There’s a vibrant thrum in the Dorchester school hall where the Dorset Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers hold their monthly meeting – and it’s not just from the whirring of spinning wheels. While there are lots of spinners spinning, there are also dyers setting out their colourful wares, and knitters and felters arranging table displays. This is all accompanied by the quiet chatter of women of many generations working on projects that include bobbin lace, crochet and peg loom weaving.
The Dorset Guild was established in 1947. ‘It was as thriving then, as it is now,’ says Margaret Eaglestone, a former maths teacher and the current treasurer.
The Guild’s President, Frances Fletcher, agrees. ‘We have more than 100 members and we are seeing a lot of younger people joining. Plus, there was a general uptake after Covid.’ President since 2019, Frances used to be a childcare social worker. ‘People became more craft-orientated, and what we do very much fits with sustainability and maintaining resources.’
The Guild is delightfully old-school in terms of how it operates financially, so the legacy will make a huge difference. Membership is £20 a year, and it’s just £1 to attend their meetings, held on the last Saturday of most months.
‘We’ve been able to buy five new spinning wheels, which we hire out for £5 a month, and we’ve bought an e-spinner, for people who struggle to lift things or operate the treadle with their feet.’ A spinning wheel costs around £700, with the best coming from New Zealand and Canada. Members can also buy them second-hand. ‘We’ve also bought new looms, created bursaries enabling people to go on courses,’ says Frances. ‘And we now have the funds to invite some excellent speakers and run more workshops.’
Both women are keen spinners, although Margaret recently sold her wheel. ‘I spin for therapy,’ says Frances, ‘particularly since my husband died.’
When I ask what she does with all the wool she spins, they both laugh. ‘I’ve spun myself to a standstill,’ smiles Frances. ‘I’ve now got so much.’ She throws her arms wide. ‘So much spun wool. I could fill six big boxes.’
The oldest member of the Guild is Kath Sanderson from Portland, turning 85 in October. Kath has been teaching younger members how to spin, so I ask if I can have a go. ‘You can,’ she tells me. ‘But you’re going to find it difficult. It might look easy, but it isn’t.’ She hands me the fleece waiting to be spun, with a twinkle in her eye. I immediately go wrong, holding the fleece too tight and making the wheel go round the wrong way. ‘You need to treat it like candyfloss,’ Kath gently advises. ‘Hold it loosely in your hands – now come on you’ve got to treadle at the same time. It’s not easy, is it?
‘Wool has natural barbs that means it attaches itself to itself,’ she tells me, when I ask about the mechanics of spinning. ‘It’s nice to have imperfections in the wool you spin, because that gives it your mark.’
Kath has been spinning for over 40 years, including with the Navaho Native Americans. ‘Their wheel spinner didn’t turn up, so they asked me to spin with them. I’ve also spun with Mormons in Utah. They dressed me up for that and I spun for a group of children.’
She is also a prodigious knitter, a hobby she used to share with her husband. ‘He was the thick knitter though; I did the fine stuff. I’ve knitted shawls fine enough to pass through wedding rings. I made one for my granddaughter, she wore it when she got married and three of her children have been christened in it.’
Returning to chat to Frances and Margaret, I enquire whether there are any chaps in their cohort? ‘It’s a ratio of about two to 120!’ Margaret says. ‘Actually no, we’ve got a male weaver. Make that three to 120, including David Herring.’ She points across the hall to a man who is doing a loom demonstration. ‘David is from Frank Herring & Sons in Dorchester, a brilliant local arts and crafts shop that sells a large selection of looms and yarn. He’s most definitely part of our community.’
The average age of a Guild member is around 60. ‘It’s mostly the newly retired who join,’ says Frances. ‘Although we are welcoming people in their twenties and thirties, which is great. I’m going to be 80 this year, so it’s important that younger members are coming through who can pick up the baton.’
Looking around the hall, there’s a palpable sense of community and kinship, which is almost timeless. ‘In the past occupational therapy was all about doing crafts,’ adds Frances. ‘Men were taught to knit in hospitals. It rather died out, but now it’s coming back. The act of spinning releases serotonin, which is your feel-good factor. Anything that’s repetitive can put you into a trance-like state.’
The Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers (AGWSD) run an exhibition every two years, and the Dorset Guild always does well with its submissions. ‘Last year we sent in seven pieces, and they were all chosen,’ Frances says. ‘And one of our weavers won a prize as a new weaver. We’ve got some very skilful people in our group.’
‘As well as lots of enthusiastic novices,’ Margaret adds, with a smile. ‘Everyone is welcome here. It’s one of the best things about us.’
Would you like to learn to weave, spin, dye or felt? Guild members will be demonstrating all four disciplines as well as other activities associated with these crafts at The Dorset Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers Open Day on Saturday 28 September, 10am – 3pm at Holy Trinity Centre, Sunninghill Preparatory School, Culliford Road North, Dorchester DT1 1QG. You will be welcome to have a go at whatever catches your eye. There will also be items for sale made by their members and refreshments including homemade cakes. Entry is free and there is free parking.
For more information on the Guild and how to join visit dorsetguildwsd.org.uk or call 01747 838589
