The Salem Fiberarts Guild will hold its annual fundraiser this Friday and Saturday at the Willamette Heritage Center. Proceeds will benefit both the center and the guild. Organizers hope to see plenty of happy shoppers. And they’re prepared to inspire the weaver (or knitter or tatter) in you with crafting demonstrations.
Dishtowels are hot items at this annual sale, said Pam Sullivan, guild president. In 2021, more than 100 towels were sold on Friday alone.
“People come year after year for towels. They’re lined up outside when we open at 10 in the morning to get the first pick of the dishtowels. That’s their form of holiday shopping,” she said.
Scarves, bags, jewelry, table runners, and rugs will also be available. And fiber-related demonstrations involving rug hooking, embroidery, knitting, spinning, and tatting will take place throughout the event.
This is just one of many events for guild members. Spinners also show off their work at the Oregon State Fair, and the guild holds demonstrations during other Willamette Heritage Center events such as Sheep to Shawl and Magic at the Mill.
“We’re pretty involved in our community, just trying to keep the craft alive,” Sullivan said. “We’re all volunteers, and we do this for the love of the craft.”
There are 95 active members in the guild, with new people joining every day.
“We seem to be going through a growth spurt again, and I think part of it is a post-COVID need for connection,” she said.
Sullivan also said a typical guild member is a recently-retired woman, and changes in the job market mean more people fit that category.
Members call the Textile Learning Center on the fourth floor of the Willamette Heritage Center their home. About 50 looms fill the space, and members weave there regularly. Visit the center, and you’ll see a bright green light in the elevator, lit up when weavers are working. Anyone is welcome to drop in and ask about the craft.
Members get loom rights, as well as access to a textile library packed with hard-to-find educational books. The guild also maintains a stash of donated yarn sold at a deep discount to current members.
The guild also holds regular educational classes for members. Currently, those courses are taught via Zoom, which Sullivan calls a silver lining of Covid. The new format allows the group to nab national speakers, which would have required travel arrangements for the live classes the guild held previously.
Despite this touch of technology, Sullivan said the guild is very much focused on in-person connections and relationships.
“We think of ourselves as a modern-day quilting bee,” she said. “It allows us to keep in touch with our roots, and in this age of technology, hands-on crafts really do give us a way to connect with each other too.”
Jean Cockelreas was introduced to weaving by the Salem Fiberarts Guild in 2005 and is a professional weaver now. She’ll have blankets, scarves, dishtowels, and napkins for sale at the event. She cites a need for connection and tactile experiences when asked about weaving.
“I truly believe that for any generation (not just our newest generation) that there’s so much technology. To really feel connected, you have to be in a world with something that is made by hand by you, whether it’s cooking and touching food or weaving or creating fiber,” she said.
“I think when people get out of touch with that part of themselves that they really aren’t in touch with nature anymore. I think it’s so important to do something with your hands,” she said.
The Salem Fiberarts Guild Annual Handweavers Sale runs Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Dye House at the Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St S.E.
Salem Fiberarts Guild memberships are $30 per person. Applications are available online, or visit the event to find out more.
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Jean Dion is a freelance writer and marketing professional. She's lived in Salem for about 10 years. When not writing, she dabbles in gardening, photography, and caring for her dogs, cats, and rabbits.
