Best Practices / Standards

The Guild no longer has a Standards Committee but members might still find the evaluation criteria useful for their own improvement.

Weaving - evaluation criteria

  1. Quality of materials used
  2. Technical execution – for example:
    1. correctness of threading
    2. good edges
    3. even beating
    4. absence of skips
    5. no knots in warp
    6. joins in wefts must be made at the edges and neatly clipped
    7. handsewing or knotting of fringe should be even taking up a few warp threads at a time and the same number of threads each time
    8. twisted fringe should be same length and consistent all across
  3. Suitability of fibre, design and technique
  4. Effectiveness of colours and colour combinations
  5. Proportion and over-all design
  6. Finishes and finishing techniques appropriate to the article
  7. Items submitted as a set must be designed as such

Spinning - evaluation criteria for skeins:

  1. Fibre preparation (washing, carding, spinning, plying)
  2. Spinning technique; woollen, worsted, semi-worsted, novelty
  3. Uniformity of spinning: consistency, textural control, design fellow-through
  4. Diameter of yarn(s): singles, plies, textural
  5. Suitability of chosen fibres to stated end use (e.g. Merino for apparel not upholstery)
  6. Suitability of mixing, plying or blending of differing fibres to end product usage
  7. Yarn Finishing: twist set, washing & rinsing, fulling or felting

Evaluation criteria for articles using handspun:

  1. Suitability of fibre for purpose, eg. coarse, hairy yams generally reserved for outer wear.
  2. Handspun yarn, especially textured and novelties, should be suited to stitch pattern and needle size used
  3. Handspun yams must be durable, maintain shape and drape of the article
  4. When used in combination with commercial yarns, handspun should be compatible and enhance product. When mixing handspun and commercial yarn, handspun should comprise at least 50% of the article
  5. Commercial findings (buttons, zippers, etc) should be appropriate to product
  6. Direction of twist should be suited to technique chosen

Atlantic Spinners and Handweavers

c/o 1747 Summer Street, Halifax, NS B3H 3A6

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software