FUN(d) Raisers

Wichita Weavers, Spinners & Dyers Guild Posted on by

We have two drop-in events scheduled for early December – just in time for you to make fun gifts or take a break and create something unique for yourself!

There is NO pre-registration for either of these activities, but don’t wait too late in the day, since supplies are limited.

First is our always-popular sock dyeing, scheduled for Sunday, December 3, from 1 – 4 pm. We’ll have white bamboo socks in adult and kid sizes, ready for your creative skills and eye for color. The cost is just $15 per pair.

Dyed Bamboo Socks
two pairs of colorful hand-dyed socks
Three Colorful felted ball ornaments

Next up (Saturday, December 9, from 1 – 4 pm) is a new kind of project – needle felted Christmas ornaments. You’ll start with a felted ball, then choose colors of dyed wool to needle felt in your own design. These would be great to decorate a wreath, tie on a gift, or hang on your tree, for only $10 per ornament.

All proceeds will go toward supporting the Wichita Weavers, Spinners & Dyers Guild and its mission of supporting education through the Fiber Arts Center of Wichita.

Kansas Cotton

Wichita Weavers, Spinners & Dyers Guild Posted on by

We were delighted to welcome Renee Sanchez (self-identified cotton farmer, although it’s not her ‘day job’) and daughters Anne-Marie and Angela as presenters for our October Guild meeting! Together, they form the fledgling Walnut River Cotton Company.

Three women in front of a small audience, holding dry cotton plants with open bolls.

They brought tubs of their cotton in several forms to share with attendees. There were whole cotton plants, bolls, hand-ginned cotton, carded punis, and even seeds!

In addition to sharing information about growing, harvesting and processing cotton, they are on a mission to find a niche market for locally grown cotton.

Questions flew thick and fast in both directions as Renee planted ideas and Guild members considered different ways they might make use of the gorgeously soft fiber.

Part of the discussion included Guild members’ cotton experiences. Pam Hurd has experimented with growing cotton several times over the years, and even brought some green and brown cotton seeds share.

Cotton seeds, carded punis, raw cotton with seeds intact, and seeds of green and brown cotton

In addition to the various raw forms, Angela and Anne-Marie shared spun and crocheted or knitted samples, including 100% cotton and some interesting cotton/alpaca blends created by Sara Morris at HLA Fiber Mill. Commercial cotton yarn swatches were far outclassed by the local fiber, which was not only softer but had much more character!

Renee generously shared everything they brought, much to the delight of meeting attendees, and asked only for information on what artists and crafters might want to buy and how their cotton might be used. To that end, Anne-Marie has created a short survey as market research. Please take the survey and share it with anyone who might be interested!