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History
The Lakeshore Weaver’s Guild celebrated its' 45th anniversary in 2008 and is one of the oldest guilds in continuous operation in the Province of Quebec. It was founded in 1963 when Marie Rankin and Clara Sky placed an advertisement in the then local newspaper, Lakeshore News, looking for others with whom to share their enthusiasm. Starting with just thirteen members, the guild moved into the basement of the new Pointe-Claire Cultural Center, Stewart Hall, in 1967, where it is still located to this day, and quickly grew into a vibrant and active weaving and spinning studio boasting a 100-inch loom for blankets, coverlets and tablecloths, a 45-inch counterbalance loom and 3 jack looms. Its’ members are well known for producing beautiful textiles and hand-woven crafts which are sold at the yearly Salon des Artisans.
Weavers from this guild were instrumental in the creation of the Association des Tisserands du Québec which is active today with eleven guilds throughout the province.
The guild meets on the second Thursday evening of the month (Sept-June) for group meetings, "show & tell", problem solving and guest speakers on fiber subjects. Once or twice a year one-day workshops with formal instruction are organized for the members. And once a month, usually on a Sunday afternoon, the guild spinners get together to help each other and new members with hand-spinning of wool and natural fibers.
Always innovative and forward-thinking, today’s guild members are striving to promote complex weaving which uses multi-shaft looms and computers for design and operation. This area promises to increase the attractiveness of weaving for younger people and makes weaving as a textile art form possible with intricate design for those interested in the technical aspects of hand-weaving. The guild has recently purchased a 12-shaft 60” Clement loom for this purpose and is most thankful to the City of Pointe-Claire for the funds and support towards this latest acquisition.
Over the years The Lakeshore Weavers Guild has invited world-famous weavers, fiber-artists and teachers such as Peter Collingwood, Ted Carson, Nell Znamierovsky and Louise Bérubé to conduct workshops for the membership. The guild room boasts an extensive library that is maintained and improved by regular fund-raising efforts.
The guild and its members participate in all Open Houses, Cultural "Rendez-Vous", and Museum Days held at Stewart Hall. The doors are always open to the community for demonstrations and teachings to promote hand spinning and weaving as heritage crafts. Our ‘Introduction to Weaving’ workshops are well attended and a popular event at the community center.
Recycling has been an integral part of the heritage of weaving, and with particular relevance today. A large part of our weaving activity involves the use of recycled material, e.g. in rag rugs and catalognes. Our weavers are even offering attractive tote bags woven from recycled grocery bags to promote recycling as a critically important environmental initiative and these are available at the yearly Salon des Artisan event at Stewart Hall.
We promote and maintain the knowledge and practice of hand weaving through access to studio looms, library, and hands-on instruction by experienced weavers.