About SWA
SWA History
The Spinning & Weaving Association began in 2001 when Jane Patrick of Schacht Spindle Co. and Marilyn Murphy of Interweave Press, Inc., sent a survey to key players in the spinning and weaving industry asking for ideas to strengthen the marketplace. The overwhelming response to the survey suggested it was time to reestablish a trade association. (A spinning and weaving trade association had been established in the eighties and dissolved in the early nineties.)
A one-day retreat was planned before Convergence 2002 in Vancouver. About twenty-five people met to discuss the possibility of establishing an organization and to determine its goals, funding mechanisms, and structure. Through conference calls and e-mails, the skeleton of an organization was formed.
The active participants decided to test market the organization at The National Needlearts Association trade show in June 2002. TNNA was chosen as a test venue because it is a large gathering of people who are aligned with the goals of our market but are not fully in it. The organizers hosted an educational booth and taught classes in spinning, weaving, and business. Based on the positive response, SWA continues to move forward by participating in trade shows such as TNNA as well as consumer shows such as Stitches and Convergence.
In 2005, SWA incorporated in the state of Colorado, created mission and purpose statements, and started recruiting dues-paying members.
In 2006, SWA had a booth at Convergence in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and hosted inaugural Business-to-Business sessions giving spinning and weaving retail businesses a chance to connect with wholesalers on the market floor at Convergence. The organization also launched its informative newsletter, News You Can Use, and elected its first Governing Board.
In 2007, SWA is working to strengthen National Spinning and Weaving Week and reach out to consumers. We are hosting booths at Stitches East and West under the theme of “Spin it! Weave it! You can do it!,” a new spin on the traditional sheep-to-shawl event. The booths will have faux sheep shearing, and spinning and weaving demonstrations. We are encouraging all our members to host a similar themed event during Spinning and Weaving Week.
We also designed a how-to-get-started weaving brochure and updated our membership directory to distribute at all our events. The board is exploring the possibility of hiring a firm to conduct a market survey to obtain hard data on the scope of our market.
Join us! Together we can grow.
^ top
Photo: Joe Coca