A Brief History of the Prairie Weavers Guild of Springfield:
Interest in many crafts was revived during the 1976 Bicentennial year. The Freedom Train traveled throughout the country and wherever it would stop, people would visit the exhibits on board and see local crafts people demonstrating their crafts. Nellie Langley demonstrated quilting at the Freedom Train and went to weaving workshops at Bishop Hill for three years with Rosemary Gruendyke.
In the fall of 1976, after the visit from the Freedom Train, several local fiber artists decided to form a group to teach and support each others’ work. Everyone had a different specialty and they would meet at each others’ houses to learn from each other. These early members brought a variety of skills and interests including spinning, weaving, wool dyeing, rug hooking, quilting, basket weaving and macrame, soft sculpture with fabric and stitching, batik and embroidery. The makers with these skills called themselves the Fiber Guild.
The Fiber Guild had an exhibit of their work at the Becker Library. Members of this group also taught at the Springfield Art Association. Classes included non-loom weaving and sculptural textiles, spinning and natural dyeing, printmaking, counted thread and basket weave embroidery, loom weaving, macrame and tapestry weaving.
Eventually, the Fiber Guild changed as people moved into more specialized groups. In 1986, the name was changed from the Fiber Guild to the Prairie Weavers Association to emphasize the members’ special interest in weaving. In 1994, the name was changed again to the Prairie Weavers Guild of Springfield, Illinois, and that is how we are known today. Although our main focus is on spinning and weaving, our guild members continue to be interested in a variety of fiber arts, a tradition started by the founders of our guild so many years ago.
Interest in many crafts was revived during the 1976 Bicentennial year. The Freedom Train traveled throughout the country and wherever it would stop, people would visit the exhibits on board and see local crafts people demonstrating their crafts. Nellie Langley demonstrated quilting at the Freedom Train and went to weaving workshops at Bishop Hill for three years with Rosemary Gruendyke.
In the fall of 1976, after the visit from the Freedom Train, several local fiber artists decided to form a group to teach and support each others’ work. Everyone had a different specialty and they would meet at each others’ houses to learn from each other. These early members brought a variety of skills and interests including spinning, weaving, wool dyeing, rug hooking, quilting, basket weaving and macrame, soft sculpture with fabric and stitching, batik and embroidery. The makers with these skills called themselves the Fiber Guild.
The Fiber Guild had an exhibit of their work at the Becker Library. Members of this group also taught at the Springfield Art Association. Classes included non-loom weaving and sculptural textiles, spinning and natural dyeing, printmaking, counted thread and basket weave embroidery, loom weaving, macrame and tapestry weaving.
Eventually, the Fiber Guild changed as people moved into more specialized groups. In 1986, the name was changed from the Fiber Guild to the Prairie Weavers Association to emphasize the members’ special interest in weaving. In 1994, the name was changed again to the Prairie Weavers Guild of Springfield, Illinois, and that is how we are known today. Although our main focus is on spinning and weaving, our guild members continue to be interested in a variety of fiber arts, a tradition started by the founders of our guild so many years ago.