“Leno Structures - Weaving with Doups on 4-8 Shaft Looms”
(two day in-person workshop)

TO REGISTER:
Visit Workshop Registration Page when Open (Jan 11 members / Feb 8 non-members)

Dates:

Day 1: April 26, 9am - 4:30pm (Saturday)
Day 2: April 27, 9am - 4:30pm (Sunday)

Class Description:

In this 2-day workshop, students will learn about Leno, which by definition, is a variation of the normal plain-weave structure that requires a modification of the standard handloom harness/heddle arrangement to produce. To weave leno structures, a half-heddle called a doup is added to the front harness (or harnesses) of the loom. This doup crosses under a warp end that is not raised during weaving, called the ground end.  The crossing end is entered through the last harness of the loom, and through the eye of the doup (on the first harness of the loom). By alternating lifts of the doup harness and the back harness, the two ends of the leno unit are intertwined as the weft is inserted.

This is not a round robin.

Skill Level:

Intermediate to advance weavers.  Students should be able to dress their looms, read a draft and work independently.   

Materials required:

• Small handloom, table or folding floor loom, with at least 4 harnesses and a low density reed (6 or 8 dents per inch best, 10 dents per inch ok)

• Warp yarn: smooth, strong plyed yarn, combed or mercerized cotton ideal:

  • Cotton sizes preferred: 10/2, 8/2, 5/2, or 3-ply crochet cotton

  • Tencel, Bamboo, worsted wool, or other fibers may be used for warp, if they are smooth, at least 2 ply, and in the same size range.

• Weft yarns:

  • Enough of the yarn you used for warp to weave 8-12 samples (about 8 oz depending on the weight you are using).

  • Small quantities of any yarns you would like to experiment with: different color colors of your warp yarn, novelty yarns like boucle’, chenille, handspun textures, metallic, tape yarns….almost anything can be used in the weft for special effects.

  • Instructor will bring a variety of weft yarns to share

• One or more flat stick shuttles (boat shuttles are to wide to use for leno because the shed size will be smaller than usual). Hint: 6” tongue-depressor type craft sticks are ideal for use as leno shuttles!

• Weaving accessories, including: Scissors, measuring tape, reed hook, graph paper, tape or stapler for mounting samples of fabric and yarn.

Registration:

SWG Members: noon on January 11th, 2025.
Non-members: noon on February 8th, 2025.

Class size:

Max 16

Cost:

$100 Deposit, non-refundable and at time of registration. Estimated cost $240, based on 12 students enrolled, $180 based on maximum enrollment.  In addition, there is a material fee of $10.  The final cost will depend on the number of students enrolled.  Final payment is due during the workshop.       

Location:

TBD

About Patrice:

Patrice George recently retired from the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she was Associate Professor in the Textile Development and Marketing Department for 18 years, specializing in woven textile design, and the history of the textile industry.

She created an early course in computer-aided woven design for the School of Visual Arts in 1984, and similar courses for School of Visual Arts and Parsons. As a Fulbright Scholar, she taught woven design in 1994, at the University of Industrial Arts in Helsinki Finland (now Aalto University), She has been a guest instructor at other textile schools, a consultant to international handweaving projects, and a frequent presenter and workshop leader at many textile seminars and conferences.

Since founding her NYC studio, Patrice George Designs, in 1979, she has been a design consultant to the interior textile industry. Her experience with leno structures comes from working directly with mills that specialized in this open weave for window textiles, and creating handwoven prototypes for production.

Education:

BA in the History of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 1970

MA in Fashion and Textile History,  Fashion Institute of Technology, NYC, NY 2015