Programme

Please note that every Guild meeting has a dedicated tuition area for beginner spinners. This is usually in the side room in the Village Hall.

October 19th: Whitchurch Silk Mills with Deborah Wheeler

November 16th: Wheel Clinic and talk about general equipment and stock with David Herring. This is also the date of our nature-themed spinning competition.

December 15th: Note: on a Sunday rather than the usual Saturday. Christmas Social. Bring your own lunch and a secret Santa present ( if you are taking part) to the value of up to £5 that is textile-related. We’ll have a guest joining us to informally share knowledge about inkle weaving.

2025 programme

January 18th
Flaxland: A talk titled ‘Linen, Ancient & Modern’. This session will cover the history and heritage of flax. The talk takes place in the morning, followed by an optional workshop in the afternoon on Longline Flax Spinning (for 10 or more participants). To book the workshop, email: secretary@somersetguildwsd.org.uk.

February 15th
Guild AGM in the morning. In the afternoon, Sarah Harris from the Spinning Weal in Clevedon will bring a sales table, demonstrate with a great wheel, and deliver an entertaining talk titled ‘Marie Antoinette's Guide to Farming’.

March 15th
Tapestry Weaver Anne Jackson will join us for a talk on her intricate work inspired by themes of witchcraft. Our Guild Spinning Competition will also take place this month.

April 19th
Skills Day! Guild members can share their skills with others. To contribute, email: secretary@somersetguildwsd.org.uk.

May 17th
Turning over a New Leaf – A talk on eco-printing with Sue Jenkins, focusing on botanical contact printing using locally gathered leaves.

June 21st
Fleece Fair: An annual event where you can purchase high-quality fleeces from local suppliers.

July 19th
Mayumi Kaneko will give a talk on handcrafted textiles using traditional Japanese techniques, with a focus on paper weaving.

August 16th
Visit: Anila Preston’s Alpaca Farm & Studio in Dulverton, Exmoor. Anila breeds alpacas and creates sustainable luxury products with her high-quality EKO|ALPAKA yarns.

September 20th
Richard Sims will present a talk on ‘The Flax and Hemp Heritage of South Somerset & West Dorset’, with insights from his work at Dawes Twine Works.

October 18th
Annabel Wilson, a textile artist, will introduce the Japanese craft of Shibori resist dyeing, transforming plain fabric into remarkable patterns.

November 15th
Morwenna Stephens, a Textile and Ethnographic Artefacts Conservator, will share her extensive experience conserving and mounting textiles and world culture artefacts.

December 15th (Sunday)
Christmas Social: Details to follow.