March 11, 2026 | A Wool and Whiskey Tour of Scotland with Suanne Pasquarella
followed by the Just the Ticket Auction
Guild Monthly Meeting
9:30am, First Baptist Church Zoomed to big screen and to home members
Join me as we embark on a tour of Scotland, where we imbibed in some whiskey and fondled a lot of wool; toured a number of castles; walked the Royal Mile; visited Dovecot Gallery and even saw Dollie the sheep. We witnessed endless rainbows on the Isle of Skye and road through the town of Loch Ness; visited with artisans from knitters, to dyers, to tapestry weavers and more. Fix a cup of hot chocolate or tea and enjoy, or perhaps even have a wee nip!”
About Suanne Pasquarella
Suanne was taught to knit and crochet as a child, but in her early 20’s a friend had taken a weaving class and decided to teach teach her how to weave. She purchased her first loom shortly thereafter, but admits it was years before she truly knew how to weave a draft. She believes in supporting our crafts and joined the local organizations in her area, including Plattsburgh NY; Brunswick,GA; Buffalo, Rochester, Chautauqua, Enchanted Mountain and now Hudson Mohawk. She has served in various positions in her local guilds and also served as President of MAFA and HGA. Suanne writes, “In taking vacations, I decided after living near the shore in Georgia, that future trips would be about textiles and fibers.”
March 18, 2026 | Color Theory with Mary Ann Proia
Guild Evening Meeting
6:30pm, Weaving and Fiber Arts Center, East Rochester
Color can make or break a project. The right colors can take a project from good to fabulous, whereas a poor combination can be a waste time and fibers. Color is important but it’s one aspect of fiber arts that many weavers struggle with. Whether you’re weaving, dyeing, or spinning, the color choices that you make before you even begin will have an impact later. In this session, with a simple set of watercolors, we will learn about color theory, how it works in your dyeing, weaving, spinning, and how to apply it in your work.
Mary Ann teaches beginner weaving, tapestry weaving and dyeing with natural dyes at WaFAC. She has an HGA Certificate of Excellence in Dyeing. She displays her work widely. Who better to help us learn to use color more effectively in our own weaving?
April 8, 2026 | Designing Cloth and Accessories with Braid with Terry Newhouse Flynn
Guild Monthly Meeting
9:30am, First Baptist Church Presentation in person and on Zoom
Join me on my weaver’s journey as I experimented with ways to create edgings and finishes for my handwoven and knitted garments, originally using knitting and crocheting to finish edges and create a better fit. And then, despite my belief that I didn’t need to add another craft that required specialized equipment, I added braiding in both the Japanese and Andean traditions. I use braids made on the Japanese marudai, the round wooden stand used for making cords, and the takadai, a wooden stand that I see as a braiding loom. The takadai allows both narrow and wide flat braids to be made using plain weave and twill structures. Because both types of equipment produce braids made on the bias (diagonal) the cords or fabrics have more flexibility than woven bands. Marudai braids can also be made on a braiding card or disk.
Another dimension of the sampling process that I enjoy is choosing colorways. I will share my tips on choosing colors and yarn features like luster and texture. I often make my braids from the yarn the fabric was made from. Sometimes I choose the colors first but am also likely to choose the braid design first. I love the challenge of finding patterns that echo each discipline and then sampling until I get something that has the flexibility and color combination that will do its job both structurally and aesthetically in my piece.
BIO
Terry Newhouse Flynn is a textile artist and art educator who is fascinated with the myriad ways that people, across time and cultures, have found ways to create both functional and artistic work with thread. This journey led her to explore the braiding arts of Japan and the Andean cultures of Peru and Bolivia.
In the 1990s, Terry owned a yarn shop and teaching studio that specialized in weaving, knitting, and kumihimo. That experience deepened her understanding of yarn, color interaction, and designing teaching programs. She creates garments, accessories, and sculptures that combine her interests in these arts. She returned to school in 2000 earning a BFA in Fiber (2004) and a M.A.T. in Art Education (2005) from Maryland Institute College of Art. After 20 years teaching Art in public schools, she is retired and is now enjoying to freedom to return to her textile arts career.
Terry has worked with Rodrick Owen since 1993, coauthoring two books: Andean Sling Braids, New Techniques for Textile Artists (2016), and Sling Braiding Traditions and Techniques from Peru, Bolivia and Around the World (Nov. 2017). Her articles on weaving have been published in Handwoven Magazine. Terry has taught and co-taught braiding and weaving in many venues and is known for her patience and ability to show students how to make the learning process easier.
April 8, 2026 | Exploring the Use of Japanese and Andean Braided Finishes for Handwoven Clothing and Accessories with Terry Newhouse Flynn
Guild Half Day Workshop
1 - 4:00pm, First Baptist Church Presentation in person
Students who are new to braiding will work on a braiding card provided by the instructor. You will make samples of several braids that have different uses. (If students already have a disk or plate, bring it and we can see if the numbering will work.) Students who prefer to braid on the marudai and who are comfortable setting it up on their own, please let me know.
Along with teaching you to use the braiding card, I will demonstrate braiding on the marudai and takadai. There will be lots of braids to examine as well.
Yarns:
- Bring a small selection of pearl cotton, embroidery floss, or tencel in 5 colors from light to dark in value. They do not need to be all the same hue. You will receive a chart with an estimated number of threads for each type of yarn.
Equipment:
- Bring scissors
- String tags if you use them
- If you have a set of warping posts, please bring them
- You are welcomed to bring samples of handwoven cloth or garments that you would like use for inspiration
- Tapestry needle
- Buttons if you would like to try button loops
- If you have already made braids, please bring some samples.[
Optional: Braiding books: 250 Braids from Japan, Peru, and Beyond by Rodrick Owen or either Andean Sling Braids, New Techniques for Textile Artists (2016), or Sling Braiding – Traditions and Techniques from Peru and Bolivia (2017), both by Rodrick Owen and Terry Flynn. Andean Sling Braids has the most braid designs while SB Traditions and Techniques has a special chapter on beginnings, endings, and finishes for braids.
Workshop Fee is $32, plus a Handout fee and braiding card - $15, payable to instructor
Workshop size is 16 Participants.
April 15, 2026 | Weaving with Linen with Rebecca Lennox
Evening Meeting
6:30pm, Weaving and Fiber Arts Center, East Rochester
"Learn the ins and outs of weaving with linen and see and feel samples of multiple weave structures and thicknesses. You will gain insight and confidence into weaving with this durable and ancient fiber. Hints for ease of dressing your loom and weaving with linen will be discussed. Multiple samples of different linen yarns as well as woven pieces will be available for examination.
May 12-13, 2026 | Hands on Coiling Workshop with Jappie King Black
Guild 2 Day Workshop
1 - 4:00pm, First Baptist Church Presentation in person for members
Demonstration of coiling and forming a basket using the figure eight, long stitch and lace weave techniques.
Create your own beautiful sculptural form, using some of your special yarns (Note: no loopy or texture until day two). Our base will start with smooth yarns, such as 3/2 mercerized cotton.
May 13, 2026 | Basketry and Beyond with Jappie King Black
Guild Monthly Meeting
9:30am, First Baptist Church Zoomed to big screen and to home members
Explore a variety of basketry techniques and artistry, with our resident expert!
About Jappie King Black
Jappie King Black lives in Brockport, New York (and yes, Jappie is her real name). Born in Detroit, Michigan she moved to Argentina as a child and lived with her parents in Wisconsin, Michigan and Mexico. She is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy, holds a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design (Textile Design) and a MFA (in Fibers) from Syracuse University. Her work has been exhibited in numerous groups and solo exhibitions in the US, Canada and Africa. Jappie has received awards for her work in installation, sculpture and fiber. She has also been awarded residencies, individual and community grants working as an artist and teacher. Articles and photos of her work have been appeared in a number of publications and books. From 2001 to 2010 she was a tenured professor at Kean University, in Union, New Jersey teaching Fibers and Graduate Seminar classes. In 2009 she was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in sculpture. Her artwork is in private, public and museum collections.
