Tapestry of love

The Palouse Hills Weavers Guild has persisted for 70 years, and it’s probably safe to say the challenging nature of the craft is one reason why.

Its approximately 40 members share expertise, equipment, even yarn, as they support one another in pursuit of an ancient art.


Guild President Jennifer Bogut, of Moscow, said even if she’d started as a child, “I don’t think I could learn everything there is to learn about weaving in a lifetime.”

Members’ $40 annual dues grant them borrowing rights for equipment such as portable looms and access to an extensive library of books. But more than anything, the guild brings weavers into community, matching newcomers with mentors and providing the opportunity for craftspeople from throughout the region to learn together.

“We have lots of people who are very good teachers, if anyone is looking for a teacher,” Bogut said.

Among the guild’s activities are shows and demonstrations like its 70th Anniversary Show & Sale that continues through Sunday at Artisans at the Dahmen Barn, 419 N. Park Way, in Uniontown. Visitors can see examples of and, in some cases purchase, guild members’ work.

The anniversary celebration continues in December with a show and sale at The Yarn Underground in Moscow, starting with a reception from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 1 at the store, 409 S. Washington St., during which guild members will discuss their pieces and talk about how they got into weaving.

The sale at the Underground, through Dec. 22, will include items that make good Christmas gifts, such as kitchen towels, placemats, table runners and scarves, said guild member Jan Keller, who is helping organize the event.

Learning to create those kinds of pieces wasn’t something she could have done without personalized guidance, Bogut said.

She joined the guild two years ago, a month into her weaving journey. A friend on the fiber crafts website Ravelry had prompted her to try weaving when she learned Bogut raised Icelandic and other fiber sheep on her farm, Blaine Fleece and Fiber.

Her first project, kitchen towels, was with wool from her flock. Her latest projects are tartans, inspired by her Scottish heritage, including a great-great-grandfather who immigrated from Scotland.

“I learned how to knit through YouTube videos, but weaving is different,” said, noting the equipment was completely unlike anything she’d used before.

She bought a loom in 2018, but didn’t do anything with it until 2021, when she worked via Zoom with a friend in western Washington.

“Having somebody there, that’s what I needed to learn how to weave,” she said.
Guild members don’t weave at meetings — transporting looms would be unwieldy or impossible — but they discuss projects, troubleshoot problems and connect with others who can offer in-person, hands-on help.

And weaving isn’t the only craft the group supports.

“We really embrace all of the fiber crafts: knitting and crocheting, dying yarn and fiber,  spinning, weaving — anything that has anything to do with fiber,” Bogut said.

Mary Lutz, of Pullman, started weaving after she moved to the Palouse in 1995 to help care for her mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease. An acquaintance invited her to get away for a bit at a weaving retreat, “and then I fell down a rabbit hole from there,” Lutz said.

She began by purchasing a simple loom from another member, then took classes, attended conferences and eventually graduated to more sophisticated looms.
And she got “lots of help” from the group.

“The guild members are very generous with their time and with their yarn,” Lutz said.
Her projects include gifts and occasional pieces for sale.

“I’ve done a lot of really pretty towels for wedding presents and scarves for family members,” she said. “It’s become kind of a thing — when you get married you get Aunt Mary’s towels. I think people appreciate getting something (from someone) that was made with their own hands, with love.”

She also makes dolls, weaving tubes instead of flat cloth for the arms, legs and bodies. One such creation, a two-sided doll named Garbanzo (a boy) and Garbanza (a girl) because it’s weighted with garbanzo beans in his/her bottom for balance, is on display at the Dahmen Barn.


Some guild members are needleworkers who weave yardage they then sew into clothing, including one who crafted a wedding dress.

“Those become heirloom pieces,” Lutz said.

Looms vary in price from about $200 for a small tabletop loom to more than $8,500 for a large floor loom, Lutz said. There are even looms that connect to a weaver’s computer to help with the design phase of a project.

“We very much encourage people to make sure their partners have just as expensive a hobby,” she said, only half jokingly.

Anyone interested in more information, or in joining, can follow the guild on instagram @palousehillsweaversguild oron Facebook, or can email PalouseHillsWG1@gmail.com.

Stone (she/her) can be contacted at mstone@inland360.com.