top of page

November 2026 Newsletter

Guild Calendar

Guild Meeting

Monday: November 16th  

10:00 am to Noon

Location: North Berkeley Senior Center, Gooseberry Room

Study Group

Saturday, November 21th  

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Topic: Double Cloth / Double Weaving

North Berkeley Public Library​

Get Together

Monday, December 7th  

12:30 - 3:00 PM

Social

location TBD

GGW Newsletter Bridge Image.png

President's Message

Dear Weavers,

 

The November meeting is on Monday, November 16th at the N. Berkeley Senior Center. 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noontime.

 

Please bring any weaving project you would like to share. Or maybe an update on a project not ready to be taken off the loom. Hope to see as many of you that can make it to the meeting. 
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

  • STUDY GROUP: The Topic: Double Weave,  November 21st, 10:00-12:00 Noon, North Berkeley Library, 1170 The Alameda 

    • Review of Double Cloth Pick-up patterns and an Introduction to Block Double Cloth

  • VOTING: The GGW poll to vote on making the guild a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation will be sent out via email Tuesday, November 17th.

    • The email will include a link to an online voting form, and you'll be asked for your name and vote.

    • We need a majority of members to vote Yes to proceed.

    • The poll will stay open for 10 days and close on November 27th. 

  • RAC Holiday Arts Sale: This event is coming up fast. THIS IS A CALL TO ACTION! We need handmade items to sell.

    • Please see the Participation form emailed to members on November 8

    • Sheila Fitzgerald will be managing sales and sales tax needs for the day  

    • The easiest way is for you to bring your items and forms to this coming guild meeting, November 16th. If you can’t bring them on the 16th, drop them off at Sheila’s by Friday, December 4th. ​

  • CNCH 2027 Dates to Remember:  â€‹

    • CNCH Grant Application Deadline  --  Mon, Dec 14, 2026, 5pm

    • CNCH Grant Awards Announced  --  Mon, Dec 28, 2026

    • Early Bird Registration Opens  --  Mon, Jan 4, 2027, 9am

    • Early Bird Registration Closes  -- Sun, Feb 28, 2027

    • Regular Registration Opens  --  Mon, Mar 1, 2027

    • Last Day to Make Hotel Reservations  --  Thur, Mar 10, 2027 

    • Galleries Entry Forms Deadline  --  Thur, Mar 10, 2027

    • Late Registration Closes  --  Mon, Mar 15, 2027

    • CNCH 2027 Conference Starts. --  Thur, Apr 1, 2027, 4pm

    • CNCH 2027 Conference Ends  --  Sun, Apr 4, 2027, 4pm

    • Classes and Conference Brochure: https://www.cnch.org/conferences/ ​

  • EMAIL Communications: Members will be invited to enroll in a "Google Group," which will let individual members send a group message, ask for help, or share event information, for example. Look for an email invitation and an information email about GGW's Google Group, which will be sent after the November Guild meeting.

 

AGENDA

  • Welcome: Members and Guests, and November Birthdays

  • Nametags! Bernie has printed them with our names and the Golden Gate Bridge logo.

    • Please find yours and be known!

    • Return name tags to the box at the end of the meeting

  • RAC Holiday Arts Festival - update on GGW participation and Call to Action

    • Richmond Arts Center, Sunday, December 6th, 10:00 to 4:00

  • ​Drafting and Designing: What is Out There?

  • CNCH Updates

  • December Social - meet for lunch at Picante's?

  • Members' Announcements

  • Show and Tell

​​

Happy Thanksgiving to All of our guild members. I feel grateful to be a member of this community with you.

~ Vicky

Did you know?

Screenshot 2026-11-09 at 11.33.22 AM.png

Spinster 

"One Who Spins"

​

In the past, an unmarried woman would often have to spin her own dowry. In cultures where almost all textiles had to be spun, woven and sewn at home, the ability to spin wool was highly prized in a daughter, and this valuable asset meant she was likely to get a wealthier husband. 

​

In modern times, the word spinster has negative connotations of being unwanted, on the shelf, dried up and soured. However, all women who love thread, married or not, should be glad to be known as spinsters because of the famous Venus de Milo statue. Although her lower arms are missing, the exact positioning of her torso, upper arms, and the line of sight make the lost activity she is engaged in obvious to those in the know; she is spinning.

source: Rigamaroles & Ragamuffins: Unpicking words we derive from textiles, by Elinor Kapp

Meetings

Guild Meeting

Date: Monday, November 16th, in person at the North Berkeley SENIOR CENTER

Time: 10:00 am - 12:30 pm

​​​​​​​​

See Vicky's message above for this month's agenda.

​​​​​

The Golden Gate Weavers Guild meets on the third Monday of the month, 10:00 am to Noon in the Gooseberry Room, at the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave, or on Zoom. No meetings in July, August, and December.

​

Study Group

Saturday, November 21th  

Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Large Meeting Room, North Berkeley Public Library​

​
Double Cloth Basics for 4 & 8 Shaft Weavers

 

Susie Hodges is leading the learning:

 

  • Bring any project or questions you have to share on the subject.

​

You can join the Study Group at any time, and get help or to check out what we're doing. It's a great way to see how your fellow guild members develop ideas, plan, sample, and make cloth. Below are some photos from the group meeting.

Get Togethers

Monday, December 7th  

12:30 - 3:00 pm

Social over lunch

Location: TBD

​

An informal gathering and an opportunity for Show and Tell and to get your Study Group questions answered.​

Show and Tell

October Meeting

CNCH News

 

 

www.cnch.org 

​

CNCH 2027 Planning  

  • Area Three, which includes GGW, is planning the 2027 Conference. Vicky and Bernie are part of the planning group.

    • Golden Gate Weavers has been assigned the task of Grant Fundraiser: Handwoven items donated to CNCH by guild members will be sold in a Silent Auction

  • CNCH 2027 Dates to Remember​

    • CNCH Grant Application Deadline  --  Mon, Dec 14, 2026, 5pm

    • CNCH Grant Awards Announced  --  Mon, Dec 28, 2026

    • Early Bird Registration Opens  --  Mon, Jan 4, 2027, 9am

    • Early Bird Registration Closes  -- Sun, Feb 28, 2027

    • Regular Registration Opens  --  Mon, Mar 1, 2027

    • Last Day to Make Hotel Reservations  --  Thur, Mar 10, 2027 

    • Galleries Entry Forms Deadline  --  Thur, Mar 10, 2027

    • Late Registration Closes  --  Mon, Mar 15, 2027

    • CNCH 2027 Conference Starts. --  Thur, Apr 1, 2027, 4pm

    • CNCH 2027 Conference Ends  --  Sun, Apr 4, 2027, 4pm

Screenshot 2026-11-09 at 2.03.40 PM.png

EVENTS

  • Holiday ARTS Sale, Richmond Arts Center, Sunday, December 6th, 10 am - 4 pm

  • Fibershed Winter Market, Saturday, November 14, 10 am to 3 pm, Dance Palace, 503 B Street, Point Reyes Station. Come for locally grown, naturally dyed goods, minimally processed and sourced from across Northern California. More than 20 vendors, from local farmers and ranchers to artisans, all of whom are helping to shape our natural fiber ecosystem. No admission fee.  https://fibershed.org/event/fibersheds-winter-market-2026/

  • Arts of Indigenous America, ends August 31, 2028, at the de Young. The theme “Relationship to Place.” Developed with Native scholars and in consultation with communities of origin, the project centers Indigenous values and voices. Works spanning over a thousand years of history in all types of media. https://www.famsf.org/exhibitions/arts-indigenous-america

Resources

Publications

  • Handwoven Magazine - weaving articles and patterns, https://handwovenmagazine.com/

  • Selvedge Magazine - offers textile enthusiasts a magazine, workshops, talks, tours and fairs that celebrate cloth, culture & creativity from around the world, https://www.selvedge.org/ 

  • VÄV - Swedish weaving publication, transitioning to an annual "bookazine" in 2026

  • WEFT Magazine - https://www.weftmagazine.com/ in-depth single-topic issues that go beyond the basics​

Watch, Read, Listen to

  • Haptic and Hue - podcast series that explores textiles traditions, now in their 6th season (so many great stories) - https://hapticandhue.com/ 

  • The Culture of Cloth - podcast series: Clothing is never just clothing. Every fibre, every colour, every silhouette is telling you something. About power, politics and whose story got told and whose didn’t. The Culture of Cloth is a podcast about learning to read that story. Starting with the cloth itself and then following it wherever it leads.

  • The Quilters on Netflix - Inmates in a high security prison in Missouri make quilts for foster youth, https://www.netflix.com/title/82006530  

Guild Members Recommendations

Board of Directors

President - Vicky McAdams Vickybees@comcast.net

Treasurer - Karen Schwartz 

Acting Secretary - POSITION OPEN 

Newsletter/Comms - Bernie Geuy bernie.geuy@gmail.com

Programs - Vicky McAdams & Bernie Geuy

Membership - Bea Deering

Librarian - Sarah Leverett 

Historian - POSITION OPEN

CNCH Liaison - Sheila Fitzgerald

Webmaster - Bernie Geuy

Education and Outreach - POSITION OPEN

Socials and Field Trip Organizer - Penny Peters

Newsletter Deadline:

Please submit any items to be included in the Newsletter by the 2nd Sunday of the month.

Email: bernie.geuy@gmail.com

bottom of page