Hear ye, Hear ye

Bear with me as this is going to be a bit of a lengthy post.  I will keep it as condensed as possible but I am trying to share some of what would have been presented during the business part of our January meeting (had it not been for our seventh snowstorm).

Come April, NOBO Handweavers will be 3 years old!  Hooray!  This is quite an accomplishment.  And in April we will celebrate!  However, before then, we have some work to do to insure the continuance of our guild.  During our March meeting, we need to be able to know who the new officers will be for our April 2011-March 2012 guild year.  We do have a Nominating Committee – Betsy, Patricia, and Margaret.

Please come forth to be considered for filling a position.  Every member of our guild is highly valued and has much to offer.  You do not need several years of weaving behind you to successfully hold a “court” position.  These positions, though having basic responsibilities, are flexible and you may certainly put your own signature on them. Approach the position of an officer as you approach your loom – determined, enthusiastic, creatively.   That is the fun part.  There are no shoes to fill.  What is best is a change of guard, offering different ways and views.  Design a position if you see something is missing.  Eileen made a terrific suggestion – consider sharing an office with someone.  For example, Lady/Sir NOBO and Lady/Sir Heddle could alternate the running of meetings, more of a co-presidency.  We all have varied strengths beyond our strong, communal love for weaving.  I have seen them first hand during many a guild meeting.  Everyone is more than capable.  A guild needs the active participation of all members for it to stay strong and especially for it to grow.

The following is the list of open positions.  The least number of members to fill each position is in parentheses.   Please email me with your interest.  A sign-up sheet will also be circulated during the February meeting.  Then between February and March, the Nominating Committee will meet.  We will present our new officers during the March meeting.  The April meeting will be the first of their “reign”.

Lady/Sir NOBO (1) Head of guild

Lady/Sir Heddle (1) Second in command

Ladies/Sirs of the Draft (3) Program Planners, deciding upon a program for each meeting.

Scribe (1) Secretarial duties, such as minute taking and posting on site

Shepherdess/Shepherd (1) Introducing and keeping track of new members

Town Crier (1) Posting/Emailing relevant guild info, such as meeting reminders

Keeper of the Written Word (1) – Librarian

Lady/Sir Calendar (1) – Posting guild/fiber events on NOBO’s site calendar

Victular (1) – Food coordinator

Organizing Chancellor (1) – Responsible for overseeing/directing NOBO Handweavers’ involvement with events, Fiber Revival for example

Vicki, our Exchequer, is willing to stay on, thank goodness, as she brilliantly keeps track of our gold coins  (Thank you!).  Ted, our ever-so-patient In-House Royal Scribe, has also agreed to put up with all of our web/computer questions for another year (Thank you!).  Dave, our Roving Royal Scribe, is sticking with us and will continue to masterly master our website (Thank you!).

The Ladies of the Warp and Weft and Lady NOBO have started work on the Path of Enlightenment, also known as the Levels of Achievement in Weaving – Apprentice, Journeywoman/man, and Master.  This is a long-term endeavor.  I would like to continue with this at the appropriate time (we got slightly delayed by something absolutely wonderful, the birth of Sir Benjamin!)  If Mary and Melissa would like to continue on as well, that would be grand.  If anyone else is interested, please let me know.  A complete change of faces on this doesn’t make sense as we have time invested in some grand ideas (if I may say so).  A few more members participating would be welcomed but at the least, we need 3 people to work on this.

The April meeting will be our birthday party and the May meeting has already been taken care of by the present program planners – a visit with fiber artist Judith Shangold.  New Ladies/Sirs of the Draft will need to figure out programs starting with the June meeting.

Take some time to seriously consider participating in an office for the upcoming guild year.  I understand we are all very busy and who needs another commitment, right?  But there are ways to work together to make this work for you.  Don’t hesitate to approach me with any ideas or questions you may have.

The February 24^th meeting will be “Weaving Wearables”.  “Marketing – How to Sell” will be shelved, possibly to reappear another time.

See you next month!