Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild

  1. February 10, 2010
  2. 9:30 am till Noon
  2. Meeting site changed for this meeting!
  1. This Guild meeting will be held in the Simpkins Family Swim Center, Simpkins Family Swim Center, 979 17th Ave., Santa Cruz, CA; click here for website.

    Directions: Take Soquel Ave/Soquel Dr exit. to frontage road along Hwy One on the ocean side of the freeway (Soquel Ave Extension). If you are driving south on Hwy 1 you will turn left at the traffic signal at the end of the off ramp. If you are driving north on Hwy 1 you will go back over the freeway, turn left at the first traffic signal on Soquel Ave.

    Turn right onto 17th at traffic signal. Simpkins Swim Center is on the right after you cross Brommer St. and the railroad tracks. There is plenty of parking just past the building.

Bambi Jones: Navajo Weaving

Guild member Bambi Jones will present a program which will introduce us to the beautiful world of Navajo weaving. Bambi studied with Marilyn Brandon at Cabrillo College and has made several trips to Table Mesa, NM where she worked with native weaver Sarah Natani. She will bring a warp on the loom, a warp ready to put into the loom and a selection of weaving tools. She will demonstrate technique and answer questions. She will also bring a selection of both native weavings and those she has done herself. This promises to be a visual treat, and a unique opportunity to find out more about this kind of weaving.


Remember to bring sharing items and ideas for before the program. Bring your lunch to enjoy eating and talking with friends after the meeting. There is no place nearby to purchase lunch.



  1. March 10, 2010
  2. 9:30 am till Noon
  3. Aptos Village Park Meeting House, Aptos, CA

Suki Russack: Double Weave Pickup

double weave image

Although textiles have always interested me, it wasn’t until I was finishing my M.A. In Music Theory and Composition at San Francisco State College that I took a class in Surface Design in order to complete some graduation requirements. I began weaving in 2002 and in 2003 produced my first fiber art piece. However, it wasn’t until four years ago as my mother lay dying, that I was able to find my voice as an artist. I wanted to weave her shroud and capture her body image on a textile that would carry her essence beyond the cold fact of her death. This became the beginning of my exploration of the feminine form as a vehicle for my own spiritual growth. I consider my work to be a pictorial autobiography with images of women both personal and archetypal.

In producing my work, I use a process called double weave pick-up in which I weave two layers of fabric at the same time. The layers are of very different weights. One is tightly woven and made of heavy linen thread.The second layer is transparent and is woven from very fine, thread. To produce the body image on the heavy linen threads, I use small iron ingots to rust the lines of the image using a pencil drawing as a guide. Than I paint onto the threads using fiber reactive dye and discharge. The process of weaving these two disparate layers together to form one image is very slow and labor intensive. I find that as the weaving progresses, one weft shot at a time, the feelings that were the original impulse for the image become, with time, clearer and more defined.

With photographs and examples of my work, I will show the step by step process that I use to produce these images.


Remember to bring sharing items and ideas for before the program. Bring your lunch to enjoy eating and talking with friends after the meeting. There are picnic tables and a beautiful setting just outside the meeting room at Aptos Village Park.





Directions to Aptos Village Park

Map to Aptos Village Park meeting site

Take the State Park Drive exit off Highway 1 (the same one we have been taking for years to go to the Aptos Library). Instead of turning left at the intersection with Soquel Drive, turn right. Drive past the shopping area and over the bridge. Make a left turn in front of the Aptos Village Garage. Watch out for approaching traffic as the road curves slightly here. Turn left again IMMEDIATELY, after you cross the railroad tracks. Follow the road until you come to the parking area and club house.

Study Group Meetings:

Shuttle Throwers, Wednesday the week following Guild meeting; meet at Fresh Choice in Capitola at 11:45 am. Contact Shuttle Throwers for information. This group shares ongoing projects, mostly those woven on a harness loom. New members are welcome.

Rug Weavers Study Group meets periodically at members' homes. Contact Martha Stanley or Janette Gross for information.

Braiders Study Group meets once a month, usually the fourth Wednesday. All weavers of narrow ware, at any level of experience, are welcome. Contact Nora Rogers for Study Group information. New members are welcome.

Dyers Study Group meets periodically at members' homes. Contact Dyers for information.

Spinners, At present we do not have a spinning Study Group. We recommend Anne's Web which meets in Salinas monthly. Members meet the second Saturday of each month from 10am til 2pm at the Buena Vista Grange Hall, 518 River Road. Each meeting includes a pot luck lunch, a show-and-tell opportunity, any announcements anyone cares to make, and the rest of the time is spent doing whatever each member cares to do. There are no officers, and no rules, other than courtesy. Dues are $12 a year. Members receive a monthly newsletter and a roster. Visitors and newcomers are welcome. Contact: Gerry Wade, Newsletter Editor.
Directions: From Hwy 1 and Hwy 101, take Hwy 68 to Reservation/River Rd., Salinas. Turn east on River Rd., proceed 5 miles to old gray church on right, 518 River Rd.



close up image of a triple weave band from Bolivia

Triple-weave band from Bolivia


If you wish a copy of our current Newsletter, contact our editor.

If you wish information about joining the Handweavers Guild, click on "Who We Are"


Weaving Supplies in Santa Cruz

Golden Fleece at 317 Potrero Street, Santa Cruz, 831-426-1425.

Mostly knitting yarns, but wonderful variety. The Swift Stitch , 402 Ingalls St. #12, Santa Cruz, 831-427-9276. 10% discount to Guild members.



Thank you Cruzio for sponsoring this web site.