Monthly Spinners and Weavers meeting

Attended the Meirionnydd Spinners, Weavers & Dyers Guild November meeting today in LLanelltyd.
The AGM was held in the morning and in the afternoon we had a great talk by Mary Munday on textiles of India.
Ms. Munday spend a few weeks touring the North East section of India, from Calcutta to Darjeeling, visiting various local craft makers.

She showed us exquisite Kantha Embroidery work carried out by women from the Kamaladevi Center for Women. Traditionally this work was made from layers of recycled material stitched together and embroidered in traditional designs. Now, new cotton is used and modern patterns are being explored to meet current tastes.


example of Kantha work





beautiful Kantha patterns



She went on to show us work by Tibetan refugees in the very North of India.  In places such as the Tibetan Refuge Self Help Center in Darjeeling, wool is dyed with natural plant dyes and woven into beautiful goods such as  traditional rugs, chubas, etc.



Spinning wool



traditional Tibetan carpet weaving



And finally she finished by showing us beautiful Orissa silk work and saris, giving us all a sample piece of silk. (I'm going to use mine to cover a notebook)

beautiful silk in rich colours



traditional silk weaving in the street



A fascinating talk and slide show, showing once again that these fiber arts are a global skill common to all women all over the world.

(Photos taken from the web)

Why not join your local Spinners, Weavers and Dyers Guild? Learn new crafts, share ones you know, and join in great workshops and talks.
You can find out about your local Guild in the UK here