National Spinning and Weaving Week

Did you know there is a National Spinning and Weaving Week?  There is and it is always the first week of October.  Many weaving and spinning guilds plan activities to get the word out that there is a thriving community which continues an ancient art to produce yarn and cloth.  It is a time to honor the importance of textiles in our lives and a time to educate the public, many of whom do not know how cloth and the clothes they wear are made.

The area I live in, New England, use to thrive on all the textile mills along it's many waterways. It was the industry that supported the economy for many towns.  Now many of these mills have become large old vacant buildings.  We are no longer a textile producing country. So when spinning and weaving week comes around, it is a great time to learn how textiles are made.  I encourage you to see if there are any guilds in your area and if they are having any special events this week. You can check the Handweaver's Guild of America site to find a guild, www.weavespindye.org. Or you can look up textile production on the internet and see what you discover.  You can also visit a textile museum.  If you live near the Washington, DC area, the Textile Museum of DC is wonderful.  It is located near Dupont Circle and well worth the trip, www.textilemuseum.org.  If you live in MA, the American Textile History Museum in Lowell is not to be missed, www.athm.org.  Lowell, MA was one of those towns whose existence and economy depended on the mills.  After decades of deterioration many of those buildings have been restored and they have become condos, offices, and artist's studios.

I will try to post some interesting facts or websites each day this week.  So check back and explore National Spinning and Weaving Week. It will be a great adventure into history along with contemporary artists who are working in this medium.