The Weavers Guild of Minnesota has a large collection of woven swatches, culled from a number of resources and collected over the course of the Guild’s nearly 80-year existence. Located in the spinning and main floor loom classrooms, these swatches are available to members and the general public to study and peruse on site during Guild open hours (Monday through Saturday, 10am-5pm).
For those who are new to swatch collections, a swatch is a sample of woven fabric accompanied by a record sheet showing how the loom was threaded (the draft) and how the pattern was woven (the treadling). A complete record sheet will also say what yarns and how much yardage of them was used, how closely the yarns were compressed in the warping (the sett), whether the sample shrank when washed, and what the project was intended to be. Swing by the Guild to browse the collection of over 200 swatches, catalogued by weave structure, and find inspiration for your next project.
