Founded 1938
Welcome to our community of weavers, fiber artists, and textile enthusiasts. Whether you are an experienced artisan or just beginning your weaving journey, we are delighted to have you here. Our group celebrates the rich traditions and creative possibilities of weaving through learning, sharing, and inspiration. Together, we explore techniques, exchange ideas, encourage one another, and preserve the artistry of handwoven textiles. We invite you to connect with fellow weavers, participate in our events and workshops, and discover the joy of creating beautiful work with fiber and thread.
We meet on the second Thursday of the month and try to have an equal number of day and night meetings. Our programs, workshop and meeting information is below. We do not meet during June, July and August.
May your creativity flourish and your weaving journey be filled with friendship, learning, and inspiration.
2026-2027 Membership Dues - $40
Partial payment of $20 is only from January to May.
San Antonio Handweavers Guild Library
San Antonio Handweavers Guild
Founded in 1938
The San Antonio Handweavers Guild consists of individuals who exhibit a wide range of interest and expertise in the fiber arts, weaving, spinners, basket makers, dyers, and other artists. With minor exceptions, we meet the second Thursday September - May at the Colonial Hills United Methodist Church in the Life Building (entrance is behind the building). We try to have equal day and night meetings. Mornings meetings start at 9:30 and evenings at 6:30. We have a social time 30 minutes prior to live meetings.
The Guild publishes a monthly newsletter between September and May via e-mail which contains a calendar of events classifieds, meeting minutes and other information of importance to our members.
Meetings are open and visitors are welcome. Upon your second visit, membership is encouraged. Dues are $40 per year. Please contact us for more information.
Programs
September 10
Social 6:00 pm
The Alamo Project
Guild Contribution to the Alamo
Long Barrack
by
Vincent Yannicellie
Michael Well
Using our Technology
Groups IO
Website
Library Thing
Rasa Silenas
Ann Nurre
Donna Vaughan
Programs Jacqui Peace
2026-2027
Meeting Information
Information Coming Soon
September 10
6:00 Social
6:30 Meeting
Alamo Project - Guild Contribution to the Long Barrack
Training for Website, Groups.IO and Library Thing
October 8
9:30 Social
10:00 Meeting
Maribeth Peller
Ulos traditional weaving of Batak Tribes in Nothern Sumatra, Indonesia
November 12
6:00 Social
6:30 Meeting
Lynn Smetko
Design Deliberations in Weaving
December 10
10:00
Join us for our annual December Luncheon. We will have Cava cater us again. If you would like to join us for a gift exchange, please bring a fiber related item. Rules will be explained!
Janaury 14
6:00 Social
6:30 Meeting
Stay Tuned........
February 11
9:30 Social
10:00 Meeting
Martha Town
Combinations: Designing with Twill Structures
March 11
9:30 Social
10:00 Meeting
Tracy Kaestner
Textile Travels to India and Uzbekestan
April 8
6:00 Social
6:30 Meeting
Stay tuned......
May 13
6:00 Social
6:30 Meeting
Year end garage sale, potluck and installation of officers.
Meeting Information
Each meeting includes our “Hands Are the Exit of the Spirit” (Show-and-Tell) time. Bring and share your projects and interests. Seeing work that others have done sparks or renews inspiration. Hearing and seeing other members provide wonderful learning experiences for all.
Time & Format
AM / LIVE: Social begins at 9:30 am, Meeting begins at 10; Speaker is present at CHUMC.
AM / ZOOM: ZOOM Room opens at 9:50; Meeting begins at 10:00; Speaker joins us by ZOOM Meeting
PM / LIVE: Doors open 6 pm; Meeting begins at 6:30 pm; Speaker is present at CHUMC
PM / ZOOM: ZOOM Room opens at 6:20 pm; Meeting begins at 6:30 pm; Speaker joins us by ZOOM Meeting
Important Information
IN PERSON meeting attendance does not require registration.
To attend by ZOOM, you must register IN ADVANCE using the info provided in the monthly newsletter.
Guests are always welcome but should contact SAHG prior to the event date for current meeting info.
General Information & Location
-
Live Meetings - Light refreshments served during the gathering time. Meeting is called to order (10:00 am or 6:30 pm) by the President. The Guest Speaker’s presentation begins at shortly thereafter (10:00 am or 6:30 pm), followed by SAHG business meeting and our “Hands are the Exit of the Spirit” sharing time. ZOOM option info is published in the newsletter at the beginning of the month.
-
Zoom Meetings -ZOOM rooms open 10 minutes prior to start. Meeting is called to order (9:50 am or 6:30 pm) by the President. The Guest Speaker’s presentation at begins at shortly thereafter (9:50 am or 6:30 pm), followed by SAHG business meeting and our “Hands are the Exit of the Spirit” sharing time.
-
ZOOM Meeting info is provided in the monthly newsletter prior to the meeting.
Can I join a LIVE meeting by ZOOM? Will ZOOM presentations be broadcast into the CHUMC meeting room?
This is a work in progress. We are entering the third year of COVID-19 disruptions and adjustments. This year we return to meeting “Live” more often versus the last 2 years of “ZOOM Only”.
Our current best advice - Check your email and newsletter for updates regarding the most current info regarding virtual access to meetings. Each meeting will have its own requirements and we are learning about this technology as we encounter new situations.
SAHG will strive to make content available to its members while crossing our fingers that we have minimal Technical Difficulties. Your patience is appreciated.
Workshops
2026-2027
Kiss-Lock Frame Purse
Rasa Silenas
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Follow-up Sessions
Saturday and Sunday
October 11 and 12
The Many Seasons of Summr and Winter
Lynn Smetko
November
8:30 to 4:30
Colonial Hills United Methodist Church
Click here to Pay - Not Active Yet
Summer and winter is ideal for weaving graphic designs due to its shaft-efficiency. Over two days we will explore various methods of working and designing with this versatile double two-tie structure on the same threading.
-
Monochrome — one pattern weft, in four variations
-
Polychrome "on opposites" - two pattern wefts
-
Polychrome “not on opposites” — two and three pattern wefts
-
Blending pattern weft colors
-
Taqueté (summer and winter without tabby)
EXPERIENCE / PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - This class is for advanced beginners and beyond. Participants must be comfortable reading a draft, setting up their loom and brave enough to juggle shuttles. Everyone will bring a pre-warped loom based on instructions provided for the type of loom that they will be using.
ENROLLMENT LIMIT - 16 Students
STUDENT SUPPLY LIST
*Pre-warped loom per instructor
*Weft as specified by the instructor
*At least 3 shuttles
*Scissors
STUDENT EQUIPMENT LIST: Minimum 8 shaft loom, can be up to 16 shaft table or floor loom.
STUDENT FEES: $205.00 for two workshop days, 8:30 to 4:30 A $25.00 supply fee for an 80 page color handout with drafts.
Lynn Smetko enjoys the design phase of weaving the most, using photo-editing and weaving software to achieve her goals. She loves pushing the limits of her computer-assisted loom, and together they have created many award-winning works. Lynn is a two-time past president of the FWWG, a past president Complex Weavers, a past editor of the Complex Weavers Journal, and a judge for Complex Weaver’s 2026 biennial exhibit, Complexity. She loves sharing with other weavers, and has presented weaving programs on design and structure at CW Seminars and for many state and local guilds. Her articles and works have appeared in the CW Journal, Eight Shafts: Beyond the Beginning, Weavers, and other publications.
Kiss-Lock Frame Purse
Rasa Silenas
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Follow-up Sessions
Saturday and Sunday
October 11 and 12
Supply fee includes the purse frame
Learn how to make a small purse with a kiss-lock frame. The frame will be attached to fabric by sewing, but alternative attachment with glue will be discussed.
There will be a one hour presentation before the SAHG meeting on October 9, followed by Zoom discussions on Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, with a live final session, time and place TBD. Sewing will be done at home so there is no need to haul a sewing machine to class.
Fabric guidelines and a supply list will be provided to participants prior to the class.
Honeycomb Weaves
Trish Ashton
Thursday, January 8, 2026
After the morning meeting
Weaving is usually a rectilinear system with the warp at right angles to the weft. Honeycomb is an interesting weave effect because it transcends this typical grid, creating wavy lines and circular cells with three-dimensional depth. As you will learn in this class, a range of threadings and fibers can be used to create this honeycomb effect. You will first learn how honeycomb works and how to weave it as a possible decorative effect for clothing, a sturdy fabric for bags and upholstery, and even as a border treatment for table runners and placemats. Honeycomb lends itself to a lot of experimentation, and after class you will want to play with tie-up and treadling variations and yarns of different fiber content, weights, and colors. Your yarn stash can be a great resource as you try out thick yarns to outline honeycomb cells and thinner weights for adding color and depth to these same cells. Trish will provide printed drafts and handouts and will have one or two looms threaded for you to try. She will also show us her great collection of honeycomb samples.
Cutting Loose with Tied Weaves
Robyn Spady
Thursday – Saturday
February 12 – 14, 2026
$275 (includes $15 supply fee)
Includes the $15 supply fee.
Tied weaves are a whole group of different ways to create patterned fabrics with floats of limited lengths. Just one threading can provide a multitude of different treadling options – from singles and pairs to Dukagang and taqueté. In this workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of tied weaves and explore a wide variety of treadling techniques to create different results. For weavers interested in understanding terms like summer and winter, single two-tie, taqueté, samitum, and exploring Quigley or Bergman tied weaves, then this workshop is for them! Four-shaft loom minimum; eight shafts recommended. (Note: This is not a round-robin workshop.)
Inkle Weaving
Jean Lewis and Deborah Harrison
Thursday – Friday,
March 12 – 13, 2026
The term "inkle" means "ribbon" or "tape" and refers to any warp-faced, plain weave, highly patterned woven band that could have been made on a variety of looms. The production of beautiful, decorative bands has become a popular form of weaving today. Inkle weaving was brought to the United States in the 1930s but predates this by many centuries in other countries. These bands are used for trims, straps, and belts, or they can be sewn together to form wider fabrics. In this course, students will learn the basics of designing, threading, and weaving these bands on a simple and portable inkle loom. Looms will be available to borrow or buy at a discount, or students may bring their own.
The inkle loom is a charming little loom. It's a wooden frame with no moving parts, yet because of its ingenious design, it makes clear weaving sheds using nothing but the human hand! All manner of narrow bands can be made on the inkle loom, from camera straps to bookmarks, dog leases to lanyards.
Meeting Location
Our live meetings are held at the Colonial Hills United Methodist Church in their Life Building at 5247 Vance Jackson outside Loop 410. The entrance is located on the opposite side of the entrance. We have greeters at the doors until business meeting begins.
Spinning Group
Spinners meet the third Saturday. They meet at Yarnivore which is located at 2357 NW Military Highway, San Antonio. The group does not teach spinning, but if you are having difficulty, they will be glad to help problem solve. If you want to just come and visit or knit or work on projects, all are welcome.
Not available on a smart phone.