yarn for weft. This does not have to be wool. Almost anything can be used. The warps will be set at 8 epi so it needs to be very roughly DK or Aran weight, but lighter yarns could be doubled up. Commercial knitting yarns are not ideal as they tend to be rather soft; handspuns are better.
Bring an old dinner fork if you have one, for beating the weft down. Amanda will have a few.
Do bring your own tapestry frame if you wish to. Amanda will bring some cotton warping yarn if you would like help to warp up the frame.
You could also bring an idea of what you’d like to weave! Amanda recommends a simple idea or pattern if this is your first try.
