WARP - Weave for A Real Peace

WARP serves as a catalyst for improving the quality of life of weavers and textile artisans in communities-in-need.  They provide information and networking opportunities to individuals and organizations who value the social, cultural, historic, and artistic importance of textiles around the world.

 

Weave a Real Peace (WARP) is a networking organization of weavers, academics, and interested supporters who value the importance of textiles to communities around the world.

Founded in 1992, WARP has members from across the United States, Canada, Central and South American, Europe, Africa, and Asia.  A newsletter is published quarterly telling of weaving, spinning, and dye cooperatives and other member projects from around the world. Once a year they come together for an annual meeting somewhere in the United States in a place rich in regional textile resources or history.  Please visit their website for more information:

http://www.weavearealpeace.org/

 

 

Vida Nueva Women's Weaving Cooperative

Creating Economic & Artistic Opportunities for Zapotec Women

Vida Nueva is a women's weaving coopertive from the Zapotec village of Teotitlan del Valle, an indigenous Mexican community in the southern state of Oaxaca of Mexico.  This traditional indigenous community has centuries of weaving history.  Their patterns and techniques have been passed down from generation and each tapete expresses their unique culture.  Historically, only men were permitted to weave, but in the last 55 years, women have also begun to share in this rich heritage.

 

Depsite their numerous creative, social and political contirbutions, it is still difficult for women to gain equal respect and recognition.  Therefore, in 1996, these women formed Vida Nueva (New Life), a weaving cooperative comprised only of women.  Each of its members strives to advance their mission of creating economic opportunities for women, serving their community, and proserving their Zapotec heritage. 

 

Each rug they weave tells a story that reflects pride in their personal and collective strength.  You can email them at estrelladevalle@hotmail.com.

 

Fiber Arts Websites To Explore

By Janet Miller

 

While I was cruising the internet looking for fillers for this space in our newsletter, I discovered a number of interesting sites I thought you might find interesting. 

 

First I found www.craftsitedirectory.com, a wonderful site that will link you up to information and further sites about any craft you may be interested in.   Each category has links that are designated information, arts and supplies, and finished handmade goods.  How cool is that.

 

From this site, I chose weaving, naturally, and tried some of those links.  www.weavolution.com is an online international community of handweavers.  They have a wealth of information about weaving all over the world, including a calendar of events, classes, guilds, projects, yarns, looms, and groups or forums. The only Colorado guild I saw listed was High Plains Spinner and Weavers from Brush, CO.  What a progressive group they are.  This is a free site, and I think we should get our guild listed too, as well as our show and sale in the events calendar.

 

www.handweaving.net is a site that contains over 58,000 weaving drafts and patterns that you can download and use for your projects or post your own drafts.  They have a wonderful gallery for inspiration and a store to buy all those books and patterns you just have to have.

 

www.herran.com is an Online Spinning and Weaving Guild with a number features similar to Weavolution and a few interesting features.  On the games tab, you can test your skills and vocabulary with a trivia game.  There is also a Hints and Tips category to help you find those short cuts and helps you haven’t learned from your friends yet. 

 

I hope you too will explore and share your finds with your fellow guild members.  All members are encouraged to submit fiber related information to the newsletter. Those of you traveling and attending events over the summer should share your experiences and  tales with all of us. Sharing and helping each other is what our guild is about.