Study Groups
SWG Study groups are small self-led learning groups. Groups promote encouragement, support the exchange of ideas, and provide an opportunity to work with in a smaller group to explore a particular topic, a weaving or related technique or a weaving book.
If a study group you are interested in is full, and not accepting new members at this time, contact the guild Study Group Chair about forming an additional group in your area of interest. We are always open to forming new study groups for our guild members and are actively seeking additional study group leaders.
Current Groups:
This study group is for people interested in weaving all sorts of bands. These may include bands woven on inkle looms, card weaving bands and bands woven using rigid heddles with 2 or more holes. Participants will meet to share what they are working on, what they have learned, good sources for patterns and information, band weaving notation and software, what problems they have encountered, etc. All levels are welcome!
This study group is for those SWG members who are serious about the business aspects of weaving, whether that is teaching, selling your woven items, or running an on-line or brick and mortar store. We cover topics like marketing, color trends, social media, customer service, etc. It's a group where we can come together and talk about the highs and lows of our businesses, problem solve any issues, and get ideas and inspiration from one another to all make our businesses better. Note: There will not be any buying and selling in this group.
This study group is for drawloom weavers and wanna-bes in the Pacific Northwest. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at 1- 2PM via zoom, six times a year, January, March, May, July, September, and November to discuss our experiences, frustrations, questions, and successes in multi-harness weaving. We share resources such as books, videos, teachers, stores, etc. Each meeting features an in-depth drawloom project show and tell, where one member presents a project, including yarn, ground, sett, pattern draft, and pictures of results. We also hope to do member studio tours in the future.
This study group organizes guild challenges and exchanges. Please contact us if you are interested in participating!
This is a Zoom study group where guild members can collaborate and learn together about dyeing fibers, yarns and fabrics. The group meets every two months at 2pm on the third Friday of the month. During the next 12 months the group will focus on fiber reactive dyes, natural dyes and acid dyes with group members leading the discussion.
The Fiberworks Study Group meets monthly. Study group members make short presentations on various topics, design original weaving drafts and other experiments in Fiberworks. All levels of Fiberworks experience are welcome.
The Overshot Weaving study group is for weavers with experience weaving overshot and who want to dig deeper into the mechanics of the structure.
The Rigid Heddle Study Group is for anyone who loves these amazing little looms (and for anyone who just wants to know more about how great Rigid Heddle is!). The purpose is to share our weavings, our questions, our ideas, our discoveries, and to support each other in exploration.
The Rigid Heddle and Band Weaving study group is focused on all aspects of Rigid Heddle and Band weaving which includes inkle looms, card weaving, Kumihimo and others.
Come share your work, ask questions, learn from one another, swap patterns and get inspired.
All levels are welcome from beginner to advanced.
Beginning, experienced and wanna-be rug weavers gather to share, question, study, experiment, display, discuss and learn about rug weaving in all ways we can think of. All levels welcome.
This study group competes in the sheep-to-shawl contest at the Fair in Puyallup each September. Members have a design competition open to the entire guild and select a weave structure and color scheme. They buy a fleece, spin the warp, and dye the fiber before the Fair. During the Fair, they warp the loom, spin the weft, weave the shawl, and finish the fringes. Members who work on the shawl are entered in a drawing to win the shawl.
Come sit and spin with us and join this social spinning circle. Bring your own wheel and fiber to spin, chat, ask questions and get inspired. There’s no formal instruction but beginner spinners are welcome.
The Support and Mentoring group meets twice per month via Zoom with SWG members from the Seattle area and across the North American continent joining in. You don’t have to live locally to participate in this study group. Contact Holly Haynes for the Zoom host link. This study group meets year round. Bring whatever you have been working on and any questions. If you need inspiration for your new project, we can help with that too! Featured in the photo are just a few of the recent projects we have discussed.
This study group is focused on historic and advanced techniques in tablet weaving. The size of the group is limited due to the meeting space and is currently full.
The group meets on Zoom and includes some pretty amazing weavers who are eager to share their work, answer questions, suggest books and workshops, etc.
Intermediate weavers who study and weave group-selected structures and share their results with the group. Meets at the home of one of the members.
We will identify structures to study, look for references and drafts and compare and discuss our results. The initial meetings in August and September, 2021, will be planning sessions to fine tune how we will proceed with our Studies. This Zoom only group structures study group will be in addition to those structures groups which meet in-person.
The group meets and selects a weave structure to focus on, and then each member chooses an example of that structure to weave. Samples and weaving information are shared at a following meeting. All weaving levels welcome. Meets in members homes.