The Prairie Wool Weavers, last Tuesday, honoured the late June Exelby with a tapestry that was woven from wool and created from love.
Exelby, who died in 2009, was a founding member of the Prairie Wool Weavers, a guild of local spinners, weavers and dyers.
“It gives me great pleasure to dedicate this tapestry to June, our founding member, mentor and the best friend anyone could ever have the privilege of having,” said Linda Judd, the wool weavers’ president.
The tapestry depicts the hip roof barn on the Exelby farm. The guild picked the barn as the subject because it was dear to June’s heart, Judd said. Guild member Anna Hergert drew a cartoon from a photograph of the barn taken by Judd. The weaving was done in strips by several members on looms set up in the Craik library, where the PWW, thanks to the library, have a weaving room.
The tapestry was made from pure wool and it has needle felting over the weaving. It took the guild about a year from the planning to weave the tapestry. Roy Vibert made the tapestry’s frame out of barn board from the Exelby farmyard.
Judd said the PWW was formed in March of 1977 when Agatha Heinen, Myrna Luther, Una Pound, Kate Waterhouse, Christina Kennedy, June Exelby, Leona Kunkel, Kay Gust and Mabel Nordmarken met to form a guild. “This was the beginnings of the Prairie Wool Weavers, a loosely woven organization of slow-moving fun seekers,” Judd said.
When the guild formed an executive, Exelby was its treasurer, a position she held until her death.
“As were all the founding members, June was always willing to share her considerable knowledge with all the members that were to join the guild in later years,” Judd said.
Over the years, the guild took on many projects, one of which was a tapestry of Craik’s skyline at dawn. Judd said that Exelby and her granddaughter Lynley drew a cartoon for the tapestry. From this design, members wove strips. The finished tapestry was donated to the Craik Hotel to thank the hotel for letting the guild use a room to store its supplies.
The Craik Hotel burned down about 10 years ago. The tapestry was destroyed in the fire.