Rigid heddle weaving in a day

This was the view as I finished my morning walk today.  It inspired me to consider simplifying my rigid heddle weaving classes.  Three Saturdays of class is almost decadent so I have decided to teach Rigid Heddle Weaving in 1 day.
That's right, a one day, all day classes to warp the loom and weave a sample.  If you want to learn more, I can schedule more.
So, I will be teaching how to warp and weave on a Rigid Heddle loom on Saturday, April 28th from 9am to 4pm.  All classes are held in my Poolesville, Maryland studio.  Class will begin with how to warp the loom and end with finishing techniques.  It's a condensed introduction to weaving on a rigid heddle loom.  All classes include the loom and materials needed to warp and weave.  For more information and to reserve you place, contact Claudia at weaveonstudio@me.com or claudia@weavolution.com.

Rigid Heddle Weaving in a day will also be offered on Saturday, June 30 from 9am to 4pm.  In addition,  the three session In Depth Rigid Heddle Weaving class is available on Saturday, July 14, 21, and 28.  In the longer class, we will warp the rh loom 3 times, create 3 different projects and work with both direct and indirect warping methods.  Contact Claudia at weaveonstudio@me.com

Last weekend, I attended a class in Color and Weaving with Su Butler.  It was an excellent class with so much valuable information I almost felt my head explode.  I have not had formal training in color theory and this class gave me the background information I wanted.  There is no single book available on weaving and color so this class is extremely unique.  Su is a very good teacher and covers a load of material throughout the weekend.  We spent 3 days studying color, value, intensity and how to use this information in your weaving.  I hope to post new projects soon and discuss my choices for colors based on what I learned in this class.

This past weekend was spent celebrating Passover with our family Seder of 12 people.  We had a rousing good time and I found a wonderful model for all my scarves, ponchos and shawls in Craig's girlfriend, Jordan who is pictured here wearing a houndstooth scarf I wove.  This is a great, lightweight scarf that will soon be for sale on our Lotsaknots Etsy site.

Have a great week and Happy weaving!!

Classes available online SOON!

Here's a beautiful example of pebble weave woven on a backstrap loom by a friend.  I love the vibrant colors and the complex design.

In our busy world, we often find it difficult to add one more thing.  Taking an entire Saturday to learn to weave for three weeks in a row seems like a very big indulgence for most of us.  Saturdays usually represent errands, grocery shopping, catching up on the mail, bills, kids soccer/track/lacrosse games, etc.  And, if the weather permits, there is always work to be done in the yard.

To better meet the needs of our busy world, I am going to be offering online, LIVE, in person weaving classes in the evenings and on Saturday and Sunday.  This option allows you to stay home, take care of your chores and enjoy a couple of hours a week to learn a new craft.

What will you need to take a class online?  First, a microphone and speakers (built in to most computers manufactured in the past 5 years) and a webcam.  I purchased a webcam that sits on top of my computer screen.

I use the earphones and microphone that came with my iPhone for speakers and a mic.  It works very well and many have commented that the reception is very good.  Most cell phones come with earphones and a mic on them.  Check out the accessories in your box or check your computer.  You may be surprised to find you have a built-in microphone, speakers and webcam!



So, on to the classes.  I am still formulating the lesson plan.  One thing is clear, you will need to have a rigid heddle loom.  If you live near my Poolesville, MD studio, you are welcome to come over and borrow one for the class.  If not, I can assist you in choosing one to purchase.  Some local fiber arts guilds have looms to rent.  That's a good place to start.  What's a fiber arts guild?  Weavolution has a list by state and country of local guilds that help people with an interest in a specific fiber art (spinning, weaving, felting, knitting, etc,) to communicate with each other and develop their skills.

I will be offering classes on rigid heddle weaving.  All levels and topics will be available and most will be taught by appointment so you can base it on your schedule.  Classes will be 2-3 hours long and will take place online via video conferencing.  More details available soon.  Stay tuned and feel free to leave comments.

Destination Poolesville (Maryland)

Destination Poolesville is a local event sponsored by the Poolesville (MD) Chamber of Commerce to highlight local businesses.  I will be there with Weave On Studio and Lotsaknots on Saturday, March 10 from 10am to 2pm.  Stop by and try using a drop spindle, a loom or some knitting needles.  Sign up for a class and buy a hand made scarf or two!  Over 30 vendors will be there to showcase their products and services.

Saturday was the last class for my current group of rigid heddle students.  I demonstrated indirect warping and we enjoyed sharing the completed projects.  Everyone seems to have enjoyed the Cricket loom and learning to weave.  Joyce has rented a loom for the next month and Claudia and Jackie are looking forward to trying out the 15" Cricket when it arrives in early April.

Jackie wove a small rug using cotton warp and blue jeans for weft.  It's a bit difficult to see the jeans but they're there.  The warp is yarn she purchased at the annual Guild yarn sale.
Rugs are a bit difficult to weave on a rigid heddle loom since the heddle doesn't give you the opportunity to beat the weft in very firmly.  It was great she gave it a try because she learned a lot about the loom and her materials.  Since I am currently weaving a rug with Pendleton selvedges for weft, this gave us a chance to talk about floor looms and rug weaving.  In addition, I demonstrated how to weave on my Glimakra Standard.

Joyce started this scarf in class last week.  The warp is 3/2 cotton sett at 8 ends/inch and the weft is a thick and thin rayon in turquoise, white and black.  The finished scarf has beautiful drape and the color is wonderful on her.

At the right is a close up of the scarf.  I apologize if it's a bit blurry.  I wanted to show off the colors.

Jackie made a wool and rayon shawl that looked lovely on her!  The blue warp is very light and soft and the chenille weft gave the shawl a little body and maintain the beautiful hand that only chenille and wool provide.  She did a lovely job weaving and finishing the shawl.

Class this week should be titled BLUE because everyone did their project in a shade of blue.  Claudia did blue stripes on a blue striped warp.  She measured and counted very carefully to have the scarf come out in a tartan looking plaid.  Kudos to her for such fine work.  

Well, I have lots to do to prepare for Destination Poolesville.  Hope to see you there.