February 2019 minutes

Hand Weavers Guild – Lincoln

Meeting Minutes

February 9, 2019

Guild Members Present: 

            Ardis Barthuli                             Diane Beckham             Mandy Binder                Kathy Blum

            Emily Cameron Shattil               Catherine Easton          John Geppert                 Rhonda Griess

            Mary Howell                               Jan Jaecks                    Joan Johnson                Jane Mailand

            Sue Ranta                                  Cheryl Rennick              Cindy Swisher               Jan Tooker

            Jerry Tooker                               Rachel Wyatt

Visitors Present:          None

           

Agenda:  Items added:

·         Inserts for guild brochure

·         Studio heater in north room doesn’t come on.

Review Minutes from April, June, July, September, October, November and December 2018 meetings

·         Review of Minutes from April, June, July, September, and October 2018 as been tabled until received from the previous secretary

·         The December 2018 Meeting Minutes were reviewed.  

o              Correct minutes to reflect that Kathy Blum is on the Sale Committee and Elaine    Hoeman is not

o              Diane moved to accept with minutes as amended, Mary H. seconded

o              Vote:    Y - 18               N - 0

·         Due to inclement weather the January 2019 guild meeting was cancelled, therefore there are no January minutes

Treasurer’s Report

·         Documents pertaining to the December 2018 and January 2019 treasurer’s reports were reviewed.

·         The 2018 year-end report was also reviewed.  It includes a summary of all Square transactions, payments and fees, sales tax and the years’ member list.  Out of the ordinary expenses for 2018 included expenses for remodeling the storage room, a one-time Square fee and a one-time fee for the guild’s 501C3 application.

·         The guild’s two CDs will be renewing.  One of the CDs earns relatively low.  Mandy will check to see if a better interest rate is available when renewing that CD.

·         Treasurer Reports are located in a binder in the library area.

Motions

            None

Reports on Past and Upcoming Events/Classes/Workshops:  

·         Weaving Van Gogh’s Palette – The Lux Center for the Arts now shows local artists.  Shows are up for a month.  Cheryl will contact the Lux about the possibility of having the Van Gogh show there.  We would prefer the show not be sooner than September 2019.  The guild open house and sale is in October, so we do not want the Van Gogh show to run that month.  Having the show at the downtown library is also a possibility.

·         Beginning Weaving Class (Cheryl R. and John G.) – Because it was mistakenly omitted from the SECC Winter Bulletin, there is no winter 2019 beginning weaving class.  This also means that there will be no students to advance, so there will be no spring weaving 102 class.  The next beginning weaving class is scheduled for October 19, 26 & November 2, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The next winter beginning weaving class is scheduled for January 11, 18, & 25, 2020. 

·         Weaving 102 Class (Cheryl R.) – The current 102 class has 2 students.  It will conclude the end of February.  Subsequent weaving 102 classes will be scheduled after the fall and winter beginning weaving classes.

·         Tapestry Workshop Pre-Class, and Upcoming Tapestry Class in March 2019 (Catherine E.) – The tapestry pre-class has its final meeting today.  The upcoming tapestry class will meet on each Saturday in March from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., except for day we have the guild meeting – that class will start after the meeting.  The cost for the class is $50 for members who have paid studio use dues and $75 for other guild members.

·         Spinning (Victoria H. and Jerry T.) – The spinning class is scheduled to begin April 6.  Class time is from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The class is advertised through SECC.

Demonstration Schedule 

·         10,000 Villages (Sue Ranta) – this event is usually 2^nd Saturday March.  We can have 4 to 5 volunteers participating and at least one spinner and one weaver are needed to demonstrate.  Sue will call around to see who would like to demonstrate.

·         Homestead Days (Linda Carlson) – June 21 and 22, 2019  This is the same weekend as the Midwest Weaver’s Conference.  There was discussion about whether guild members would be available to volunteer and if so, whether for one or both days.  In the past, the Homestead Days organization has paid for a hotel room in Beatrice for volunteers who demonstrated both days.  Sue Ranta and Diane Beckham volunteered to demonstrate on Saturday June 22, 2019. 

·         Camp Creek (Jan Tooker) July 20 -21, 2019        We will have volunteers both days at this event.

·         Maker’s Market SAC Museum (Rhonda Griess) – July 20, 2019 10:00 to 4:00  There is an event at Mahoney Park on that same day that SAC is hoping will bring more people to the Maker’s Market.  Volunteers at the Maker’s Market can demonstrate on a table loom and rigid heddle loom.  We do plan to participate in this event.

·         Lancaster County Fair (Victoria Hilton) – Saturday August 3, 2019   Linda has had no response to her emails.  We will ask Victoria to follow-up.

·         Seward County Fair (Catherine Easton) – Saturday August 10, 2019  We will participate.

·         Pioneer Days – October 2-4, 2019, which is the same weekend as the guild sale.  Therefore, we will decline to participate in this event.

·         Arbor Lodge (Joan Johnson) – October 26, 2019 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.   We will participate.

·         Quilt Museum – Nov. 22 & 23, 2019.  We will have a booth at this event.

·         Arbor Lodge Christmas at the Mansion (Diane Beckham) – November 16 – December 22, 2019 We will volunteer to demonstrate on December 7, 2019 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Old Business

·         New group project ideas – Building on structures from the Robyn Spady workshop.  A committee was designated to come up with a description of this project, develop a timeline, and gather samples, etc.

Committee:  Linda Carlson, Catherine Easton, Mary Howell, Kathy Blum

·         Guild logo apparel (Jan T.) – Jan presented pictures of the various styles and colors of shirts and sweatshirts that can be ordered with the guild logo.  Depending on the style, the costs for most tops run between $20 and $40.  Logos will not show well on some colors and not all shirts/sweatshirts come in all colors. The screen printer has set up a website for ordering, specifically for the guild.  Jan will send an email to guild members with link.  Jan will ask the screen printer to include all shirt and sweatshirt styles on the website.  She will ask that only available colors and colors that would clearly show the logo be listed as options.  The guild previously chose royal blue as the preferred (though not required) color to wear when demonstrating or working at events.  

When selecting a size, it is important to determine the appropriate size by measurements and not by the label (e.g. “Small” or “XL”).  The way to do this is to take a shirt that fits you well, lay it flat and measure it from side seam to side seam.  Find the size on the website that comes closest to those measurements and order the corresponding size.   Polo shirts previously ordered from the company ran notably smaller than expected.               

·         Rewards Programs (Jan T.) – Halcyon Yarn will now send the guild an annual reward payment of 5% of all guild purchases.  When ordering from Halcyon Yarn, indicate that you are a member of the guild and Halcyon will track our purchases.  Specify that our guild name is: Handweavers Guild of Lincoln NE.  There will be a link for our guild on Halcyon’s website.  For joining the reward program, Halcyon sent $5 off coupons that guild members can use on their next purchases.

The Woolery accepts applications for their reward program in the fall and we plan to submit the required paperwork at that time.

·         Storage Room (Cheryl R., Jan T., John G.) – Items have been sorted and places are being designated for various items.  Bathroom and cleaning supplies have been moved to the bathroom and temporarily placed on metal shelving.  We will be looking for a storage cabinet for the bathroom.  Folding chairs hang in the storeroom and should be returned to the designated hangers.

·         Stitch video (Jan T.) – Nothing to report

·         Teaching Weaving at the Carmelite Monastery (Cheryl R.) – The nuns have finished weaving some towels on their floor loom.  Cheryl will be going back to the monastery in the near future to help the nuns take their finished pieces off the loom.  Cheryl’s husband Will made spool holders and other items for the nuns and one of our members has donated fiber to the nuns.  One of the nuns Cheryl taught will be transferring to a monastery in Australia and plans to take her newly acquired weaving skills to that monastery. 

·         YouTube video (John G. and Rachel W.) – Nothing to report

New Business

·         Weaving Class Proposal – Because we have no summer classes, Cheryl would be willing to teach a short-term class to guild members.  If anyone has ideas or proposals, let Cheryl know.

Jan Tooker would also be willing to teach members how to use the AVL loom and/or how to set up the dobby.

·         Ideas Weaving for the Guild Sale and Open House – We need a wide variety of guild items for the sale.  These could be seasonal and items for any of the various holidays.  At prior sales, AVL loom towels sold well.  A number of guild looms are threaded for a variety of projects, including: 3 looms are threaded for rag rugs that could be finished; one loom is threaded for a runner or length of cloth; and another loom is threaded with a summer and winter pattern.  Cheryl will label the various looms and make a list of the patterns and how to weave the items.

·         Midwest Weavers’ Conference – The conference will take place June 20-22, 2019 in Grinnell, IA.  Grinnell is about a 5-hour drive from Lincoln.  A number of guild members are planning to attend.  Arrangements for carpooling will be discussed nearer to the conference dates.  Sections are filling up, so if interested in attending, don’t wait to register. 

·         Guild Brochure – the brochure insert will be updated with the dates and times of guild classes open to the public.

After Guild Meeting Programs

·         May (Catherine E.) – What Do All Those Dang Numbers Mean?

·         June (Cheryl) – steam finishing a rug

·         July (Mary H.) – Navaho weaving collection

·         August (Diane B.) – cinch weaving

Announcements

·         Linda Carlson’s father-in-law passed away.

·         Guild and studio fees are due by the end of February 2019.  The lock code will be changed by the first of March.  The new code will be emailed to all paid members and as of March 1, 2019, the old code will be removed.

·         The heater in the north room is not turning on consistently.  We will set a thermometer in the room to check the temperature and attempt to determine if the heater’s thermostat is working correctly.

·         Catherine expressed her surprise about and gratitude for her name being added to the guild’s honors plaque, which recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the guild.

Catherine proposed that former member Russell Brauer, along with his wife Mary, be recognized for their contributions to the guild.  Russell was the studio manager for 15 years.  Cheryl will have their names added to the plaque. 

Efforts will be made to get synopses of all the honorees’ contributions.

·         Give to Lincoln Day – training is required to participate.  Mandy will look into this.

Meeting Adjourned for Show and Tell  
Kathy Blum

Recording Secretary