Arachne's Web Lace Guild

Heraldry
Sable, a spiderweb argent (SCA-wide)
Information
Founded: 03/1978

The Order of Arachne's Web is a guild dedicated to the study, teaching and creation of lace. Keeping this unique fiber art alive through research, instruction and production of lace using forms within the SCA’s historical period and beyond.

Newsletter

The guild newsletter is Bobbin and Weavin' and is published as we get enough material.

It contains the minutes and reports from the guild meetings, officier information, and patterns, photos, and other items pertaining to lace making.

Issues

• #1 September 2018
• #2 December 2018

Guild Origins

The Order of Arachne's Web was initially founded in March 1978 in the Kingdom of the West by Lady Galina de Keri as a guild for fiber arts, particularly spinning. The order is Society wide with branches in several kingdoms. This Guild is separate from the West Kingdom's Needleworkers Guild, which was started in 1970 and chartered in 1983.

Currently in Caid, there are various regional groups dedicated to the study and creation of a variety of Fiber Arts.

History in Caid

Caid's first Arachne's Web Guild was founded in 1985. The first and only guildmistress was Baroness Cynthia de Wickersham. The guild was dissolved sometime after June 2012.

On July 11, 2018 Dame Lynnette de Sandoval del Valle de los Unicornios put out a call to restart Caid's branch of Arachne's Web. More info can be found on Facebook at "Caid Arachne's Web".

Guild Structure

Guild Officers

• Guildmistress (Acting): Lynnette de Sandoval del Valle de los Unicornios, Acting: 7/11/2018 to 10/1/2018, Guildmistress 10/2/2018 to current
• Chronicler: Maile Fergusson, 7/13/2018 to current
• Librarian: Anne FitzAlan of Castle Combe, 9/15/2018 to current
• Webwright (Acting): Lynnette de Sandoval del Valle de los Unicornios, 9/15/2018 to current

Orb (local group)

• Altavia: Renata Kestryl of Highwynds, 9/15/2018 to current
• Calafia: Thea Gabrielle Northernridge, 9/17/2018 to current
• Gyldenholt: Ursella of Rowantree, 9/15/2018
• Naevehjem: Eularia d'Amboise, 9/15/2018 to current
• Starkhafn: Susan of the Golden Heart and Alpha Luerann Damask, 8/7/2018 to current

Guild Rankings

In general, membership in Caid’s Order of Arachne’s Web is open to all, regardless of age or skill level. There are no dues. A guild badge with embellishments will be given to members who participate in the guild through service (officers, teachers, researchers, etc.) and/or the completion of various achievements as specified.

The guild’s overall purpose is to foster the art of lacemaking. However, to accommodate those who enjoy having an incentive to learn new lace techniques and increase their skills, the guild provides the following ranking structure:

Guild medallions L to R: Member / Lace Apprentice, Lacemaker, Lacemaker with black felt background, Guildmistress/Guildmaster. Members are also encouraged to make their own web medallions.

Member or Lace Apprentice

Requirements

• The only requirement is an interest in lace and lace making and participation in the guild.

Badge

• The badge is a silver spider’s web on a black background.

Lacemaker

Requirements

• The candidate will provide two lacework pieces that display an adequate understanding of the techniques.

Badge

• More details in charter
• A silver spider is added to the web.

Lacemistress / Lacemaster

Requirements

• Know how to do at least four forms of lacework, or four different styles of one form of lacework well and can produce excellent pieces in two of them.
• Know the difference between SCA period and post-period techniques and tools.
• More details in charter

Badge

• The badge may be given a border of (or be trimmed, or set in) blue.

Guild Events

Upcoming

• January 5, 2019 12th Night/Coronation in Lyondemere: We will be formally chartered as a Kingdom guild at the final court of TRMs Agrippa III and Dawid and will hold our 1st quarter guild meeting during lunch.

Previous

• September 15, 2018: The 1st official meeting of the restarted guild will be held at Fall Crown Tournament in Altavia. (Location: Veteran's Park, 13000 Sayre Street, Sylmar, CA 91342.)

Guild Charter

CHARTER for the Kingdom of Caid’s ORDER OF ARACHNE’S WEB (approved 10/1/2018)
A Guild Dedicated to the Study, Teaching and Creation of Lace

Mission Statement

The Order of Arachne's Web is a Society-wide lace guild dedicated to keeping this unique fiber art alive through research, instruction and production of lace using forms within the SCA’s historical period and beyond. To that end, we in the Caid branch pledge to:

• Provide instruction in lacemaking to all who are interested
• Encourage and share research and documentation about lacemaking
• Support lacemakers within the Kingdom of Caid
• Train judges for Kingdom-wide lacemaking events
• Provide a bridge between past and future lacemakers

Lace Forms

The Order of Arachne’s Web defines forms of lace based on techniques rather than specific styles or patterns. To broaden options for both techniques and areas of study, the Order includes a variety of handmade lace forms that existed during and after the SCA’s historical period, such as:

• BOBBIN LACE: Plaiting and interlacing several pairs of threads.
• CROCHET LACE: Creating openwork fabric, including filet crochet.
• EMBROIDERED LACE: Creating reinforced holes in a base fabric, including but not limited to cutwork, drawn work, pulled work and hardanger.
• KNITTED LACE: Using knitting techniques to create openwork fabric.
• MACRAME: Made by hand-knotting several threads in a variety of fibers.
• NEEDLELACE: Using a needle and thread to form fabric with intricate designs.
• LACIS / FILET: Knotting a single thread onto a plain net to create a foundation fabric or “net,” then embellishing the net with embroidery; also creating a foundation fabric in a fancy pattern.
• SPRANG: Interlacing warp threads held rigid on a frame without a weft.
• TATTING: Using a variety of knots built along a single thread.
• WOVEN LACE: Made on a loom, either by interlacing the warp threads and holding them in place with the weft, or by otherwise creating an openwork fabric.

Guild Structure

In general, membership in Caid’s Order of Arachne’s Web is open to all, regardless of age or skill level. There are no dues. A guild badge with embellishments will be given to members who participate in the guild through service (officers, teachers, researchers, etc.) and/or the completion of various achievements as specified.

The guild’s overall purpose is to foster the art of lacemaking. However, to accommodate those who enjoy having an incentive to learn new lace techniques and increase their skills, the guild provides the following ranking structure:

Member or Lace Apprentice

Requirements
The only requirement is an interest in lace and lacemaking and participation in the guild.

Badge
The badge is a silver spider’s web on a black background.

Lacemaker

Requirements:

• The candidate will provide two lacework pieces that display an adequate understanding of the techniques.
• The pieces need only be finished sufficiently to determine reasonable competence.
• The pieces should be accompanied with written or oral information about that pieces that will allow the judges to understand that the candidate knows what they have entered.

Sample Options

• Breadth: Samples may be of two different kinds of lacework. An example could be one each of Bobbin Lace, and Tatting.
• Depth: Samples may be of two types of the same kind of lacework using different patterns and stitches. An example would be two samples of different types of bobbin lace, or different materials including linen, silk, and metal.

Judging

• The lace samples’ acceptability will be determined by a panel of three judges made up of Lacemakers, or Lacemistresses / Lacemasters with at least one Lacemistress / Lacemaster.

Lacemakers are encouraged to support the guild and promote interest in lacemaking by:

• Teaching and doing research
• Assisting with judging work submitted within the guild and/or at various events
• Writing for the guild’s online newsletter

Badge
A silver spider is added to the web.

Lacemistress / Lacemaster

Requirements

• Know how to do at least four forms of lacework, or four different styles of one form of lacework well and can produce excellent pieces in two of them.
• Know the difference between SCA period and post-period techniques and tools.
• Have, if possible, taught lace related classes within the Society.
• Have served as a judge, a guild officer, or contributed to the guild in another capacity.
• The candidate will provide four completed pieces, each finished appropriately for the intended use, for review.
• The pieces should be accompanied with written or oral information about that pieces that will allow the judges to understand that the candidate knows what they have entered, and that they understand what is and isn’t SCA period in what they have entered.

Sample Options

• Breadth: The samples will be four different forms of lacework. Two well done pieces, and two excellent pieces.
• Depth: The samples will be four pieces with differing styles of the same form of lacework. Two well done pieces, and two excellent pieces.

Judging

• The lace samples’ acceptability will be determined by a panel that includes experts in each of the submitted techniques, if possible.

Lacemistresses / Lacemasters are encouraged to support the guild and promote interest in lacemaking by:

• Continue to promote and foster interest in lacemaking
• Assist the Guildmistress / Guildmaster
• Teaching and/or coordinating guild and local classes
• Examine and review the work of applicants for the rank of Lacemaker, as requested
• Contribute content to the various publications (i.e., articles, bibliography, how-to tips, etc.) including the guild newsletter, The Crown Prints, Ars Caidis and/or various SCA publications.

Badge
The badge may be given a border of (or be trimmed, or set in) blue.

Guild Offices

Guildmistress / Guildmaster (GM)

Should be of Lacemaker or Lacemistress / Lacemaster rank. Duties

• Do all within their power to help the Order foster the art of lacemaking in Kingdom and support the educational goals of the Society
• Maintain guild records including lists of members and ranks attained, judging panels, classes, events sponsored and various special projects
• Maintain all records and reports from their Orb Leaders
• Organize panels to examine the work of applicants for Lacemaker, and submit work from Lacemistress / Lacemaster candidates to appropriate judges
• Arrange teaching sessions, and coordinate help for apprentices
• Arrange, organize, and lead the quarterly guild meetings
• Submit quarterly reports to the Kingdom Arts & Sciences officer.

The GM may appoint Orb Leaders to work for the guild throughout the Kingdom.

Orb Leader

Works as a guild representative in their local area (Orb) Duties

• Promote interest in lacemaking in their Orb
• Gather membership information of people in their Orb
• Arrange for the teaching of classes in their Orb
• Arrange with the GM to convene judging panels
• Coordinate getting pieces that need to be judged for rank to the panel / judges
• Work with their Orb members to write and publish articles in the guild or other Society newsletters
• Work with their local Arts & Sciences officers for Orb members to teach and take classes
• Advise and work with the GM on member needs in their Orb
• Make quarterly reports to the GM about their activities and the activities of their Orb

Emblems of Rank and Office in the Guild

Badge of The Order: Sable, a spider web Argent; a black fabric oval with a white or silver spider web on it. This may be represented by a silver colored spider web medallion, or a lace or other handmade web. All members of the guild may wear this badge.

Rank of Lacemaker: A silver spider is attached to the web.

Rank of Lacemistress / Lacemaster: The web can be bordered in blue.

Rank of Guildmistress / Guildmaster: A gold border is added to the medallion and retained when they step down from office. If the GM is also a Lacemistress or Lacemaster, the border can be mixed blue and gold to represent the two statuses.

Rank of Orb Leader: A freshwater pearl to hang from the Web. This is given by the GM for 1 years’ service of local or regional leadership, teaching of apprentices and others, and promotion of the guild.

Guild Business

Changes to the charter must be approved by a majority of the votes received from the guild officers and members (See Voting Procedures). Those changes can then be recommended to the Crown for approval.

Guild policies can be added, modified, or removed at the discretion of the GM and will be announced in all of the guild information channels. Any guild member can call for a majority vote of the guild officers and members to support a policy change.

The guild’s official communication channels are The Online newsletter: "Bobbin and Weavin' ", and the Facebook Group: “Caid Arachne’s Web”.

Guild offices not listed in the charter can be created or dissolved by the GM in the guild policies and will be announced in all of the guild information channels.

Guild officers can be appointed and removed by the GM in the guild policies and will be announced in all of the guild information channels

A GM will select their own successor, mindful of the good and harmony of the Order. The transfer of the GM office will be announced in all of the guild information channels.

In order that the Order does not suffer neglect should a GM be unable to carry out his/her duties or appoint a successor, any past GM of the Order may temporarily assume the duties of GM. This temporary GM will then be able to select the next GM>

At any time when the guild does not have enough active Lacemakers and active Lacemistresses / Lacemasters to fill out judging panels: Experienced lace makers can be grandfathered in at a rank appropriate to their experience and knowledge. The judging panels can be made up of the GM and such members or interested parties as have the knowledge and abilities to judge the submitted works

Voting Procedures

• Proposals will be presented to the membership for discussion at a meeting AND through the guild’s official communication channels.
• Two weeks later, a vote will be called, or the proposal will be rewritten and re-presented via the guild’s official communication channels for further discussion.
• All members and officers of the guild are eligible, but not required to vote
• Votes will be cast via the official communication channels.
• Voting closes 2 weeks after the vote is called.
• Votes will be tallied by the GM and/or one other unaffected officer, as determined by the proposal discussion.
• Vote outcome will be determined by the percentage of VOTES RECEIVED, not the percentage of votes vs the number of guild members. If 23% of the guild votes, then those are the votes used to determine the majority (or other required percentage). Publication is vital, and members are welcome to exercise or not exercise their right to vote.
• The vote totals, and vote outcome, will be published within a week of close of voting.

POLICIES of Caid Arachne's Web

These are not part of the charter; instead they are a list of policies that are enacted in the guild and can be instituted or changed without Royal approval. See charter for information about making changes here.

Additional Offices

Chronicler: Produces the guild newsletter and / or helps members submit articles to Local, Caid, and / or SCA newsletters

Librarian: Organizes information about the history and techniques of lace, class handouts, and guild history. This can be done online via the Caid Wiki, on a kingdom / guild website, and / or a file of physical documents.

Webwright: Updates the guild website and Caid Wiki entries, and keeps abreast of kingdom webwright policies.

More Information

The Art of Lacemaking