From the sheep to the scarf, the Hudson-Mohawk Weavers’ Guild will be holding its 36th annual show and sale, offering unique, hand-woven gifts for purchase.
The show, once again to be held at the Pruyn House at 207 Old Niskayuna Road in Colonie, takes place Thursday, Nov. 20, from 2 to 9 p.m., Friday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 23, from noon to 4 p.m.
It will feature all hand-woven goods, ranging in price from $2 to $1,200. Organized by room, people can peruse tables filled with scarves, wraps, clothing, wall hangings, rugs and holiday gift items. All of the workers at the show will be members of the Guild, who are available in case there any questions.
“It’s all locally made and hand-woven. Some of the items actually start on someone’s sheep. This particular weaver has the name of the sheep in the pocket of jackets,” said Susan Wood, one of the show’s coordinators. “A handful of our members do have their own sheep where they get their fiber. Those items have a story behind them, so it’s kind of an interest.”
Along with the handmade items will be demonstrations on weaving techniques, as well as fashion shows throughout the weekend, including Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
The show and sale has been the Guild’s largest event since it was founded in 1978. The show started with the Guild’s handful of members bringing 10 items each. Since then, it has snowballed to 35 to 40 members bringing crafts for a total of more than 2,000 hand-woven items to display and sell.
The Guild had begun to falter in numbers around 2008 and 2009, but its publicity coordinator Megan MacBride said it has been seeing more and more people in the past few years, which she believes has to do in part with the recent interest in locally sourced goods.
“I think people are interested in moving away from imported things,” said MacBride. “I think people have been interested in community-made things lately. There’s a lot of education in this event. People have lost touch with how things are made. We have demonstrations with spinning and weaving, so it’s cool to get the interaction with the public. People are just fascinated, because they haven’t really seen this.”
MacBride and Wood also believe the show’s location at the Pruyn House helps with its success, as well as upping the numbers for the Weaver’s Guild.
“It’s a historical piece of property and has all kinds of museum ambiance. It’s kind of a destination,” Wood said. “People come and see the show and see what the property has to offer.”
Based on past numbers, about 400 people are expected to attend, making this the main outlet for guild members to display their work. The event is one that members prepare for all year.
The show is non-juried, so there is no limit to what members can bring. Wood said they do not turn anything away so that what members show up with on Thursday morning is a bit of a surprise.
“Whatever people bring, we accept it,” she said. “This is a group effort. We don’t shun anybody.”
In turn, the show and demonstrations do a lot to bring in new members.
Members do not have to be experts, either, but anyone who has an interest in weaving. MacBride said one of their members is in high school, and they have others from Boston, New York City and Syracuse.
“At our monthly meetings, we have educational programs, so folks can learn. The guild is really an educational kind of group. Memberships are open to really anybody with an interest,” said MacBride. “The show is a big outreach for us. We always get some new members, people who have always been interested in the craft, but maybe didn’t know a lot about it.”
Information on the show and Guild can be found at www.hmwg.org. The Show and Sale at the Pruyn House is free and open to the public.
