Greensburg, PA -- Looms and spinning wheels will soon be inside the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library as members of the Loyalhannon Spinners Guild demonstrate the art of working with fiber and display some of their finished works, including shawls made with hand-spun fiber, a hand-painted warp scarf, and hand-spun yarn. Also on display will be raw fleece and tools used to get wool ready for spinning.
The show opens on Saturday, October 19 and runs through Thursday, November 14 during regular library hours. The live demonstrations of spinning and weaving will take place on Saturday October 26, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Loyalhannon Spinners Guild has been in existence for more than 20 years and is open to anyone interested in spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, crocheting, rug hooking, basket weaving, and other forms of fiber arts. Guild members also are interested in preparing fibers for use, including steps that involve shearing sheep and dying the wool.
One guild member whose works will be on display, Jeanne Siecinski, got interested in fiber arts 35 years ago when her husband bought her a loom for Christmas. Backed by some lessons and a knowledge of crocheting, she has continued the hobby and, when she retired five years ago, she bought an even bigger loom. For material, she uses mostly alpaca, but also jute and cotton in her work.
The fiber arts show and demonstration are presented as part of the Greensburg Art Center’s “Picture This” outreach program. It is free and open to the public.
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The Greensburg Art Center is open to all accomplished and aspiring artists. It offers classes in a wide variety of mediums, special workshops, exhibits, and museum tours. In addition to the Center’s gallery space, it offers a lending library of art books, an outdoor sculpture garden, and a gift shop of handmade art works. One of the Greensburg Art Center’s ongoing public outreach efforts is “Picture This,” a series of local artist exhibits at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library. For more information, www.greensburgartcenter.org.
The Greensburg Hempfield Area Library offers not only books and e-books, but also a wide range of programs for children, teens, and adults, including story time, yoga classes, and help with computer basics. It is located at 237 South Pennsylvania Avenue (across from the U.S. Post Office) in Greensburg. For more information, www.ghal.org.
