Francis Irwin,
our Founder
In the late 60’s – early 70’s Frances Irwin of Stroudsburg, PA began to offer weaving instruction. Several of her weaving students had been members of the Northeast Pennsylvania Guild of Weavers. These students called themselves the “Tuesday Girls for Weaving.” They met at Frances Irwin’s home where she kept three looms and each participant paid a 50 cents session fee.
Meanwhile, on the New Jersey side of the Delaware river there were people whose interest in weaving brought them together. These included Cordelia Cafone who had relocated from Essex County where she served as president of the Hand Weavers Guild of the Newark Museum and Ester Gallup a graduate of Pratt Institute who had organized a cottage industry of weaving during the Depression at the behest of Eleanor Roosevelt.
During 1972 – 1973 these survivors of weaving talent discovered each other and banded together to form a weaving guild which they named after the now deceased Frances Irwin. 50 years later Frances Irwin handweavers remains a strong and viable organization.
By Karen Bryson