March 15, 2025 STATE MEETING
Open: My Trip to Uzbekistan: a country of craftspeople and culture, Mary Roche
In October 2023, I traveled with Marilyn Romatik and a group of other fiber people to Uzbekistan. During our 23 days, we visited weavers, embroiderers, woodworkers, and dyers. Many of these craftspeople invited us into their homes to share a meal. My presentation will be an overview of my trip including the impact of the liberation from the USSR.
Mini #1: Rep Weave: Books, Bags, and Boxes, Lucienne Coifman
Rep weave is a very linear weave. Its rib structure lends itself easily to bending and folding into useful shapes. We will first review the fundamentals of rep weave and then explore how to build 3-dimensional pieces. We will take special consideration about the calculations involved to get the woven pieces fitting perfectly and talk about unique materials used in the construction as well as finishing and embellishment. To finish the session, each student will receive a bag containing all the necessary elements to make an etui (a sewing needle case). Please bring any rep pieces that you own, and a camera if you'd like to take pictures.
Participants should bring: A notebook, pen, scissors, thimble, sewing needles, etc..
Materials fee: $16 for the kit Class size: 12
Mini #2: Ask an Expert, Lisa Green and Darcy Topper
Hi beginning weavers. Do you have questions about your weaving that you would like to ask? We will have two experts available to consult with. You can send in questions in advance, or bring them to the workshop. Your questions could be project specific, or related to general topics such as planning a project, warping your loom, weave structures, or troubleshooting. In addition, there will be some general prepared topics for beginners. (This is a follow-up to the Getting Started in Weaving workshop).
Participants should bring: Notebook and pen, questions
Materials fee: none Class size: 16
Mini #3: Mayan Backstrap Weaving, Daisy Nicholas
This mini workshop will provide a demonstration of Mayan Backstrap weaving. You will learn the parts of the loom and weaving plain weave on the Backstrap loom. There will be looms for sale at $50 if you are interested in purchasing your own. But this is not necessary since we’ll be sharing a loom to practice on for the workshop.
Materials fee: $50 if participants are interested in purchasing a loom Class size: 6
Mini #4: Spin Yourself a Warp, Liz Borajkiewicz
This mini is a demo about spinning and my journey as a self-taught spinner ... you can do it, too. I will introduce you to the equipment I use, an Ashford Castle Style Wheel, Electric Wheel EEW 6.0, and a drop spindle, one of the oldest forms of spinning, but still relevant today. We can talk about “Why Wool”, spinning techniques, the yarn created (singles or plyed). You will be able to try your hand at spinning or come just to pet the fiber. I will also talk briefly about the Breed Study that I am organizing. Wool fiber has amazing characteristics and spinning is a great skill to create a beautiful warp.
Participants should bring: A notebook/pencil. Fiber will be provided.
Materials fee: OPTIONAL $12 extra for Bare Bones Beginner Drop Spindle if you want one to take home. (Teacher will gather the requests 6 weeks prior to the mini). There will be a couple in class to try.
Class size: 10
Afternoon Program: Renegade Treadlings, Suzi Ballenger
Ms and Os, Huck-a-Back, and Swedish Point: These three traditional weave structures offer weavers the opportunity to explore myriad possibilities for towels, clothing, and accessories. Once we learn what distinguishes these threadings from others, we can expand our treadling vocabulary to create our own voice in creating innovative designs for our cloth. Inquisitive weavers will enjoy the labeled samples and drawdowns to inspire their next exploration in original design.