September

Simple Clothing Construction for Fashionable Garments

Judith Shangold

A slide show presentation on how to approach clothing design to create styles that are simple and wearable, flattering and comfortable, interesting and creative. It's about my creative journey in developing designs that bring it all together. To weave a "painting" that will become a garment, embellished with knitting or crochet or beads. To knit a collar for a woven jacket or weave a collar for a knitted jacket. To weave rectangular pieces of cloth that with minimal cutting and sewing become an interesting garment. Specific ideas for garments that require little or no shaping will be presented. All of my pieces are created on a rigid heddle loom with a 20" width. Garments will be available for viewing and trying on.

Judith Shangold was a weaver in 1975 when she opened a yarn shop in Brooklyn, NY called The Weaver’s Studio. She taught weaving and knitting classes and had designs published in the leading knitting magazines of the time. When she moved to Boston in 1985, she became the New England sales rep for several yarn companies, including Rowan, Colinette, Crystal Palace and Manos del Uruguay. During this time, she developed her pattern line for bears and dolls called A Bear in Sheep’s Clothing as well as Designs by Judith, multi-gauge patterns for men and women. In 1999, she bought the Manos distributorship, and for 8 years produced the Design Source Collections of patterns for the yarn. Having sold the business in 2007, she has returned to her first love.

October

Weaving Designs by Bertha Gray Hayes

Norma Smayda

Bertha Gray Hayes was a well known Rhode Island weaver and the topic of a book published in 2009. Her patterns are distinctive in their asymmetry, her evocative use of patriotic and other contemporary themes, and name drafting. This slide talk covers her charming life and the 92 patterns she created, as well as a look at the national weaving scene of the 1920’s - 1950’s.

Norma Smayda, a weaver, teacher, exhibitor and juror, learned to weave in Norway, and her interests include Scandinavian weaving and the work of Weaver Rose and Bertha Gray Hayes. She coauthored the book Weaving Designs by Bertha Gray Hayes: Miniature Overshot Patterns, published in 2009. In 1974, she established the Saunderstown Weaving School which she continues to run today. www.saunderstownweavingschool.com

November

Whole Cloth NH: The Making of the Whole Cloth Quilt

Susan Bartlett & Cheryl Holbert

Cheryl Holbert, Weaving Instructor and Currier Museum Community Program Coordinator and Susan Bartlett, Whole Cloth Project Director will talk about the development of the Whole Cloth quilt which incorporates small woven panels, modern African textiles and text in the tradition of African American story quilts. The presentation will include slides of the design and construction process, a demonstration and viewing of the completed quilt, as well as time for questions, answers and discussion.

Whole Cloth NH is sponsored by the NH Humanities Council Fences and Neighbors Project and is presented by Rubia’s Sewing Confidence program. The Whole Cloth project tells the story of resettled Burundian refugee women through a panel exhibit, presentation and workshop. The programs are touring the state through October, 2011. Our next presentation, at the Portsmouth library is on August 11, 2011 at 7 pm. FMI: www.nhhc.org

Susan Bartlett is the founding director of Rubia's Sewing Confidence and the director of the Whole Cloth project. She has a Masters degree in Education with a concentration in adult literacy education. Susan has been a writer and writing teacher for many years and has also directed community theater productions. She lives on a farm in Antrim with her husband and two teen-aged children.

Cheryl Holbert is the Community Outreach Coordinator at the Currier Museum Art Center and teaches weaving and fiber arts to a diverse range of students at the art center and beyond. In addition to building fibers and outreach programs, Ms. Holbert manages art programs for students of all ages from Manchester's underserved populations, as well as afterschool children in communities in the Manchester area and other regions of the state.