Our History

The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers (PGHW) was founded in 1952 when a group of weavers in the Philadelphia area began to meet to foster their craft. Through education and the exchange of ideas, they hoped to inspire others to greater proficiency as weavers. Over the years PGHW has become a center for a wide range of fiber arts including weaving, spinning, felting, basketry, chair caning, embroidery, knitting & crocheting, paper art, dyeing, quilting, sewing, surface design and more.

PGHW also offers its members Special Interest Groups where members help one another advance their fiber arts skills.

Our guild house, located in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA, was a gift from the Wilde Yarn company, once located next door. The guild house was their retail yarn outlet, then a restaurant before a fire burned the second floor and we retained ownership.

Learn more about the historical perspective of the Manayunk area of Philadelphia and the textile production Philadelphia was known for.

The Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers is a tax-exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, with the mission to foster the craft of handweaving, and other fiber arts, through education and exchange of ideas. Our organization and programs are supported in part by generous funding from the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

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