Meme Palmquist, Helena Weavers and Spinners Guild, Bozeman, MT
Winner: Best Craftsmanship & Design 4 Shafts or Less – 2nd Place, sponsored by ANWG 2025
Best Use of Handspun Fiber, sponsored by Rogue Valley Handweavers Guild
Material & Technique: This is a weft-faced twill adapted from “Indian Saddle Blanket Weave” in The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving by Mary Meigs Atwater (p. 282-285). My loom was a 63” Glimakra Standard.
Warp: 4ply wool warp from J&H Clasgens
Weft: custom processed Navajo Churro wool
Description: This saddle blanket was designed to honor both the horse that wears it and the heritage breed sheep that supplied the wool for its creation. The gray weft yarns are sourced from Zwerneman Churro in Livingston, MT, while the brown weft comes from a dear friend’s now-disbanded flock in Illinois, both spun at The Wool Mill in Belgrade, MT. It seemed only fitting to use this Montana grown and processed wool in a pattern adapted from a draft by Mary Meigs Atwater, who first founded the Shuttle-Craft Guild in the nearby town of Basin, MT. The natural shades of wool were chosen to provide a subtle contrast in the diamond twill patterning as well as to complement the coloring of many different horses.
