PLEASE JOIN US!! Guests and prospective members are welcome at all Guild meetings. If you are not a WGNS member and would like to attend a meeting via Zoom or a Nightweavers meeting, please send an email to weaversguildnorthshore@gmail.com.
WHERE? All Guild and workshops will be held in person at the Unitarian Church of Evanston, 1330 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201, with an online Zoom option also available. NIghtweavers meetings are held at the homes of WGNS members.
ZOOM! Zoom links for all meetings and locations for Nightweavers meetings will be sent out in the monthly Newsletters. Links to recordings of the monthly Guild meetings will be available in the Members Only area.
WORKSHOPS: Please sign up early! We have to notify Workshop Presenters at least 2 months ahead of the workshop if we don’t have enough participants to run it. Registration for workshops requires payment in full, in advance, to reserve a space. Because the Guild must cover all workshop costs, refunds will be limited to cases of family & health emergencies. If there is a waiting list and someone can fill your slot, your fee will be returned to you.
SHOW & TELL: Sharing our work with each other is an important part of every meeting, even on Zoom. Please remember to bring your projects to show us.
| F E B R U A R Y Field Trip Passementerie Mill Thursday, February 6 (11 am) Tour, talk, and shopping A binding and cord factory with working mechanical vintage equipment. The presentation from Kendall Schauder, designer, will discuss designing for the machines and her work generally. RSVP Required: Contact Judith Simon / Limit: 15 |
| M A R C H Day Meeting Thursday, March 6 (10 am) Kickoff Meeting Meeting & Mixer + Show & Share Our first official meeting of 2025. Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, March 13 (7 pm) Program: Inkle Weaving/Tubular Weaving with Liz Rossdeutscher Location: Art Makers Outpost, 609 South Blvd., Evanston (tentative) Co-hostess: Karen Jackson |
| A P R I L Day Meeting Thursday, April 3 (10 am) Paper Weaving Talk & Hands-on Project with Helen Hiebert Internationally recognized paper and book artist Helen Hiebert will talk about her unexpected foray into writing how-to books, her work in paper, and her upcoming book, A Paper Weaving Journey, due out in the fall of 2025. Following her presentation, Helen will share a couple of paper weaving techniques as members create a woven paper card or two. Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, April 10 (7 pm) Program: Bojagi with Carolyn Seng Hostess: Dagmar Klos Co-hostess: Karen Maddi |
| M A Y Day Meeting Thursday, May 1 (10 am) Summer & Winter with Beth Duncan A versatile tied-weave, Summer and Winter has a deep history. We will learn history, rules, and design possibilities, and put them to good use. Workshop participants can choose to weave a sampler of all the possibilities or 3 towels, using an idea learned from each online class. Students will need to have their 8 shaft loom dressed for class. Draft choices will be sent by email. (PDF of powerpoint will be emailed.) Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Workshop Friday, May 2, 9, 16 (6-8 pm)  Summer & Winter Zoom Workshop with Beth Duncan Workshop participants can choose to weave a sampler of all the possibilities or 3 towels, using an idea learned from each online class. Students will need to have their 8 shaft loom dressed for class. Draft choices will be sent by email. (PDF of powerpoint will be emailed.) Three 2-hour zoom instruction sessions, or a total of 6 hours. $95 Registration required CLICK HERE TO REGISTER AND PAY  Nightweavers Thursday, May 8 (7 pm) Program: Shifu with Julia Blake Hostess: Faye Ryan Co-Hostess: Jeanne Wehman |
| J U N E Day Meeting Thursday, June 5 (10 am) Building the Midwest Fibershed with Kathryn Prince A fibershed is a regional system that builds relationships between local producers of fiber and textiles and the people who use them. In this presentation learn how Fibershed Heartland, which spans southwestern Wisconsin and parts of northern Illinois, is working to be part of a growing movement to help communities hold onto their fiber and crafting traditions in the face of globalization and you can too! Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, June 12 (7 pm) Program: Woven Shibori with Dagmar Klos (TO BE RESCHEDULED) Hostess: Jeanne Wehman Co-hostess: Liz Rossdeutscher |
| J U L Y Day Meeting Thursday, July 3 (10 am) Guild Picnic Swap & Share Location: TBA Nightweavers Thursday, July 10 (7 pm) Program: Pulled Warp Basket Hostess: Dagmar Klos Co-hostess: Carolyn Seng |
| A U G U S T Day Meeting Thursday, August 7 (11 am) Arts & Crafts Resources Sorting Party at The WasteShed – Evanston History, impact, and mission of The WasteShed’s work. Guild involvement may be as donors, customers, and/or volunteers. https://www.thewasteshed.com/ Location: The WasteShed – Evanston 1245 Hartrey Ave Registration required (coming soon) Limit: 12, masks must be worn Nightweavers Thursday, August 14 (7 pm) Program: Felted Ornaments with Tonya Utkina Hostess: Tonya Utkina Co-hostess: Marcia Powers |
| S E P T E M B E R Night Meeting Thursday, September 4 (7 pm) Virtual Fiber Trip to Bergen, Norway with Tonya Utkina In August 2024 I visited two places near Bergen locally known for their fiber and textiles production in part due to Bergen being a major port city. Hillesvåg Ullvarefabrikk is a family owned production facility in Hjelmås that dates back to 1898. The small factory is one of a few production facilities in Norway that are still processing wool from Norwegian sheep turning it into beautiful fiber.A former knitwear factory Salhus Tricotagefabrik is now a Textile Industry museum in Salhus and has working knitting and wool processing machines that date back half a century. Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, September 11 (7 pm) Program: Dorset Buttons with Jeanne Reed Hostess: Dagmar Klos Co-hostess: Sue Michalek |
| O C T O B E R Day Meeting Thursday, October 9 (10 am) A “Trashy” Event with Nowhere Collective, and Chicago Creative Reuse Exchange (CCRX) he Nowhere Collective is building a community of artisans and makers who are committed to transforming trash into one-of-a-kind goods and art. Founder Katy Osborn will talk about why she learned to upcycle and how she’s empowering this community of creative activists to address our waste crisis in America. The Creative Chicago Reuse Exchange is a 501c3 nonprofit organization launched in 2017 to redistribute donations of clean, safe + working materials, supplies + equipment to Chicago teachers, nonprofits, arts + community groups. Led by Barbara Koenen, CCRX sparks creativity and environmental stewardship through programs and collaborations. Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, October 16 (7 pm) Program: Reindeer Ornament with Lynn Rosenberg Hostess: Lynn Rosenberg Co-hostess: Tonya Utkina |
| N O V E M B E R Fine Art of Fiber Friday-Sunday, November 7-9 (10 am – 5 pm) The area’s oldest, largest, and most unique fiber art event! The Fine Art of Fiber is the combined efforts of Illinois Quilters Inc., North Suburban NeedleArts Guild and Weavers Guild of the North Shore. Stunning quilts, woven wall hangings, knitted art wear, unique fabrics, detailed bead work, eye-catching clothing, and one-of-a-kind jewelry are among the abundant handcrafted items on display and for sale during this event. Viewers of the exhibition will be awed by over 150 pieces from traditional to contemporary. The marketplace will showcase a variety of handmade gifts for sale just in time for the holidays. Plus, a silent auction and raffle will feature unique handmade pieces that will be awarded to the highest daily bidder. For more information visit fineartoffiber.org. Location: Chicago Botanic Garden, Regenstein Center |
| D E C E M B E R Day Meeting Thursday, December 4 (10 am) Brain-trust & Brainstorming A WGNS member collective Election of new WGNS officers and discussion of upcoming programs and workshops Location: Unitarian Church of Evanston Nightweavers Thursday, December 11 (7 pm) Program: Cookie Exchange and 2026 Program Planning Hostess: Faye Ryan Co-hostess: Everyone |