If you are not a member of the Manasota Weavers Guild but would like to join in and meet other weaving and fiber arts enthusiasts please write to programs@manasotaweaversguild.org.
In February we will have our annual three day workshop with Jan Friedman. She will be teaching color blending and techniques for adding texture to your weaving. A few openings are still available! Jan is an excellent teacher and participating in this workshop will be very rewarding. See the workshop details below for information on registration.
December continues the Learning season. Classes began on the 1st of October at ACE and Judy Mahoney was excited to start this year off with new offerings. She still needs extra hands to lighten the work. Attached is a schedule with descriptions and times of the classes. If you can volunteer a couple of hours to help Judy in the classroom she and our students will be very appreciative. Contact Judy at her email to coordinate your time(s).
Good News from A Good Yarn!
Our local yarn store has stocked up on yarns for weaving! They have a good supply of Brassard 8/2 cotton along with Gist Mallo, Beam and Array. Hopefully if weavers are supportive more supplies will become available. Here’s a peek at what they have.
Jan Friedman Workshop News
In February members will have the special opportunity to learn from Jan Friedman. She is a vibrant and excellent teacher. She will be teaching us her color blending tricks and ways to add texture to our work. Though she will teach using a tapestry technique she will also discuss ways that she uses gradations in scarves, table runners, napkins and fabric collages.
Details for the workshop include:
Dates: February 11, 12 & 13, 2026
Location: Manatee Community Foundation, 2820 Manatee Ave. West, Bradenton
Cost: A $50 deposit is due by December 13, 2025. $125 is due in January, 2026 for a total of $175 (based on 15 participants). There will be a materials fee of $48.00 which will include all of the fiber that you will need for the workshop. These will be available for you in January, there will be multiple color choices.
Becky, our workshop coordinator, will be available at the November meeting to answer questions.
Our Statewide organization, FTWG, will be holding their annual conference again in the Spring. For those who have been registered members by October 15th registration will open on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at 9 a.m. ET. For Non-members or those who joined after October 15 registration will be open on Saturday, November 22, 2025 at 9 a.m. ET. Go to FTWG.org for more information regarding the Conference and/or to register.
A Chance to Serve
Our guild is preparing to donate placemats again this year. This time they will be given to recipients of Meals on Wheels in Sarasota. Last year we collaborated with the agency in Venice and people were very excited to receive the handmade mats. If you would like to join in feel free, the mats should be in the 11″ x 15″ to 14″ x 18″ range. Please use fibers that are easy to care for and you may bring them to any guild meeting.
Members continue to work on the mats for the homeless also. If you are interested in helping they are in constant need of clean, dry shopping bags, any color is fine! Contact J Fay if you have questions about either of these projects. Feel free to bring bags to any of our monthly meeting when you are able to attend.
Below are pictures of some of the placemats headed for Meals on Wheels recipients and the lower row shows the mats for the homeless with some of our members who have spent many hours working on charity projects. A special thanks to all who have been involved with these projects!
Do You Want to Learn to Weave?
The new Fall class schedule is available at Suncoast Community College ! Registration begins on September 2nd and classes will begin on the 29th. This time we are offering an expanded curriculum. Along with our Learn to Weave classes the Intro class is being expanded to include different forms of weaving and an advanced Rigid Heddle class is also being added.
Learn to Weave and Weaving Rigid Heddle Style participants are able to weave different patterns and experiment with different threads. They learn how a loom works and get to meet other weavers and see things they’ve made. Click the above link to the school to access their catalogue.
Students in the Learn to Weave class will learn how to make a warp and warp their looms. By the time they complete this class they will have all of the information needed to do a project independently. The class is very extensive and there is one-on-one help for students.
Weaving Rigid Heddle style is another way to create fantastic, unique, hand-made fabrics. the pictures below are examples of weaving done on such a loom.
Learn to Weave will be offered later in the winter, be sure to watch the ACE catalogue. Weaving Rigid Heddle style will be 6 3 hour sessions. Participants in both classes will be able to take their looms home to work on their projects.
In the fall Intro to Weaving classes participants will have the opportunity to try floor looms, table looms, rigid heddle, inkle and tapestry looms all in a 2 session class. Our students get to try actual weaving and learn about looms and weaving terminology. If you are curious about weaving come check us out!
In addition we will be adding an Advanced Rigid Heddle weaving class! Students in this class will learn to use pick up sticks and explore color & weave, expanding the techniques possible on a Rigid Heddle loom.
Get to know us
We’ve been in existence since 1964 as an organization, holding regular meetings and a variety of other activities. Below are links to many of the upcoming events for the coming year. Please explore our website to see all the interesting activities we offer. Also, visit our Facebook and Instagram pages to learn more. Click on any of the images below to learn more or explore the menu bar above.
Mission
Through monthly meetings, study groups and special workshops, Manasota Weavers Guild offers our members a range of opportunities to increase their knowledge and skills. We welcome new weavers and spinners and provide instruction and mentorship. Our members also promote awareness and appreciation of the fiber arts through a variety of community outreach programs.
Membership in the Guild is open to anyone interested in the arts of loom weaving, tapestry, spinning, knitting, basketry and related fiber arts.