Morning (11AM): “SWG Member Tips Tricks & Tools”
(Afternoon (1PM): Sale Setup)

PDF of Heidi’s TIPS from Presentation (added 10/26/2024)

Morning (11AM): “Design Deliberations”
Afternoon (1PM): “A Design Journey”

Designing can be hard work! Do you have trouble deciding what or how to design for weaving? Are there too many choices or not enough? Are you stuck in a rut with your designs? Sometimes the best ideas come from considering the work of others. Many different approaches to weave design will be explored while looking at inspiring examples. 

HANDOUT TO DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE

AM: “Exploring Double Huck”

Two layers of huck lace: what can they do? One of the happy surprises of this structure is just how appealing a double huck fabric is. From elegant scarves with beautiful drape, to towels and blankets with an irresistible ‘bounce’, it is lovely to wear and to handle. Cally will introduce double huck and take you on a tour through her experimentation with this flexible and attractive structure.

2nd Session: May 28, June 1 & 4 - CLOSED/FULL
Please email the Workshops Chair with questions.

An Exploration of Double Huck” (three day Zoom workshop)

During the 3-session virtual workshop, students will weave a variety of samples in double huck, including layer and block exchange, stitched layers, mixed structures and color-and-weave effects. The program includes three talks to introduce different aspects of the material, as well as supporting video demonstrations which participants can access at any time. In the final session, we consider extending the structure to more than 8 shafts. This is not a round robin. Participants will need to have access to an 8-shaft loom and will receive full instructions enabling them to set up their looms ahead of time. Note that countermarche looms are not suitable for this workshop..

TO REGISTER: 2 sessions
Session #1: March 30-31, 2024 - Session is FULL
Session #2: May 4-5, 2024 - Session is FULL
Please email the Workshops Chair with questions.

“Oval Willow Basket Workshop” (two day in-person workshop)

This two-day workshop will cover construction of a slender oval willow basket, which is great for shopping, going on picnics, carrying paperwork or maybe your current needlework project. The basket begins with a base woven on a frame, and stakes attached using a method called scalloming. The base is fun to weave, and learning to cut scalloms and attach stakes in this way will let you see how to design baskets of all shapes and sizes. Students must be comfortable using a knife for this class and hand strength is necessary when weaving with willow. The basket will be woven from willow grown on the instructors Skagit Valley farm. Colors of willow will vary. Leather will be provided for two shorter handles or one longer shoulder strap.

AM/PM: Notes from the Field

My favorite talks are those that I give to weavers and creatives who work with cloth. Over many years I have reflected on what makes these moments, when we come together as makers, so compelling and almost magical. Is it the lineage we share, the equipment, materials, and familiar techniques we hold in common that so compels us? Or is it the exotic wardrobes of amazing cloth that predate us, the bolts of historic and intoxicating fabrics that have dressed generations and continue to profoundly inspire us?

TO REGISTER: Workshop is Full
Please email the Workshops Chair with questions.

“Willow Bark Windmill Weave Basket” (one day in-person workshop)

During this one-day workshop, students will use prepared ¼” strips of willow bark to play with windmill weave to form this unique basket. Several examples of shape and design will be shown, and students will then decide to either work to an exact plan or make it up as they go along. After creating some samples of the weave to save as reminders, students will weave a simple over under base, and then commence the windmill weave sides. Once you’ve mastered the “stitch” the weaving is enjoyable and repetitive.

PM: “Photographing & Styling Handwovens, by Elaine Palmer.

We photograph our handwovens for many reasons: to catalog our personal work, for submission to juried shows, to post on our websites, and for printed publications. This talk discusses design and technical considerations when photographing and styling handwovens for different media. The talk includes discussion of studio lighting, outline vs. simple environment, and styling techniques Elaine used when photographing handwovens for the Weavers’ Guild of Boston’s 90th Anniversary book, Interlaced. There will be a short demo of the lighting technique and styling at the end of the presentation.

AM: “Weaving with Willow- from farm to basket”

Willows are most often used for strong functional baskets, but creative and decorative pieces can also be woven from willow bark. Basket weaver Katherine Lewis will tell you the story of how willow took over her life, from growing the material to weaving baskets from both withies and bark

AM: “Combining Warps and Structures for Wow! Yardage”
PM: “YouTube Video: Leftovers”

We start with some basics on weaving yardage, what to weave and how to sett it. The most important part though, is finding out what you’ve got, and how to make it work for you. Learn how to know what’s on the cone, or in the skein, and see how far it will go! The focus here is on 8 shafts. With 8 shafts you can magically combine structures and different yarns and create some inspiring and truly unique fabrics. Lots of drafts and lots of examples.

AM: “Exploring Japan- A travel journal looking at some ancient and modern textile making traditions of Japan”
PM: “Continued, with a wrap up including more specific examples that relate to the workshop on rag weaving techniques.”

Join Sara as she takes you along a virtual tour of Japan. She and her students explore cities and rural areas to experience the making traditions of Japanese fiber artists. On this whirlwind trip, Sara will explain how cultural influences have shaped the material usage and making practices in many different areas of textile traditions; embroidery, spinning, weaving, temari ball stitching, dyeing and more! We will visit remote areas very infrequently visited by outsiders who have maintained some practices for more that 1,300 years, as well as modern manufacturing processes in silk factories. In-person guests will have an opportunity to put their hands on samples that are sure to impress and inspire. We will discuss some of our more unique experiences and hands-on workshops we participate in. Lastly we will look at how these Japanese crafts have left their shore to influence artists from all around the world.

PM - Group Activity: “Fancy Paper Crowns for an occasion, because everyone is special!”

Use your imaginative skills to make a special crown for yourself or a special friend. Elegant or witty, it’s great for kids and grownups too, special occasions and everyday wear. Nice alternative to a birthday card. Embellish to the max, or keep it simple. This will be a fun opportunity to expand your creative skill set and make something fun and special.

AM: “Woven Textiles – Art Into Industry”.

Margo Selby is an internationally renowned woven textile designer. Her design philosophy is focused on pushing the boundaries of weaving to create contemporary stylish fabrics for a range of textile applications. Alongside her commercial textile design business Margo also creates distinctive handwoven artworks, which unite a modernist aesthetic with traditional weaving techniques. In her talk Margo will talk about her career in woven textiles, how the brand has evolved and the crossovers between her work as an artist, craftsperson and designer.

AM only: “Keeping Italian Textile Traditions Alive”.
(PM: Sale Setup)

When I arrived in the Serchio River Valley in Lucca Province in 2004, I met spinners, weavers and other textile workers who had learned their craft from mothers and grandmothers who had learned in the same way, possibly extending back to Etruscan, Bronze Age and even Neolithic times. I will speak about ten people and three institutions which are or were until recently actively carrying forward these traditions.

AM: “How History has Shaped Wild Silk in India – Tasar (tussah)”
PM: “Thirty Years of Change for Muga and Eri”

Wild silk is much more than the miraculous journey of metamorphosis from caterpillar to silken luxury. It is tightly woven to an ancient living culture raising tasar, muga and eri silkworms in remote forests of central and eastern India. Raising wild silkworms, reeling cocoons, spinning fiber and weaving silk cloth provides sustainable work, while protecting the environment, and supporting communities. Photos and stories captured from weavers, spinners, and silkworm farmers over thirty years of research will transport you into their homes and villages to witness the love and dedication involved in each part of the process from soil to cloth.

This two-part presentation, morning and afternoon) will ask, and attempt to answer, the question “What (and how and why) were Iron Age weavers producing the amazing woven cloth and bands they left behind? We will examine the textiles they made, the tools and technology they used, and other cultural artifacts found with those textiles which help shed light on their meaning and status. We’ll also look at how these revelations from the past encourage us to re-evaluate the limits of our modern understanding of the craft of weaving.

This two-part presentation, morning and afternoon) will ask, and attempt to answer, the question “What (and how and why) were Iron Age weavers producing the amazing woven cloth and bands they left behind? We will examine the textiles they made, the tools and technology they used, and other cultural artifacts found with those textiles which help shed light on their meaning and status. We’ll also look at how these revelations from the past encourage us to re-evaluate the limits of our modern understanding of the craft of weaving.

Deflected Double Weave lends itself well to being woven as “something else.” Crimp weave, loom-controlled weft shibori, and plain weave can all be woven on DDW threadings. On 16 shafts, DDW can be woven in 2/2 twill, combined with collapse weave or twill bands, and used to create stunning v-shaped shawls. Explore the options beyond traditional patterns.

Deflected Double Weave is a weave structure that has been around a long time and is quite popular today. It consists of plain weave with adjacent warp and weft floats. When the woven cloth is off the loom, the threads slide or deflect from their position into the float areas. This creates interesting interlacements and textures. I have been combining DDW with traditional double weave to create connections, layers, and pockets all in the same piece for dramatic scarves and shawls with a variety of fibers, colorways and designs.

Sold out! Please contact the Workshops Chair to be put on a waitlist.

[VIRTUAL WORKSHOP] The structure of Huck Lace provides a treasure trove of pattern for weavers. It is a shaft-efficient weave structure where an 8-shaft loom produces 6-block patterns; and a 4-shaft loom produces sixteen different ways to combine textures of warp & weft floats with plain weave.

John will join in-person. A tour through the varied techniques and equipment found in Japan’s kumihimo traditions. Kumihimo encompasses techniques ranging from pure manual skill with only a little help from tools, to the rich and varied possibilities enabled by the various Japanese braiding stands.

Rosalie will join via Zoom. This slide lecture presents a history of Japan through the perspective of kumihimo or plaited silk cords. It traces the historical development of Japanese plaited cords from fossilized remains in grave mounds to the exotic Samurai era when silk cords were used to lace together the warrior's armor. It also explores the current fashion trends using cords as obijime (an integral part of securing the obi and kimono) as well as decorative neckpieces. In addition to the slides taken in Japan and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there are also slides taken by a professional advertising photographer in Kyoto, documenting past fashions in kimono and obi. The samurai slides will include the recent exhibit of armor at the Portland Art Museum.