September 14, 2011
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Through slides and samples, Anastasia will share how to weave with
wire. She will show a variety of metals, demonstrate hand tools, and
discuss specifics for warp and weft.
Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: 15
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Computer Class: Fiberworks PCW
Laurie Autio
Session 2 of 2 (Session 1 was last year)
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Fiberworks contains many helpful features beyond the basics of filling
in a draft and block substitution. This class will pick up where the
Fiberworks class last fall ended, looking at network drafting tools,
transformation and paste options, sketchpad work, fabric analysis,
etc. . If there is interest, we will discuss the loom control section of
the program. There will be time to ask specific questions.
If possible,
students are asked to bring a laptop with the most recent version
of Fiberworks (bronze or silver; upgrade by downloading from the
net at
http://www.fiberworks-pcw.com/download.htm.
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12S Networked Pawprint
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The class is
intended for those who took the first session in 2010, or by permission
of the instructor for those who are reasonably proficient with
the basics of Fiberworks and want to delve deeper. It is not geared
to novices or those looking to buy their first computer drafting program.
Materials/Handouts Fee: $2.00
Attendee Limit: 15
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Students will learn how to add beads while making a kumihimo braid.
The resulting braids are suitable for use as necklaces or bracelets.
This particular technique is called Kusari-Yatsu-gumi with beads and
requires 8 bobbins. The process includes making a standard braid
with clusters of beads at regular intervals. We will use a foam kumihimo
disk and plastic bobbins usually used for knitting. A kit will be
provided which includes disk, bobbins, fiber, weights, beads, needle
and findings. If you can provide your own disk and bobbins, please
note when registering.
Materials/Handouts Fee: $10.00 with disk and bobbin; $5 without
Attendee Limit: 10
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Introduction to Weft-Faced Rugs
Deborah Watson
Session 1 of 3
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This three-session workshop introduces the weaving of weft-faced
wool rugs on a linen warp. The first session covers the basics of rug
weaving: equipment, materials, and techniques. Each participant will
weave a small (approximately 12”x12”) sample at home and
bring it in for the second session in November. Then, we
will discuss any problems and practice rug finishes. Each
sample will have a different finish at each end. The third
session in March will be much like the second but with a new
structure. Depending on the number of participants, we
will cover a variety of weave structures which may include
rosepath, overshot, boundweave, summer and winter,
krokbragd, 3-end block weave, and twill.
Session 2: Nov 9, 2011; Session 3: Mar 14, 2012
Materials/Handouts Fee: $5.00
Attendee Limit: 10
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October 12, 2011
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Linen is beautiful. Moreover, it is beautiful in unusual ways: it is crisp
yet curiously weighty, pleasantly cool to the touch and, particularly
when freshly washed and ironed, possesses a pearly sheen unlike that
of any other fiber. Linen is also durable. If treated with reasonable
care, a well-woven piece of linen will last nearly forever, easily surpassing
the lifespan of any other natural fiber. But despite its beauty
and permanence, linen is seldom used by most weavers. Many weavers
are discouraged by the yarn’s dry, grass-like texture, so different
from the gentleness of cotton or wool. Other weavers find the fiber
unforgiving and temperamental, prone to twisting and snagging in
the shuttle, likely to break without warning and, unless handled with
care, certain to reveal every inconsistency in a weaver’s technique.
There is some validity to each of these concerns, and every linen
weaver has struggled with all or some of them.
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Hand-dyed Linen Bath Towel
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However, experience
has shown that any difficulty posed by linen can be overcome with
forethought and patience, and seasoned linen weavers treat the fiber
with the same confidence as they treat wool or cotton. Scott will
discuss each of these issues and describe techniques used to weave a
variety of linen items, including dish towels, bath towels, and tablecloths.
The topics will range from selecting appropriate linen yarns
to utilizing attractive finishing techniques, and include color selection,
design ideas, and caring for linen.
Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: none
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Creative Magic on 4 Shafts with Atwater-Bronson Lace
Marjie Thompson
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Taking something common, a two color plaid, this class will teach
you how to turn the basic design into an Atwater-Bronson lace textile
for creative magic on four shafts. We will begin with some textile
analysis to count the ends of each color in the plaid and then move
to a discussion of the Atwater-Bronson lace structure. Thread size
is important when adapting a plaid to lace so that will be covered as
well as the two backgrounds the textile may have: predominantly lace
or predominately plain weave. Please bring a plaid that you like and
graph paper and pencil. Laptop computers are welcome for more
“instant gratification.”
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $1.00
Attendee Limit: none
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Having knit a number of sweaters designed by Vivian Hoxbro and
taken a class from her, Adele was inspired by Vivian’s color sense and
ingenious approach to design. This class will study shadow and domino
knitting. Students may choose to knit a pillow cover or bracelet
instead of a hat if they prefer.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $3.00
Attendee Limit: 10
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Join Judy with your wheel or use one of hers for a fun class learning
to spin fiber into yarn. We will discuss how to use this yarn in your
weaving projects, look at fiber characteristics, and explore the basics
of fiber prep and spinning, particularly as it relates to woven fabric.
Indicate whether you need to borrow a wheel for class.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: 8
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November 9, 2011
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Peggy Hart has worked in the rectangular format
of blankets since 1981, when she set up
her first power loom. Since then she has woven
literally thousands of blankets. Wool yarns can
both celebrate and confound even the best pattern.
Peggy will talk about finishing techniques
and options, present slides from her studio,
and bring blankets to share (as well as samples
swatches that didn’t make the cut!). Having lived
in Ghana, Peggy has a strong interest in West
African strip weaving. She will also share strip
woven treasures, and talk about how to design
a strip woven blanket if you don’t happen to
own a 10 foot loom. In this workshop, weavers
will consider materials and patterns, and plan a
blanket. They will also prepare to weave a sample
swatch to test the chosen yarn with the pattern.
Supplies needed by participants: Favorite
blankets for inspiration and analysis, graph paper,
small ruler, and pencil. Bring examples of
yarns you may want to use in a blanket and patterns or weaves you
are interested in using.
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Throw Detail
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Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: 10
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The holiday season is approaching so fast that specially designed
handwoven cards may not be your top priority. But you can still make
wonderful cards from your handwoven samples, scraps, bands and
added decoration. A collection of nearly 100 cards will provide inspiration.
And, while the class is creating cards to use right away, we will
discuss designing and weaving for the next holiday season and for all
those special occasions in between. Do you need a break from weaving
towels and placemats, but are not excited about weaving yardage?
Are you thinking about doing Ratings? Weaving for cards allows
you to try many structures and experiment with small amounts of
your wildest stash yarns. Discussion will include the practical considerations
of scale, materials, structures and even how the US Post
Office can affect your designs. Please bring note taking materials,
fabric scissors, handwoven bits and pieces you already have and any
examples of handwoven cards to share with the
group. Suitable for all weavers.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $5.00, includes handout and five window note card
blanks.
Attendee Limit: 15
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Texture on the Rigid Heddle Loom
Barbara Provest
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First, a review of the fast warping (lickety split) technique. Then learn
several textures on the rigid heddle you can practice in class on
warped-up looms using the handouts. If you have done a texture on a
rigid-heddle loom, please bring it for show and tell. Especially nice on
bags and hats to match for the winter.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $2.00
Attendee Limit: 8
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Introduction to Weft-Faced Rugs
Deborah Watson
Session 2 of 3
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See Session 1 for full details.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: x
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December & January:
Winter Break
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February 8, 2012
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Celebrating the Fiber: Cotton
Hosted by various guild members
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This program is morning and afternoon, no registration or fee required.
Starting at 10:00am, the morning will be devoted to watching “Modern Marvels Cotton”.
The History Channel says this award-winning nonfiction DVD “will invite viewers to
experience the excitement and relevance of history. Here, people find that history is a lot
more than facts and dates.” This adventure will take us beyond the “dirt to shirt” tale of
textiles to see the myriad places cotton turns up. We will experience the complete story of
cotton as we travel from ancient India to today’s technologies.
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A cotton gin on display
at the Eli Whitney Museum.
picture: Wikapedia
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After our business meeting and lunch, the afternoon will be devoted to demonstrations
of spinning cotton and a show and tell of fashion pieces and non-wearables woven with cotton.
Share your experiences (good and bad) of weaving cotton. You just may appreciate this
wonderful fiber more after attending this meeting. Don’t be a boll weevil, come and participate!
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March 14, 2012
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Explore the possibilities that exist for weavers to explore the special
characteristics of wool that allows it to full and shrink. Learn how
fabrics can be woven to take advantage of its qualities, using shrinkage
differential, felt resist paste, woven shibori, permanent pleating,
and weave structures that maximize the nature of the fiber.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: none
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Variations on a Draft: Or, When life hands you
lemons, what can you make other than lemonade?
Laurie Autio
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While we often think of a threading as being connected with a particular
structure and design, almost all threadings can produce different
interlacements by varying the tie-ups and treadlings. Learning to
explore the range and limitations of a threading allows the weaver to
put on a long warp and weave many startlingly different pieces from
it, or to create interesting new variations that fall outside the ordinary.
In this class we will talk a bit about how threadings work, how
to recombine or reapportion shafts to form new ideas, and how to
vary treadling or liftplan sequences. Results may vary from the more
familiar treadling variations (e.g. on opposites, honeycomb, “woven
as”) to different structures, hybrids, and interleavings. If possible,
students are asked to bring a laptop with the full or demo (generally
free to download) version of a computer drafting program, or to
share with someone in the class.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $3.00
Attendee Limit: 15
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This workshop will teach you to finish your pieces on or off the loom
to make them stand out even more. Traditional twining techniques,
braided accents, braided and twined fringe accents, and beaded and
embroidered edgings will be demonstrated and taught. Participants
will work toward learning different techniques to create their own
“signature”. These embellishment techniques for handwoven pieces
can be extended to knitting and other handwork. Please bring some
scrap samples for experiments. A piece of linen cloth will also be
provided.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $10.00
Attendee Limit: 10
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Introduction to Weft-Faced Rugs
Deborah Watson
Session 3 of 3
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See Session 1 for full details.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: x
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April 11, 2012
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Not only are the American handwoven coverlets of the19th century
outstanding examples of the weaver’s art, they also are a window into
the lives of the professional craftsmen who created them and the
largely female clientele who commissioned them. This abundantly
illustrated presentation details all aspects of these coverlets - the
materials and weave structures employed; the technology used in
their manufacture; when, where, by whom, and for whom they were
produced; their cultural context; and their fall from popularity. The
weavers and clients of several coverlets from the collection of The
Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan, are described in detail.
In addition, coverlets from the Jeryans’ collection will be available
for examination and discussion. Participants are encouraged to bring
their own coverlets to share with the group. This presentation will
last about 1½ hour.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: none
Attendee Limit: none
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Great Projects from Weaving Samples and Handwoven Remnants
Paula Taggart
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We’ve all accumulated samples woven in workshops and classes, end
of warp weave-offs, and scraps from other handwoven projects.
These bits can be turned into useful items. With resources including
patterns and samples for inspiration we will explore and share ideas
for your stash of material. Please bring any handwoven leftovers and
samples. You can also bring your shibori fabric from the Ellis workshop
and design a vest.
Materials/Handouts Fee: $2.00
Attendee Limit: 15
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The Magic of Hand Shibori
Nancy Hodes
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Learn the basics of manipulating cloth by hand so that it resists dye
just the way you want. Stitching, folding, and twisting are just a few
of the methods we will explore. This class is a great way to extend
the woven (on-loom) concepts covered by Catherine Ellis to the
greater freedom allowed by off-loom techniques. Each participant
will receive a silk scarf (12” x 60” with hand-rolled hems), thread,
and needles. Please bring scissors, a ruler (quilters’ type if you have
one), and a #2 pencil or a fabric marker.
Materials/Handouts Fee: $12.00
Attendee Limit: 10
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Lampas (or “tissue” in early English books) is the weave structure
used for many elaborate medieval textiles. It allows extensive patterning
with less shafts than a drawloom would have required. Even with
this use of tie downs, lampas is best woven using more than eight
shafts. Class will start with “eye candy” pictures of lampas textiles
and progress to deconstructing the weave structure so that 21st century
shaft loom weavers can weave lampas.
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Materials/Handouts Fee: $2.00
Attendee Limit: none
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