Happy New Year!
Hope you are all dug out and warm! Mother Nature is still the Boss! I would like to recap last year as it was pretty extraordinary — to say the least.
In January we started to sort through the Lathrop studio rooms as well as the Guild room. We knew we had until April 2022 so we had time. Gayle and Sherrill took specific rooms, and the rest of us spread out and started digging in. Bonni started cataloguing books. Susan Wilsrud graciously offered to help the Guild forge a path forward — the Visioning Process began. We found a handwritten inventory of UAF looms and equipment that was dated 1991. MK Romberg did her presentation on Shave Em to save Em program. Pretty good start to the New Year.
Sorting, organizing and cleaning continued through February and March. Gayle organized the first big “Hallway Haul Away”, which was a huge success. The hallway was EMPTY and we were thrilled. It didn’t stay empty long. Shawna and Terry did a very thorough inventory of ALL looms. They also assembled looms that were apart to make sure all pieces were there — then they disassembled them and wrapped them up.
Conversations with the property manager at UAF were beginning regarding the University property.
In April we had a meeting with the landlord and asked if we could break the lease. That meeting actually went better than any of us expected, and with some negotiation, the lease was broken — we would vacate the premises September 30. This accelerated our time table!!! Mina and Bonni hosted an Alaska Tapestry study group which is ongoing and very fun!
Election of new Board members occurred in May. Bonni began talking with the Folk School about collaborating on some workshops.
Sales of yarn and looms started happening in June and continued into July. Meanwhile many of us were sorting and cleaning madly in preparation for the big move. Bonni had been in touch with TVSF and the Lions Club regarding renting space at Davis Hall on the fairgrounds. The Board voted to rent for a year and then reevaluate. We had some money in the bank from sales and felt this was a good option for us.
The Guild’s booth at the Fair was a success. Maureen’s beautiful cowl brought in a good amount of money. After the Fair we started packing up. Laurel suggested we wrap everything in cellophane- that was brilliant!
September we moved! It looked a bit scary in Davis for a bit but we have culled down some and plan to do even more.
The Intro to Weaving workshop in October was a huge success. I believe we have some new weavers in our midst. Sadly in October we said Goodbye to A Weaver’s Yarn and wished Martin and Susan all the best in their new venture.
Maureen organized a card making party at Davis Hall in November. We had a table at the Mega Bazaar at Pioneer Park and many cards sold.
I’m sure I left a few things out, but you get the general idea — we had quite the year! Here’s to the New Year and all it has to offer, Stay tuned for fun in 2022!
Cheers,
Buffy