EVENTS
National Events
The Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers takes part in a number of national events, we organise our own exhibitions and meetings and there are a number of regional groups around the country who also organise their own events throughout the year.
If you have plans to participate in any local events this year, please send details to: info@weavers.ie and we will include the information on the website.
Craft Festival 2012 in Dun Laoghaire
This Festival takes place on Sunday 20th May 2012 at the Royal Marine Hotel from 10am to 5pm. There are supplier spaces and craft stands available. Workshops will also take place.
For more information, contact Karen Harper 086 8885321 or Anne Louise McDermott 086 3547499, craftffestival2012@gmail.com
Knitting & Stitching Show
This
major show in the calendar of the textile world takes place in The R.D.S
. Exhibition
Hall usually in November. Along with Ireland's other main textile Guilds we exhibit
and sell members' work, from small items such as hanks of handspun wool and handmade
cards to larger pieces such as wallhangings and floor rugs. Members also demonstrate
spinning and weaving and are there to answer questions and share information.
For more information about the Show - www.twistedthread.com
“Craft in Action” at BLOOM in the Phoenix Park. Dublin.
Craft in Action is a national showcase of craft workers demonstrating their skills to the public at Bloom, Irelands leading garden festival and exhibition.
The Irish Guild of Weavers was one of the groups who volunteered. We demonstrated spinning and loom weaving, on a table loom and using a peg loom.
For more information about BLOOM - www.bloominthepark.com
Some other national events which our members regularly take part in include:
THE NATIONAL CRAFT COMPETITION in the R.D.S.
This is an annual event with specific categories in textiles including hand weaving, tapestry and related research. The main exhibition takes places during Horse Show Week and then a selection of prize winning entries tours various venues around the country.
Competition - Golden Fleece Award
The Golden Fleece Award was established under her Will by Lillias Mitchell who died in early 2000.
She wished to help other Irish artists to develop their talents and to assist them in the study of 
traditional Arts. When stipulating the traditional Arts, she considered these to include painting, drawing, prints, sculpture, embroidery, pottery, glass work, metal work, calligraphy, spinning, dyeing, weaving and tapestry or research and the study of any of the foregoing.
The purpose of the Golden Fleece Award is to provide funding to assist Irish artists to pursue their careers in any of these areas. A substantial annual prize will be awarded to the successful applicant or applicants, and the prize fund for 2002 will be not less than IR£18,000. This will be awarded to the applicant(s) who have demonstrated artistic talent and achievement and who can show a financial need for assistance to assist him or her with progressing in their artistic career.
The administrative address for the Golden Fleece Award is 26/28 North Wall Quay, Dublin, 1, and the e-mail address is goldenfleece@ireland.com The deadline for applications for the Golden Fleece Award is 30th November and the award is announced in the following February. The Trustees are Lucy Mitchell, Rosamond Mitchell, Stephen Hamilton and Aileen Keogan.
THE CRAFTS COUNCIL OF IRELAND
The Crafts Council is the National Design and Economic Development Organisation for the Craft Industry of Ireland. At present, we are pleased to have one of our members elected onto the management board. The Irish Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers is, in itself, a member of the Crafts Council of Ireland. We are represented by another of our members on GANS (Member Guilds and Associations, Networks and Societies). GANS is involved in ongoing seminars resulting in recommendations to the Crafts Council.
The Council also have ongoing exhibitions at their National Craft Galleries in Kilkenny. For more information on their activities visit their website which includes a register for craft workers from all over Ireland including many textile practitioners.
www.ccoi.ie
EXHIBITIONS
Every couple of years the Guild organises exhibitions of members work generally in the Dublin area.
REGIONAL GROUPS
The Eastern Region.
This group meets several times a year , usually at a members house, either for a hands-on day, developing a group project, bringing current work to discuss, or just to meet like minded people.
Contact Maire Ni Neachtain for information - Phone : 087 7653545.
VIEW PHOTOS FROM A DEMONSTRATION AT RED STABLES
VIEW PHOTOS FROM A DYEING DAY AT BASKET BARN
The South East Textiles Group.
This group meets at The Discovery Park, Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, usually on the fourth Saturday of each month.
Contact Jean Burke 056 7729035 or Marilyn Wray 087 2164678.
The Connacht Textiles Crafters usually meet at Turlough Museum of Country Life in Castlebar.
Contact Bettina Foertig at gerriguinness@hotmail.com
The Ulster Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers.
Contact Kay Johnson 048 902 82204
PROJECTS
Weaving Project at Delgany National School
Ove a two month period in 2002 the children at Delgany National School spent eight mornings with Muriel Beckett learning about weaving and spinning. All 240 pupils were involved at some level. The older children spent an hour at a time working on a major project to create a wallhanging for the schools' new General Purpose room which was to have it's official opening by Archbishop Walton Empey.
The
inspiration for the wallhanging was the school crest, which incorporated an owl
and three fishes; the colours used were limited to yellow, blue, green and white.
Every child in the school had a hand in the project, the older classes worked
on the main body of the piece - weaving with wool, machine spun and their own
hand spun, fabrics and paper, through a framework of plastic garden trellis, made
in coloured sections and sewn together. The images for the crest were made in
a similar way using rug canvas, the braids to hang the piece were woven on small
rigid heddle looms and two decorative strips were woven on a four shaft table
loom. Fifty junior and senior infants each made a tassel to hang from the bottom
and some of the other classes made "God's Eyes" to form a border around
the main piece. The result was at least 3 metres square.
Apart
from this project the children also completed various other projects, such as
woven bracelets, paper plates, flowerpot baskets, tapestry on frames and on card.