Recent Guild Activities

Workshops past

CANCELLED – Next Step Pick Up Rigid Heddle class (June 2023)

London District Weavers and Spinners

This class was cancelled due to low registration. Please watch ldws.ca for future classes. Registrants will be contacted and fees will be refunded

This class is the logical next step for new rigid heddle weavers. Learn to expand the possibilities of your loom by learning to use a pick up stick (or two) to produce lacey weaves, window panes, honeycomb, etc.

Learn to read pick up patterns and explore how to use warp and weft floats in creative ways.

Loom set up directions will be given before class.

Requirements:
Having taken a beginner weaving class or comfortable with warping and weaving.
Two contrasting colours of 4/8, 8/8, dishcloth or handicrafter cotton (50 gm each).
Two pick up sticks or foot long rulers.

Class duration: Three hours

Location: 530 Charlotte St. Boyle Memorial Community Centre

Instructor: Linda Elkins

Cost: The course fee will be $45 for LDWS Members and $60 for non-members – payable on registration.

The class will have a minimum of 4 students and a maximum of 6.

Date: June 3, 2023

Time: 9:00 am – noon

  • COVID Protocol for classes
  • As of June 1, 2023 – Masks are welcome but not mandatory for the duration of each class
  • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

Workshops past

Cancelled – Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving (June 2023)

London District Weavers and Spinners

This class has been cancelled due to low registration numbers. Registrants will be contacted and fees refunded. Please watch ldws.ca for future class listings

Learn to Weave on a Rigid Heddle Loom

If you have wanted to learn to weave but are not ready to tackle a 4 harness loom, or
if you wish you could weave for yourself, your friends and family, or to sell at FAFS, or
if you have limited space for a loom, or
if you are a spinner with beautiful yarn you want to turn into useful treasures, or
if you’re just curious, come and join us. 

In 2 – 3 hour classes you will set up the loom and weave a scarf, then set up the loom again to refine your skills and learn some useful tricks and techniques. 

Instructions will be given to participants before the course about yarn requirements.

Location: 530 Charlotte St. Boyle Memorial Community Centre

Instructor: Linda Elkins

Cost: The course fee will be $85 for LDWS Members and $110 for non-members – payable on registration.

The class will have a minimum of 4 students and a maximum of 6.
A limited number of looms are available to rent for $10. Loom rentals are for a month from the date of the first class.If you have your own please indicate in the form below

Dates: June 3 and June 17

Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

  • COVID Protocol for classes
  • As of June 1, 2023 – Masks are welcome but not mandatory for the duration of each class
  • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

Blog, General Meeting

May 2023 General Meeting

London District Weavers and Spinners

Janet Dawson will be our presenter. She will joining us from her home in Cape Breton Island on Zoom.

Janet will be discussing Name Drafting on 4 shafts. This is a way to ‘code’ in words into weaving.

To view the business portion of the meeting click here

The presentation by Janet Dawson will be available for a month – click here to go to the members only area where the link to the presentation

Blog, Workshops past

Beginning Spinning Class – Spring 2023

London District Weavers and Spinners

This Spinning Wheel course is for the person who would like to learn how to spin on a Spinning wheel, while having fun making your own yarn from wool fibres. 

We will cover:

  • The working of the spinning wheel
  • How to prepare fibres for spinning
  • Spinning the yarn
  • Finishing yarn

Location: This course will be in person, and take place at the East Lion’s Community Centre in the North Art Room

Instructor: Diny Warren

Cost: The course fee will be $175 for LDWS Members and $210 for non-members – payable on registration . A material fee of $30 will be required to be paid on the first day of class.

The class will have a minimum of 4 students and a maximum of 5. Spinning wheels are available for use during the class. If you have your own please indicate in the form below

Dates: June 10, 17 and 24

Time: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

  • COVID Protocol for classes
  • As of June 1, 2023 – Masks are welcome but not mandatory for the duration of each class
  • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

Blog, General Meeting

March General Meeting

London District Weavers and Spinners

Recording of meeting – click HERE

Too much fun!
Not only will be having our own multi-talented Diny Warren speaking on, sharing and showing some of her fabulous work with indigo,

…but we’ll also be holding a stash and ‘side hustle’ sale:


How it works:
-Send an email to LDWSFinance@gmail.com if you want to put some items in the sale.  This allows us to figure out how much time and space we need for the sale.
-Materials / items to be put up for sale must be dropped off at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, March 7, 2023.
-Each item or bundle of items must be pre-labelled by the member as follows:
  *Guild Member Number    *Item Number    *Price
             …for example, guild items should be labeled as follows:

              *6 – *1 – *$10
              *6 – *2 – *$15- If you are bundling some items together (eg. partial spools of thread) they should be “packaged” – eg., in a paper bag, attached by elastics etc.
– For items submitted by members, 20% of each sale will go towards the guild.
– There will be books for sale which have either been donated or are duplicates from the Guild’s Library.  100% of these proceeds will be reinvested into the library.
– A large selection of yarns were semi-donated to the guild – i.e. the donor will get 50% of the proceeds.  
– At the end of the sale, you need to pick up any of your unsold items.
– Cheques for the member share of the sale will be mailed within two weeks.   
– The sale will take place before and after the March meeting (which is Diny Warren’s Indigo presentation). 

UPDATE: Cash is recommended for shoppers as it is faster than using a card.  We will have ‘Square’ available.

Blog, Workshops past

Beginning Weaving Course – FULL

London District Weavers and Spinners

This class is full. A new class will be posted in the fall.

  • Learn how to warp a loom
  • Discover basic weaving techniques & weave structures
  • Select appropriate yarns
  • Plan a project
  • Keep records of your projects
  • Follow instruction for projects
  • Learn weaving terminology and equipment

Dates: April 16, 23 and 30, May 7, 28
Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Location: East Lions Community Centre – 1731 Churchill Ave, London, ON
Instructor: Kathy Morgan
Cost: $350 members, $380 non-members

Preregistration is required.

***Cancellation Policy: Participants who cancel their registration up to 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  A participant who finds a replacement for his/her spot within 1 month prior to the start of the workshop will receive a full refund.  Cancellations within 1 month of workshops (with no replacement found) and “no-shows” will not be refunded.  If the Guild cancels a workshop for any reason, all registration fees will be refunded.  

Covid-19 protocols for in person courses:

  • COVID Protocol for classes
  • As of June 1, 2023 – Masks are welcome but not mandatory for the duration of each class
  • Compliance with any other Covid-19 protocols set by the East Lions Community Centre

Blog, General Meeting

February General Meeting

London District Weavers and Spinners

Kathrin Weber, from Blazing Shuttles is our February speaker. 

Link to Zoom recording – available until March’s meeting on the Meeting Presentations/Handouts page
Ensure you are signed into the LDWS website with your password in order to see the presentation.

This will be an in-person meeting at the Community Centre and also on zoom

She will be presenting “Effective Use of Materials and Color”, with the following description:

“Do you have yarn in various colors, textures, weights, yarn types that you are not sure what to do with? Perhaps you have a lovely yarn that may not be strong enough for that warp you want to wind. Or your yarn is too fine or too big or the colors are too bright and they don’t go together. Or, to be honest, the yarn you have been hoarding is just too dang expensive to use! How do you make a little go a long way?
This lecture with images will help you think of creative ways to plan and execute woven projects of mixed yarn types and colors that you might have thought would never go together technically or visually. Spend a little time with me thinking, “What if…?” And then dig through your yarn closet for hidden treasures waiting to be woven.”

What a great way to get your creative juices flowing, and burst out of the winter blues!

Blog, General Meeting

January 2023 – Bonus Shared Presentation

London District Weavers and Spinners

January 4th, 2023 we had a shared presentation with the KW guild. The presenter was Kathrin Weber from Blazing Shuttles. Kathrin presented Dyeing to Please You: Dyed Warp Techniques.

The presentation will be available until February 4th, 2023. Handouts are also available. The access to the presentation as well as the handouts is on the members only portion of the LDWS website CLICK HERE Ensure you are signed in first for the link to work.