Weaving History Conference 2014 Registration Booklet

20th Annual
Weaving History
Conference
May 17 & 18, 2014
A 20 Year Celebration!
Welcome to the Thousand Islands Arts Center's 20th Annual Weaving History
Conference. This year's conference is dedicated to Sonja Wahl, curator emeritus
of the Handweaving Museum. Sonja and Pat Hilts started this event in 1995
when it was called the Weaving Manuscripts Conference with about a dozen
attendees.
Conference Registration Form Please send completed form with payment by Friday, May 2. To Thousand Islands Arts Center, 314 John St. Clayton, NY, 13624 _______________________________________________________________________ Name _________________________________________________________________________________________ Over the years it has grown into a much-anticipated gathering of prominent
weavers and textile historians from around the country who come together to
learn, to see old friends and make new, and to share their passion for handweaving and textiles.
Address A heartfelt thank-you to Sonja — a gifted weaver,
devoted Arts Center volunteer and supporter in
countless ways, our friend, and, last but not least, my
Museum mentor.
Phone # _________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip _________________________________________________________________________________________ Email* *Registration & payment confirmation will be sent by email. May 17 & 18 Conference Fees: (Conference fee includes Sat. & Sun. events, light breakfasts and luncheons.) Thank you all for being here today.
Leslie Rowland
Executive Director
Sonja Wahl
Conference: Non-Member
$150
Conference: Member
$120
Saturday Dinner w/ Speaker
$40
Conference Details: The TIAC Library and Archives will be open from 9am—5pm on Friday, May 16. 314 John Street Clayton, NY 13624 Saturday and Sunday presentations will be held at the Clayton Opera House 405 Riverside Drive, Clayton Please consider joining the Arts Center membership if you haven’t already done so!
Member dues help put on events like the Weaving History Conference and other
great programming. See membership information enclosed.
Payment Information
Conference Fee
Saturday Dinner & Speaker
Membership
$
$
$
Total amount enclosed
$
Lunch will be catered on‐site on Saturday and Sunday. Dinner will be held at the Opera House on Saturday evening. Attendees will have one hour of free time between the presentations and dinner. Marketplace will be open on Saturday and Sunday. Please charge my:
Amex
Visa
MC
Discover
Card Number __________________________________________Exp. Date__________
Checks may be made out to Thousand Islands Arts Center.
Questions? Contact Nicole Heath
Nicole@TIArtsCenter.org or 315.686.4123 x200
Visit us online at TIArtsCenter.Org
2014 Schedule at a Glance
Sunday, May 18
7:00am Light Breakfast Snacks
7:30am Ancient Textile Preservation and the Egyptian Connection
With a focus on preservation techniques for ancient textiles, this talk will highlight an
ancient artifact from Egypt—part of the Arts Center’s permanent textile collection. Along
with a history of the item, including its function in its original context, the piece’s
connection to Cornell University will also be explored. Fredrika Loew, Ithaca, NY
8:20am Patent Models for Spinning Wheels in the Smithsonian
View pictures from the Smithsonian of the twenty-two 12"-square spinning wheel patent
models and their patents, issued between 1838 and 1880. Learn about the 20 inventors
who claimed a variety of “improvements” to hand and domestic spinning wheels. Explore
their different approaches: spindle heads on tracks; spindles on swinging arms; tabletop
wheels; and more and discover the few full-sized examples of these wheels that were
actually built. Florence Feldman-Wood, Andover, MA
9:10am Weaving Patterns as Inspiration
Weaving cloth using drafts from early weaving books is certainly as valid as playing
Renaissance or Baroque music. However, insights and ideas based on historic patterns can
also form the basis for developing original designs. Pat will show how her life-long work
with historic weaving patterns helped in designing a series of commissioned liturgical
weavings from St. Benedict Center, Madison, WI. Over 17 years, she designed and wove
seven liturgical hangings and some small paraments for the chapel at the center and
worked with Frank Kacmarcik, a world-renowned designer of church interiors. Working
with a patron who had specific needs in terms of both image and color was in itself a most
stimulating challenge that lead Pat to develop designs that she never would otherwise
have imagined. Patricia Hilts, Madison, WI
9:55am Break
10:00am I Went to the Weavers After Some Carpet
Explore the relationship between weavers and customers in rural Ontario, Canada,
through examinations of weaver account books and diaries. Delving into the Ontario
census and period textiles in museum collections will expand on the general
understanding of 19th century Ontario weavers. This talk will provide insight about the
local economy and the persistence of preindustrial technology in a period of technological
change, and the relationship between production and consumption of handwoven cloth.
Deborah Livingston-Lowe, Toronto, ON
Saturday, May 17 7:00am Registration with Light Breakfast Snacks 7:30am Welcome & Introduction 8:00am Mary Underwood Which Boat Plans Would You Like to See? 8:50am Sally Orgren The Deen Loom: Oddities and Innovations 9:40am Deb McClintock Intricate Patterns – Simple Threads, Looms of Southeast Asia 10:30am Break 10:40am Peggy Hart The Changing American Society, Wool, and Manmade Fibers 1920‐1945 11:30am Catharine Wilson Puckers Through the Ages 12:10pm Catered Lunch 12:55pm Ron Walter Previously Undocumented Pennsylvania Fancy Coverlets 1:45pm Gay McGeary Nineteenth Century Coverlet Fringes: Plain & Fancy 2:35pm Dr. Virginia Gunn Identifying Regional Preferences in Fancy Coverlet Designs: An Ohio Study 3:15pm Break 3:25pm Sandra Rux When a Bed Sheet Costs More Than a Cow 4:15pm Michel Laurent Bouclé par la Trame, Boutonnue, Boutonnée 5:05—5:30pm Open Floor Q&A, Marketplace Open 5:30—6:30pm Free Time 6:30—8:30pm Catered Dinner at Opera House with Speaker Marjie Thompson Twenty Years of the Manuscript Family Reunion Sunday, May 18 7:00am Light Breakfast Snacks 10:55am Francis Goodrich's Brown Book of Weaving Drafts
TIAC is pleased to welcome the coauthors of this collection of traditional eighteenth and
nineteenth century weaving drafts. In 1890, Frances L. Goodrich came to the southern
mountains of North Carolina. As she traveled the mountain roads and trails on horseback,
Miss Goodrich collected these precious weaving drafts from the women who wove for
Allanstand Cottage Industries. In this book lies the heart of that collection. Barbara
Miller will discuss Miss Goodrich and her extensive work with her drafts while Deb
Schillo will discus the Goodrich archives and their preservation.
Barbara Miller and Deb Schillo, Asheville, NC
7:30am Fredrika Loew Ancient Textile Preservation and the Egyptian Connection 8:20am Florence Feldman‐Wood Patent Models for Spinning Wheels in the Smithsonian 9:10am Patricia Hilts Weaving Patterns as Inspiration 9:55am Break 10:05am Deborah Livingston‐Lowe I Went to the Weavers after some Carpet 10:55am Barbara Miller & Deb Schillo Francis Goodrich's Brown Book of Weaving Drafts 12:00pm Lunch ~Full Schedule of Events~
Saturday, May 17
7:00am Registration with Light Breakfast Snacks
7:30am Welcome and Introduction
8:00am Which Boat Plans Would You Like to See?
Oscar Beriau, working under the minister of agriculture in Québec in 1930, opened a craft
school, widely known for its spinning and weaving program whose primary purpose was to
train rural women to make textiles for their own use at home. But was that really his goal?
What about the thriving Québec tourism industry? Mary Underwood, Ann Arbor, MI
8:50am The Deen Loom: Oddities and Innovations
Sally Orgren has been chasing after Deen looms for nearly seven years. Deen looms are
hard to find because, being made of pressed steel, many didn't survive the war years when
weaving interests waned and they were more valuable as scrap. Intent to learn more about
these looms and get the donated loom repaired, she had no idea her exploration would take
her on several adventures to meet some contemporary Deen owners. Come along as Sally
returns to Harlan, Iowa, where the Deen originated in the late 1800's, and share photos of
some the oddities and innovations of the Deen looms she has encountered in recent years.
Sally Orgren, Andover, MA
9:40am Intricate Patterns – Simple Threads, Looms of Southeast Asia
Learn about the simple looms used to create and store intricate patterns of Southeast
Asia. Looms Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, northwest Vietnam and Burma will be studied.
From village wear to the royal workshops, the weavers cleverly store patterns for humble
surroundings to court use in much the same way. Explore the use of equipment to
create extraordinary fabrics that glow with brilliant color and intricate patterns
in contemporary art applications. We'll also look at how reeds are handmade to order and
learn about making heddles by hand. Deb McClintock, Johnson City, TX
10:30am Break
10:40am The Changing American Society, Wool, and Manmade Fibers 1920-1945
In the US, during the years between 1920 and 1945, grand cultural shifts were changing the
way people lived. Women’s suffrage, greater independence in the workplace and home as
both workers and consumers, the success of the closed automobile (with wool upholstery!),
and central heating affected textile needs and choices. These changes in society coincided
with the development of synthetic fibers, beginning with rayon and nylon. The lasting
effect was to reduce consumers’ reliance on wool as the original all purpose fiber.
Peggy Hart, Shelburne Falls, MA
11:30am Puckers Through the Ages
Trace seersucker’s fascinating history from the sixth century Persia to the modern day
gentlemen’s summer attire. Learn how seersucker once worn by the poor in America made
its’ way on to the backs of Presidents and into the Senate in 1998.
Catharine Wilson, Barrie, ON
12:20pm Catered Lunch
1:00pm Previously Undocumented Pennsylvania Fancy Coverlets
A visual presentation of images of previously undocumented fancy coverlets woven in the
Pennsylvania counties of Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lehigh, Schuylkill, Lycoming,
Westmore, and Washington. Weaver biographies and reference documentation for the
period will be presented as well. Ronald E. Walter, Hilltown, PA
1:50 Nineteenth Century Coverlet Fringes: Plain & Fancy
While nineteenth century weavers recorded their coverlet drafts in handwritten manuscripts
or published books, there is little written about the beautiful fringes which frame this early
art form. However, by studying the extant coverlets Gay has documented the simple and
elaborate fringes which the weavers applied to enhance their work. During Gay’s
presentation she will share many of the early coverlets in her collections and explain why
and how the fringes were created. Gay McGeary, Carlisle, PA
2:40pm Identifying Regional Preferences in Fancy Coverlet Designs: An Ohio Study
Successful jacquard coverlet weavers in Ohio often adopted or adapted patterns popular in
the region of the state where they chose to live and work. They displayed marketing savvy
by offering their clients variations of the favorite or fashionable regional styles.
The use of mapping techniques provided the evidence that there were distinctive regional
preferences in fancy coverlet designs. These regional patterns were most often introduced
by one of the more experienced professional weavers in the area and then copied. This
presentation visually highlights examples of these regional styles and where they flourished
in Ohio. Dr. Virginia Gunn, Akron, OH
3:20pm Break
3:30pm When a Bed Sheet Costs More Than a Cow
In July 1694, the sudden and unexpected death of Madame Ursula Cutt by the hands of
Abenaki warriors provided a snapshot of her personal belongings as one of the wealthiest
widows in Portsmouth, NH. The probate inventory taken enumerates all that she owned and
the value assigned to the household linens and the clothing often exceeds that for livestock.
Her best pair of sheets was valued at three pounds, while the best cows only at two pounds
each! The talk will examine the types of household linens and clothing she owned
addressing which were imported and which were made in New Hampshire as well as
comparable inventories of that time. Sandra Rux, Kittery Point, ME
4:20pm Bouclé par la Trame, Boutonnue, Boutonnée
An overview on the origins of the boutonnue technique around the world, looking at pieces
produced in the Charlevoix, Saguenay-Lac Saint-Jean, Kamouraska, and the Beauce areas
of Quebec. The different phases of production over time, the decorative motifs, and the use
of different techniques and materials will be explored. Michel Laurent, Quebec, QC
5:05—5:30pm Open Floor Q&A, Marketplace Open
5:30—6:30pm Free Time
6:30—9:00pm Catered Dinner at Opera House with speaker Marjie Thompson
Dinner Presentation: Twenty Years of the Manuscript Family Reunion
A retrospective of the 20 year journey of the Weaving History Conference and the family of
weavers it has created. Memorable moments, stories, and photos will be shared!
Marjie Thompson, Cumberland, ME