Open Show and Juried Show Exhibits

Greetings! The Fiber Connections Conference is just about a year away and we’re excited to share some early information about entering your work in the open and juried shows at the conference.

First, the open show chaired by Anne Kramer and her team.

This non-juried show is designed to encourage all weavers, spinners, and fiber artists to take the big step of putting their work out on display. This show is also ideal for anyone who has not entered work in prior shows.  Please give some thought to entering as it is always exciting to see new entrants participate.

Here are some of the criteria for entering:

• Limit 1 entry per person or group.
• If more than one person is collaborating on a single item, all parties must be acknowledged.
• Items must be original and have been completed within the last 2 years.
• Sorry, but we will not be accepting knitted or crocheted items.

Acceptable items are:

• Items made from handwoven fabric
• Handwoven yardage
• Handspun skeins
• Woven or felted items made from handspun yarn
• Felted items
• Hand dyed items
• Basketry, Inkle and tablet weaving, kumihimo braids.

Entries will be accepted for the open show from March 1, 2023 through May 1, 2023. The entry form and instructions for mailing in your item will be available online on the Open Show page of the Conference website: https://anwgconference.org/archive/2023//open-show-exhibit/  There is no fee to enter.

We look forward to seeing your work!

Now, for the juried show, chaired by Cindy Fowler.

Now’s the time to start thinking about that incredible item you are going to submit to the juried show. From past conferences, we know that there are exceptional fiber artists in the Northwest and this is the perfect venue for you to showcase your work. Our theme is Fiber Connections which reads: “Fiber Connections celebrates all the connections that are made as a result of the coming together of fibers and people”. Show us what that means to you!

Here are some things to consider:

• Entries will be accepted between January 15, 2023 and May 1, 2023
• 24 awards will be given
• Entry limit is 1 item per person
• Entry fee per item is $15 US and must accompany the online entry available January 15, 2023 at Juried Show – ANWG 2023 Conference (anwgconference2023.com)
• There are 18 categories to choose from in weaving, spinning and the “ever-popular ‘Other’ category” so you have no excuse!
• All items must be original and have been completed within the past 2 years
• Collaborations are accepted
• Photos must be submitted via email in JPG format.

Additional information is available on the Juried Show page of the Conference Website:  Juried Show – ANWG 2023 Conference (anwgconference2023.com)  Please visit the website for more details on how to enter these and other conference exhibits, as well as the fashion show.  We will also share the selected jurors for the juried show. Communications will be sent out when this information becomes available.

We look forward to seeing your talent and to recognize your efforts.

Best     Cindy & Anne

Stay updated ~~ The Weaving Guilds of Oregon steering committee is very busy planning for the upcoming Association of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds Conference at the Riverhouse Hotel and Convention Center in Bend, Oregon June 11-18, 2023. Please continue to visit our website for information and conference updates. If you would like to receive information delivered to your inbox, please subscribe to the conference blog.

Sneak Peek ~ Fiber Connections Workshop Leaders

The ANWG Education Committee is pleased to announce an exciting and diverse lineup of workshop and seminar leaders covering a wide range of fiber-related topics. While weaving is foremost, spinning, dyeing, felting, basketry and other fiber-related topics will also be included.  In September, a full list of workshop and seminar leaders will be announced on the website’s Education section, but to give you a sneak preview, we are introducing four of them here.  –  Ginger Kaldenbach, Judith Rees, and Kathi Keller – Education Co-Chairs

Dianne Totten has taken “crimp cloth” to the next level!  One-of-a-kind handwoven garments have been Dianne Totten’s main focus with emphasis on garments using “crimp cloth,” a technique she developed and teaches nationally/internationally for guilds and conferences including Convergence. Dianne has been a weaver for 40 years and a teacher for twenty-five.  Her expertise in sewing complements her passion for weaving. In addition, she enjoys creating whimsical rag rugs, placemats, wall hangings, etc. with design inlay, a fun way to use up her fabric stash.  She teaches at John C. Campbell Folk School in NC as well as for guilds and regional conferences in the U.S. and Canada, and at Convergence.  She has two crimp cloth DVD’s available and has been published in SS&D, Handwoven, Weavers, Complex Weavers Journal, and Vävmagasinet, as well as Catherine Ellis’ book, Woven Shibori.  At our 2023 conference, Diane will teach workshops on “crimp cloth” and designing inlay for rag rugs.

Linda Kubik is a weaver, designer and sewing educator. She has taught weavers to sew since 1991 and originated many of the handwoven sewing techniques now frequently used.

She’s provided countless home sewers the opportunity and joy of sewing handwoven fabrics. Linda has taught at many national sewing and weaving conferences. She started her pattern line, Elements, in 2000 and now has 18 patterns.   Come learn how to turn your handwoven fabric into a beautiful tailored jacket.  Linda will also have a workshop focused on sewing seam and edge finishes devised for your wonderful handwoven fabric.

Tylar Merrill is the owner of Thimbleberry Felt Designs Studio & Gallery and has been creating felt art and teaching fashion design for over 30 years. She was first

introduced to felting in 1984 and has become entranced by this rich and ancient textile. Learning the process of felting was a very natural and perhaps inevitable transition for her art.

Tylar uses her background in painting, quilting, dyeing, and design to create each unique art object. Mixing colored fibers with abstract hand strokes bring together these loves in exciting and satisfying ways. Felting has given her the opportunity to combine and explore color, texturing, 3-dimensional form, folk art and fashion design.

Her fashion collection includes a wide range and styles of garments and accessories based on the nuno felting technique, the art of fusing silk and cotton fabrics with wool fiber. All of Tylar’s designs are original and are made from start to finish in her studio located in Eugene, Oregon.  Come to Tylar’s workshop in 2023 to learn nuno felt techniques and create your own beautiful, warm, hand-felted stole.

Susan Wilson received the Handweavers Guild of America’s (HGA) Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving, Master Level in 1990, with a specialty in crackle weave. Her book, Weave Classic Crackle & More, was published in 2011. Susan’s articles have appeared in Weaver’s, Handwoven, Complex Weavers Journal and Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot magazines.

Susan has taught workshops throughout the U.S. and at several HGA Convergences and regional conferences. A weaver for more than 45 years, Susan enjoys pattern weaving, sampling to explore woven structure, and creating household textiles and clothing accessories.

Susan’s Polychrome Crackle: Color workshop uses the ideal structure of crackle to explore color.  Bring your loom and learn to design drafts, play with blocks, and manipulate colors for exciting results on just four shafts.

Plan now to attend the 2023 Fiber Connections ANWG Conference in June, 2023 to take advantage of these wonderful workshop opportunities.  This is just a sneak peek of our educational offerings — The complete workshop and seminar schedule will be published in the September blog.  See you in Bend next June !

Please continue to visit our website for information and conference updates. If you would like to receive information delivered to your inbox, please subscribe to the conference blog.

2023 Fiber Connections Marketplace

Charlene Virts, Marketplace Coordinator

“Fiber Connections, celebrates all the connections that are made as a result of the coming together of fibers and people. We weave for our families and friends, connecting us socially. We weave for sale, connecting us with clients. We weave for fun to connect with our inner child, and we weave to connect with our creative selves. Without fiber connections you would have no spun yarn, no weaving, no felting, no braiding and no wonderful fiber arts guilds to bring us all together.”
–Fiber Connections theme description

I love this description of our conference theme. It reminds me of a time when I watched a young girl in a toy store marvel at the dolls and other toys she saw in the shop. She was so excited she could barely stand still as she exclaimed, “Look at that, mom. I want one!” When I attend weaving conferences, I must admit that I’m not all that different from that girl I saw that day in the toy store. Yarn, looms, dyes and finished artwork; astoundingly creative finished products that put a great big smile on my face. The plans for Fiber Connections in 2023 continues this time-honored tradition of bringing us all together – connecting us with the love and appreciation of the fiber arts, creativity and beauty. At the conference, we are expecting hundreds of participants, more than 35 vendors and an exceptional group of over 30 instructors.

As the coordinator of the conference marketplace, it’s my role to bring together the vendors and all conference participants as we share in the appreciation of the fiber art that connects us. From vendors sharing their wares with appreciative fiber fans, to conference participants having an opportunity to talk with folks attuned to their art and craft, we hope you will include a visit to the marketplace while attending the 2023 conference.

The marketplace will be open only to conference participants on Thursday June 15 for a special “Shopping Extravaganza” sponsored by Heddlecraft®.  The general public will be welcomed on Friday and Saturday. The marketplace will include yarn, fiber, looms, spindles, shuttles and most anything you can imagine. My memory is jogged as I look back on past fiber-related events. “Look at that! I want one!” My husband asks me, “How much more do you need?” The truth is “just a little more than I have.”

If you are a vendor, the 2023 conference is an opportunity for you to spend time with folks who are looking for your products and insight, and I encourage you to reserve a booth space. Vendors from past conferences have been genuinely pleased with the support that each conference committee has provided, offering a breakroom, presentation space, and a room full of fiber enthusiasts.

We hope you will join us. And, feel free to get excited because we’ll be smiling right along with you!  Here is the link to the 2023 Marketplace Vendor Packet.

 Stay updated ~~ Please continue to visit our website for information and conference updates. If you would like to receive information delivered to your inbox, please subscribe to the conference blog.

Plan Now to Weave and Sew for the Show!

Karen Sieradski, Fashion Show Committee Chair

The best part of the 2023 ANWG Fashion Show is seeing how fiber artists bring their skills and imagination to fruition in wearable creations. I can hardly wait to see what Northwest weavers send in!

We have structured the fashion show awards to encourage entries using any number of shafts, with specific categories for four or fewer shafts.  Of course, the structures you can achieve with more than four shafts are also stunning, so we want to see those, too!

The purpose of the fashion show is to share the love of applied weaving with others. My affinity for textiles was a genetic gift from my mother, who excelled at sewing and knitting. She taught me how to thread a needle, and I would raid her fabric stash for scraps to turn into simple garments for my dolls. Through my school days and career years I made blouses, trousers, skirts, dresses, coats and suits. I took sewing classes and participated in shows and competitions. Although I never won an award, I enjoyed the process and loved seeing everyone’s garments.

Over the years, my sewing production decreased as time got scarcer. I would often tell my friends, “In my next life, I’m going to be a textile designer!” Well, guess what? After I retired and took a weaving class, my passion for textiles was rekindled and redirected in the most satisfying way. What fabric stores were for me in the past is what the local textile shop is for me now. That’s where I find my guild, fibers, teachers, and inspiration.

A perk of guild membership is sharing items at meetings, and wearables are especially fun to see and share. That is why the fashion show is a highlight of the conference. It will be a tea room fashion show, in which the models walk among tables where the audience is seated. You may model your garment yourself or designate another person to model it. Volunteer models will also be recruited, as needed. Regardless of who shows the garments, all entries will be deeply appreciated by fellow weavers.

Awards for the 2023 Fiber Connections Conference Fashion Show

• Best in Show
• Best garment made of handwoven fabric with four shafts or fewer
• Best garment made of handwoven fabric with more than four shafts
• Best garment made with felted fabric
• Best garment made with handspun yarn
• Best scarf or shawl knitted with handspun yarn
• Best garment construction
• Best use of design
• Best scarf or shawl handwoven with four shafts or fewer
• Best scarf or shawl handwoven with more than four shafts
• Most innovative garment (unusual materials, structure, color and/or design)
• Best interpretation of conference theme, “Fiber Connections”
• Best use of conference colors
• Judge’s choice

Entries will be accepted beginning in January, 2023.

https://anwgconference.org/archive/2023//fashion-show/

I hope you will plan now to weave and sew for the show!

Stay updated

The Weaving Guilds of Oregon conference steering committee is very busy planning for the upcoming Association of Northwest Weavers’ Guilds Conference at the Riverhouse Hotel and Convention Center in Bend, Oregon, June 11-18, 2023. Please continue to visit our website for information and conference updates. If you would like to receive information delivered to your inbox, please subscribe to the conference blog.

Fiber Connections 2023 Proposed ANWG Conference Schedule

June 11-17, 2023

(Sun-Sat)

Hello Weavers, Spinners, Fiber Folks ~ Happy New Year and welcome back to monthly blog posts from the 2023 Fiber Connections ANWG Conference Committee.  This month we would like to advise you of the proposed conference schedule so you can begin planning your conference week.  We will be publicizing lots of exhibits, shows, workshops, seminars, and events throughout this year and we hope you are planning to visit Bend Oregon in June, 2023.  Join in the fun by participating in the many activities offered all week long.

Here’s what is in store. . . . .

Sunday, June 11  ~  Arrive for Workshops Beginning on Monday, June 12

Registration 2:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Riverhouse Convention Center Lobby

Monday, June 12

Registration 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Workshops 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Tuesday, June 13

Registration 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Workshops 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Wednesday, June 14

Registration 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Workshops 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Drop off tea towels for exchange 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Marketplace Vendor setup 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Exhibits/Shows setup 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Guild booth setup – 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM
ANWG Board Meeting, dinner 5:00 PM, Board Room

Thursday, June 15

Registration 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Drop off tea towels for exchange 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Workshops/Seminars – 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Exhibits/Shows setup 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Open for viewing 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Marketplace Vendor setup 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Marketplace Vendors open – 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Shopping Extravaganza, Special Sale             coupons, door prizes, instructor book signings
Guild booth setup – 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Guild booths open for viewing – 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Opening Ceremony – Welcome Reception – 5:00 – 7:30 PM, Convention Center Exhibit Hall
No-host Bar, Hors d’oeuvres

Friday, June 16        Exhibits & Vendors Open to Public

ANWG Annual Membership Meeting – 7:30 AM
Registration – 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Drop off tea towels for exchange – 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Marketplace Vendors open – 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Guild booths open – 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Exhibits/Shows open – 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Spin-in, demonstrations – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Seminars – 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Seminars – 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Banquet, Convention Center Ballroom – 6:00 PM, no-host bar 5:00 – 7:30 PM
Keynote speaker – Jeanne Carver, Imperial Stock Ranch – Shaniko Wool Company – 7:30 PM

Saturday, June 17      Exhibits & Vendors Open to Public 

Complex Weavers Meeting – 7:30 AM
Seminars – 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Seminars – 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Demonstrations – 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Wrapped in History, ANWG historical weaving study group meeting – 12:15 – 1:15 PM
Shuttle race – 1:00 PM
Pick up towel at towel exchange – 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Marketplace Vendors open – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM Last Chance!!
Guild booths open – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Exhibits/Shows open – 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Reception and no-host bar – 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Tea Room Fashion Show – 7:30 PM – Convention Center Ballroom
Awards announced, Door Prizes, Closing comments

Sunday, June 18

Check out of rooms by 11:00 AM
Vendors break down 7:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Exhibits break down 7:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Guild Booth break down 7:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Visit the 2023 ANWG Conference website often for new information.  https://anwgconference.org/archive/2023/

ANWG Conference Guild Booths

Hello ANWG Guilds and Conference Attendees:

After nearly two years of limbo, we are back in full planning mode for the 2023 ANWG Conference!

With confirmed dates of June 11-18, 2023, and a confirmed venue at the Riverhouse Convention Center in Bend, Oregon, now it’s time to nail down specifics, like the guild booths.

There are 85 or so guilds in the region and we will have room at the conference for 20 to 30 booths. Guilds that are planning on sponsoring booths are encouraged to register as soon as possible to avoid the last-minute rush. Registration is currently open, and the registration form can be found on the conference website:   https://anwgconference.org/archive/2023//guild-booths/

Booths are typically filled with items woven to a specific theme and that takes time, so register early! The deadline for reserving a booth is December 31, 2022.

The conference theme is Fiber Connections and that suggests many ways to plan a booth:

Weaving is part of textile production – it can be the result of using fibers spun from animal, vegetable, or mineral; or it can be one of several inputs to making other items like clothing.  Weaving has been part of human civilization for centuries, connecting us with our past.  We weave for our families and friends, connecting us socially.  We weave for sale, connecting us with clients.  We weave for fun to connect with our inner child, and we weave to connect with our creative selves. Without fiber connections you would have no spun yarn, no weaving, no felting, no braiding, and no wonderful fiber arts guilds to bring us all together. 

The booths will be 10 by 10 feet with an 8-foot pipe and drape on three sides. Each booth comes with one table (choice of sizes are listed below) and a padded chair. Additional tables will be $10 each and electricity is available for $30. However, the exhibit hall is very brightly lit so you may not need to spend the extra money unless you are doing something like a slide show.

Available table sizes are 6’x28”, 8’x28”, 6’by18” and 8’x18”. Please specify which table size you think you will need on the form, knowing that this can be adjusted later as you finalize your booth design.

We will provide final dates for table/electricity requests and for payment information later next year. The important thing now is reserving those booths!

That’s it for now. If you have any questions or comments, just let me know at dorstoltz@msn.com.

Thanks,

Dorald Stoltz, Guild Liaison

2023 ANWG Conference

2023 Noh Coat Challenge Update

You are invited to make a Noh Coat for the 2023 ANWG Conference in Bend, OR and join us in a spectacular expression of handwoven cloth. This is not a juried exhibit.

The Noh Coat challenge is based on the work of American fashion designer Bonnie Cashin. The challenge is to make the coat according to the pattern in Threads Magazine (Oct/Nov 1990, No.31). Cashin created many variations of what began as a basic kimono shape. The version we are making is simple and does not require great sewing skills. This pattern is perfect for showing off handwoven cloth.

There are only two rules: 1) Be true to the design. You can shorten the coat, you can line it, and we welcome all forms of embellishment. 2) No commercial fabric on the outside.

Since the Noh Coat Challenge was announced, we have been inspired and excited by the response. We have received requests from all over the ANWG region and well beyond. This challenge is one that really brings us all together. The postponement of the ANWG conference to June 11-18, 2023, gives us more time to make a really great Noh Coat. Having said that, some of us are done!

Diana wove her coat in a modified summer & winter plaid in rayon/cotton on four shafts. She wove the binding on an inkle loom with a black rayon/cotton blend yarn with some gold metallic yarn for a bit of sparkle.

Jannie, inspired by the big plaid of the fabric used in the original pattern, designed a special plaid of her own: 20 shafts, three different point twills and four colors. She chose Ultrasuede for the binding as a nod to spirit of the original Noh Coat design.

Janice stayed away from plaid and designed an attractive color stripe gradation. The fabric is woven in plain weave with 16/2 mercerized cotton alternating with variegated hand dyed cotton rayon and the weft in 16/2 mercerized cotton.

And for those of you who are not keen on the design, think beyond the coat! Weave your fabric, make your Noh coat, show it off at the conference, and then go home and tweak it a bit: add patch pockets, make set-in sleeves, take in the sides a bit. Think of it as an organic project that will transform over time.

But first let us admire your coat, in all its drapey swishiness. It will be a grand day when we all meet up wearing our coats. For information on this project, contact Toby at tobysmith.3920@gmail.com or Isabelle at ifusey@telus.net.

Visit the 2023 ANWG Conference website often for new information.  https://anwgconference.org/archive/2023/

2023 ANWG Conference Update:

Join us June 11-18, 2023 at the

Riverhouse Convention Center ~ Bend, Oregon

Dear Fellow Fiber Enthusiasts,

We are very pleased to announce the new dates and location for the 2023 ANWG Conference in Oregon.  A long and exhaustive search has resulted in a wonderful location for a full range of conference events and educational opportunities in beautiful Central Oregon. 

We will be updating the “Location” section of the website with venue photos and information on the Convention Center, the Riverhouse Hotel, and Central Oregon.

So for now, save the dates and please continue to weave, spin and create fiber art in the conference colors. We will keep you updated with our progress toward the 2023 conference in monthly blog posts and on the website as we finalize our educational line-up, exhibits, and events.

We look forward to hosting you and your guild members in Bend.

Your 2023 ANWG Conference Steering Committee

Aurora Colony Museum in Oregon

As you are preparing to come to the 2023 ANWG Conference, you might want to stop to see some interesting sites along your way. The Conference provides the perfect opportunity to explore all that Oregon has to offer.  Visit the Old Aurora Colony Museum located mid-way between Portland and Salem.

The Museum explores the history of the Aurora Colony (1856-1883), one of the more successful American utopian communal societies in the 19th century.  Dr. Keil organized the Aurora Colony around the concepts:

• “From each according to his abilities: to each according to his needs”
• “Love one another”
• Tenets of the New Testament, including the instruction to believers to hold all things in common.

Aurora Colony became known for its orchards, food, music, textiles, furniture and other crafts as well as its communal lifestyle and German traditions.

Men and women of the Aurora Colony were responsible for creating a wide range of finely crafted textiles. Sheep and flax from Colony farms provided fibers for spinning and weaving while cotton yardage was available to members at the Colony Store.   

The old Ox Barn is the home of the current museum and is the cornerstone of a historical campus area.  The Old Aurora Colony Museum exhibits focus on Colony families, crafts and history.  The members of the colony did everything needed for the community to prosper and the exhibits highlight this amazing diversity of activities.

To learn more about the Old Aurora Colony Museum and the history of the area, please visit: www.auroracolony.org.

The Weaving Guilds of Oregon conference steering committee is very busy planning for the upcoming 2023 ANWG Conference. Please continue to visit our website for information and conference updates. If you would like to receive information delivered to your inbox, please subscribe to the conference blog .  An announcement of the venue and dates coming soon!

Willamette Heritage Center – A Great Place to Visit

When you attend the 2023 ANWG Conference, you may want to visit places of interest in Oregon.  One place in Salem that you do not want to miss is the Willamette Heritage Center which is housed in the former Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.

The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was built in 1889 by Thomas Lister Kay with strong support from the business community of Salem, OR. In 1895, the wood-frame mill building was destroyed by fire and the community rallied in support of reconstruction efforts, raising $20,000 in just three weeks to rebuild. Six months later the mill was operational once again, this time housed in a beautiful 4-story brick building that is still in use today. Through the prosperous times of the Alaskan Gold Rush and the sparse years of the Great Depression, the factory produced fine woolen blankets and fabric. Its biggest production period occurred during the World Wars, due to U.S. Army contracts for blankets. After over 70 years of operation the mill closed in 1962, primarily due to competition from manmade materials like polyester. At the time of its closure, it had been managed by four generations of the Kay family – a family legacy that continues to this day at the world-renowned Pendleton Woolen Mills.

After closure, the mill was purchased by Mission Mill Museum Association, a private, non-profit organization formed in 1964 to develop a historical park. Their mission was to provide a “museum and public meeting space as well as an educational, cultural, historical and activity-oriented center for townspeople and tourists alike.” It is the only woolen mill museum west of Missouri and has one of the few water-powered turbines in the Pacific Northwest that is still capable of generating electricity from the millrace. Displays of the original 19^th and 20^th century machinery illustrate industrial wool processing, and images capture the stories of the lives of the individuals and families who worked at the mill since its founding.

Today the museum is known as the Willamette Heritage Center, a nonprofit organization formed from the merger of the Mission Mill Museum Association and the Marion County Historical Society. Their legacy to preserve and interpret the history of the Mid-Willamette Valley continues to this day. The five-acre campus contains fourteen historic structures that house permanent and changing exhibits, a research library and archive, textile learning center, and rentable event spaces. It is also home to retail shops, art galleries, cooperative artist studios and offices run by partner organizations.

The 4^th floor of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill Building was remodeled in 1990 to create a Textile Learning Center in partnership with the Salem Art Association; a regional hub where the study, design, teaching, and production of textiles could take place. The 2000 square foot classroom and weaving space includes floor and table looms, worktables, storage cabinets, a dye studio/kitchen area, and all the auxiliary equipment necessary for textile crafts such as weaving and spinning. In 1997, Mission Mill Museum Association took over operations and with the support of local textile guilds, continued to offer classes in textile arts; a practice that continues to this day. The Textile Learning Center is currently the home of the Salem Fiberarts Guild, a vibrant partner with the Willamette Heritage Center in the preservation and teaching of historic fiber arts.

As we move closer to summer 2023, we’ll rollout out more information about the conference and events on this website, so stay tuned! Or better yet, if you’re interested in receiving email updates, sign up and we’ll send information to your inbox as it becomes available.