SAORI Weaving is alive and well at Semiahmoo House. The Weaving class in the Personal Development department has been running for a year now. We bought our looms and supplies last fall with money we received from two grants. The weavers have created many metres of fabric and have lots of projects on the go. Have a look at the video that was made by Westminster Savings to illustrate the results of their grant to us. (If you have difficulty accessing the video, you can cut and paste this link into your browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSsmPiuooaM.)
This last semester a volunteer class has been taking the two portable looms into the community. They go to Morgan Place care home every Friday morning and assist residents there to weave. The program has been very well received and the class will continue to go there in this new semester. It has become a wonderful opportunity to share our good fortune.
The weavers sold several items they had on display at the Inclusion BC Art Show and Sale in Vancouver at the end of October. Staff had sewn several items from fabrics woven in the weaving classes. Some of the fabrics were woven in group projects and some were woven by Denh Hua and Enrique Guzman-Iraheta. Both Denh and Enrique attended the art show and did a weaving demonstration on the two portable looms.
In this fall semester, a Weaving class combined with the Sewing class to form a Fiber Arts group. The intention is to have class members weave fabrics and then sew them into items that can be sold.
The Handpicked Home, a local White Rock business, has reached out the weavers. Piya Sandhu, Owner and Chief Curator, has invited them to have items for sale in her shop as well as to do a weaving demonstration there. The plans are still in the works. It is likely the weaving demonstration will be in November. We’ll keep you posted.
The looms are a great asset to the PD program. They are opening up opportunities for people to be successful at doing something they’ve never had a chance to try before. We plan to continue to expand the program by training new facilitators and by becoming self-supporting. The goal will be that anyone who has a desire, can have an opportunity to enjoy this truly rewarding experience.
By Sue Forster, Semiahmoo House Society
Semiahmoo House Society, a non-profit organization located in Surrey/White Rock, exists to provide quality services and supports to people with disabilities and their families in the community. The Semiahmoo Foundation exists to fund, support and enhance the programs and services delivered by Semiahmoo House Society.