Guild Calendar
Thursday, November 12, 2026 – Monthly Meeting
Multnomah Arts Center + Zoom, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy. (503) 823-2787
All meetings are free and open to the public
10:00 am Day Meeting – Auditorium
9:30 am – 10:00 am: Set up, social time and library browsing time
10:00 am – 12:00: Meeting
7:00 pm Evening Meeting – Gymnasium
6:30 pm – 7:00 pm: set up, social and library browsing time. Library will be available in the hallway outside the closet.
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Meeting
Saturday & Sunday, November 14-15, 2026 – Annual Fall Sale!
10:00 am – 4:00 pm: Multnomah Arts Center Gymnasium, 7688 SW Capitol Hwy.
Thursday, November 19, 2026 – Board Meeting
7:00pm – Zoom
See the website for full calendar including study group meetings.
President’s Message
The theme this newsletter seems to be the need for volunteers. As noted, our guild members show up when asked and often just help get things done without being asked. It is greatly appreciated! But we are a volunteer organization that runs because a few folks take on board and chair positions. I encourage you to think about a role that would work for you that will ensure the smooth running of our events, meetings and outreach efforts. None of the roles are time intensive and can utilize your interests and skills. If any of the roles piques your interest, reach out to me at noragessert@yahoo.com and we can talk about it over coffee.
As a reminder, we have a few events coming up. The Fall Sale November 14 & 15 will feature over 20 fiber artists of all types. It’s a great event to start your holiday shopping. Our December meeting is our annual holiday event and will be held at the Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront. We couldn’t get rooms at MAC in December so we had to find another location. We chose the Holiday Inn because the ANWG Conference will be held at the hotel and having the meetings there will give members an opportunity to see the venue. Kati Robb is looking for a couple more folks to lead up a holiday craft or two at the morning and/or evening meeting. There is a lot of leftover holiday craft materials in the closet at MAC or scan Etsy or Pinterest for ideas and the guild will purchase or reimburse you for any materials needed. The Holiday Inn mentioned we will have a hot chocolate fountain and cookies. As it gets cooler (finally), hot chocolate sounds lovely. I hope everyone makes the trek out to the event.
Nora Gessert
Upcoming Programs
November 12, 2026 Meeting — Velvet a Worldwide Passion with Barbara Setsu-Pickett
A discussion based on Barbara’s research and study of velevet weaving in Italy, France, England, Japan, China, Turkey, India.
About the Speaker
Barbara Setsu Pickett , an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Art,University of Oregon, focuses her art and research on velvet weaving, shibori, book arts, and natural dyeing.
She has studied velvet weaving in Italy, France, Britain, Japan,China, Turkey, Uzbekistan and India, and has received support from the NEA, FulbrightCommission, Institute of Turkish Studies, Gladys Krieble DelmasFoundation, Rockefeller Foundation/Bellagio, and Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.She and her son run Mihara Shibori Studio and create highly textured silk scarves
December 10, 2026 Meeting — Holiday Crafts & Cocoa
It’s our annual December meeting tradition – the mini workshops. Join us and make something fun for the holidays!
Cookies and Hot Chocolate will be provided. Note the location: Holiday Inn, 909 N Hayden Island Dr., Portland, OR.
Upcoming Workshops
If you’d like some creative inspiration, to learn new skills, and connect with the PHG weaving community, please join one of our future workshops. If the workshop you are interested in is full, please join the waitlist. Here’s what we have coming up:
November 13, 2026: Introduction to Japanese Book Binding
This workshop is full. Learn how to build and hand-stitch your own books using the four classic Japanese book binding techniques.
We are happy to announce that Barbara Setsu Pickett will teach a one-day Introduction to Japanese Book Binding workshop at Ruthie’s Weaving Studio. Barbara is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Art at the University of Oregon. The focuses of her research and creative practice are velvet weaving, shibori, natural dyeing, and the book arts. For information or to join the waitlist visit:
February 13 and 20, 2027: Passementerie with Elizabeth Ashdown (online)
This workshop is full. Elizabeth Ashdown will join us virtually from her studio in London to lead an online workshop in Passementerie. In this bespoke two-day workshop, you will learn five woven passementerie designs. If you’d like to learn more about Elizabeth, check the Winter 2025 issue of Handwoven magazine. Elizabeth is featured twice: she has an article and fringe pattern, and there is a brief segment about her book, Passementerie: Handcrafting Contemporary Trimmings, Fringes, Tassels, and More. This workshop is for weavers on all loom types. To learn about the workshop or to join the waitlist visit: Workshop: Passementerie with Elizabeth Ashdown (online in 2027) – Portland Handweavers Guild.
March 12-14, 2027: Rug Weaving Basics with Mary Zicafoose
We are excited to bring renowned artist Mary Zicafoose to PHG. Mary joins us for a program and workshop in March 2027. Learn, add to, or refresh your knowledge of a well constructed rug in Rug Weaving Basics. This is an in person workshop at the Multnomah Arts Center. Registration is open! To learn more about Mary, this workshop and register visit: Workshop: Rug Weaving Basics with Mary Zicafoose (in 2027) – Portland Handweavers Guild.
Happy weaving and learning! Any question should be directed to workshops@
Guild News
Fall Sale!
All fall sale booths are spoken for! It’s going to be a great sale; please invite all your friends and neighbors.
Handwovens for the Holidays, Multnomah Arts Center (in the gym), Sat/Sun Nov 14 & 15, 10am – 4pm both days.
Fall Sale Demonstrators Needed
Our Fall Sale, November 14-15, will be held at MAC in the gymnasium from 10am-4pm. This event draws people from across the community looking to purchase our beautiful handwoven and fiber art. It is also an opportunity for folks to learn about weaving through our demonstrations which frequently results in new members. We plan to have a small demonstration area that will include our tabletop looms and information about our guild. No experience necessary, you just need a willingness to talk about weaving and the Guild. Please sign up on our website https://portlandhandweaversguild.org/volunteer-new/ for a timeslot that works for you.
WeGO & Complex Weavers Reps Needed
The Weaving Guilds of Oregon (WeGO) is an organization of weaving, spinning and related fiber craft guilds in Oregon. Its purpose is to share information and resources, educate, and promote fiber art throughout the state of Oregon. The purpose of WeGO is to encourage weaving and related fiber arts in Oregon and foster inter-guild cooperation and communication. They meet twice per year, in spring and fall, via Zoom to share guild activities and plan educational opportunities.
The rep for Complex Weavers is similar, if you are a member and can attend their meetings, it is an easy role.
We need a reps to attend the meetings where you will report on what PHG has done, easily gleaned from our website, and inform the PHG board of anything relevant to our Guild. This might include scholarship opportunities, events we might want to participate in, for example. This is a great opportunity to learn what other guilds are doing and meet folks from across Oregon. If you would be willing to take this on one of these roles, please reach out to Nora Gessert noragessert@yahoo.com.
Volunteer to Host Holiday Crafts
Each December we enjoy gathering to make small crafts, visit, and share festive treats. This year our morning and evening meetings will be at the Holiday Inn Columbia Riverfront in north Portland.
We have several openings for volunteers to host a craft table. Do you have a favorite, small holiday craft you’d like to share with other members? Hosting a craft table is a great way to meet members and add cheer to everyone’s holidays. Plus, the guild reimburses members for materials.
Interested? Sign up on the volunteer page and/or contact Kati Robb for more information.
And keep an eye out in our December newsletter– we’re planning a sneak peek of what you can look forward to making at the meeting!
We Only Work Because We Have Volunteers
There are so many folks that volunteer for PHG. At the Board meeting we discussed how we have a bevy of folks that take care of the library at each meeting, set up chairs and tables, set up equipment for the meetings, and help with so many events where we demonstrate weaving to the community (and garner new members!). Each hour(s) worked in support of PHG is greatly appreciated. You all are our unsung heroes, thank you all!
But, and there it’s sort of a big one, we need a couple folks to take on dedicated roles. Specifically, we need someone(s) to organize our community outreach events as the demonstration chair. Let me stress, this role does not require that you take on everything, rather coordinate volunteers. If you like to talk about weaving and the guild, this is a great role for you.
We also have an open board position as the Community Involvement Director. The demonstration chair falls under this role as does the representatives to ANWG, Complex Weavers and WeGO. As with all of the roles in the guild, with the exception of a some key duties, you can make the role what suits you.
Gallery Ideas Needed for WeGO Traveling Show
We are looking into the possibility of hosting the WeGO Traveling Show in 2029. The space needs to be large enough to hold about 40 pieces of fiber art of varying sizes based on the last Traveling Show. We would need the space for 2 months in March/April or May/June of 2029. If you know of a space that might work, please send to information to me at noragessert@yahoo.com
2027 Retreat Kick Off Announcement
It’s time to start thinking about the Annual Portland Handweavers Guild Spring Retreat 2027! See the PDF below for the full announcement.
2027 ANWG Conference Scholarship
The PHG Board is offering three (3) $300 scholarships to the ANWG Conference in June 2027. The Scholarships are open to any member of PHG; you must be a member to apply. Conference registration opens in January 2027 and workshop pricing is still in the works but the programs and descriptions are on the ANWG conference website. The award will come in the form of a discount coupon code to be used when registering; any cost beyond the $300 can be paid at checkout. If a winner’s registration comes to $300, you are good to go. We do hope winners will take advantage of the entire conference experience and register for some or all of the fun events in the works. You can apply at https://portlandhandweaversguild.org/2027-anwg-conference-scholarship/
Deadline for application is December 15, 2026. A subset of the PHG Board will determine the winners and will announce them in early January.
ANWG Learn to Weave Class
The ANWG Conference Learn to Weave Class is accepting applications for the two day class. This opportunity is for people who have never woven – real beginners. If you know of someone like that, send them to https://anwgconference.org/learn-to-weave/. The class is free and PHG is sponsoring their conference registration. It will take place on Friday and Saturday, June 25 – 26.
Library Update
As a reminder, for the evening meeting, the library will only be available for browsing from 6:30 to 7:00 pm in the hallway in front of the guild closet. This is due to the evening meetings being held in the gym this year. While browsing in the hallway, please keep your voices low in order to not distract classes in the nearby rooms. If you are unable to arrive early enough to browse, we may be able to look for a specific book if the meeting ends before the MAC tries to usher us out. Please have the name of the book, the first tag listed in the item record, and the author’s name available. The library will be available in the auditorium during the morning meeting.
New Books This Month
First on the list is a monograph by Suzi Ballenger, M’s + O’s: A contemporary look at a traditional weave structure on 4-shafts. After a brief history of M’s & O’s, the author discusses various threading and treadling variations to move beyond its traditional feel. The book has 6 projects to explore including a 4-shaft, 4-block gamp with 14 treadling variations and home décor items using raffia.
Our next new book is Weave with Words: Using Inlay to Create Text in Woven Cloth by Scott Norris. Although the title emphasizes text, the book gives detailed step-by-step instructions to the inlay technique and applies them to both text and images. There are instructions for designing and drafting your own patterns. The book has 9 projects to work through as you practice and gain confidence to move on to your unique ideas.
Eco-print: The Guide to Natural Botanical Printing on Fabric by Kirsi Mantua-Kommonen, Ulla Lapiolahti, and Päivi Vaarula is right on time for the gathering of falling leaves. Are you bringing home special leaves that you find on your walk but don’t want them to clutter your space? Explore ways to commemorate them on cloth.
Browse the PHG Library online from the comfort of your home anytime. The first tag for each item tells you in which section the item can be found. Newer acquisitions may be on the “New” shelf. Also explore tools you can check out from the Small Equipment Library. Both are available for browsing during our regular meetings.
Bulletin Board
Latest ANWG Newsletter
The Association of Northwest Weavers Guilds has posted their October 2026 newsletter. Check out the creative ways other Northwest weaving guilds are getting their members together for fiber activities. All ANWG newsletters are available here.
Looking to Buy or Sell Weaving Equipment or Materials?
Check out the Items for Sale page.
Fiber News and Events
Damascus Fiber Arts School presents Tapestry Talks
On Saturday, Nov 14, at 10am Pacific, our guest will be Erin M. Riley. Erin M. Riley will talk about the tapestries leading up to and since her 2025 solo exhibit Life Looks Like a House for a Few Hours at P.P.O.W Gallery in New York, NY. Her recent solo exhibitions include The Invisible Third, UTA Artist Space, Los Angeles, CA; watering false flowers, cadet capela, Paris, France; and Look Back at It, mother’s tankstation, London, UK. Riley’s work is currently on view in the group exhibition Wool. Silk. Resistance. at Museum of Applied Art, Frankfurt, Germany. In her review of Riley’s 2025 solo exhibition with P·P·O·W, Life Looks Like a House for a Few Hours, Annabel Keenan wrote in Frieze Magazine, “There’s an element of triumph in Riley’s work: even if her images reveal moments when she had no control over her life, she has persevered and regained agency through every stitch.” Riley is currently an artist in residence at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Website: https://www.erinmriley.com. See Tapestry Talks – Damascus Fiber Arts School for more information.
ANWG 2027 Conference
June 14-19, 2027
Portland, Oregon
https://anwgconference.org/
Handweavers Guild of America
Textiles & Tea
Tuesdays
Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.’s (HGA)‘s Textiles & Tea takes place every Tuesday at 4 PM (ET). We’ve invited some of the most respected fiber artists in the field today to join us for an hour long conversation where we will discuss their artwork and their creative journey. Make a cup of your favorite tea and join us as we talk about fiber, creativity, inspiration, process and so much more.
Newsletter Contributions
Send news items and fiber events to Tim Prins by the 25th of the month for inclusion in the next month’s newsletter.
Rental Equipment
PHG has equipment available for rent to current PHG Members. Click here for more info.
PHG Board and Chairs
Please click here for a list of PHG Board Members and Committee Chairs.