Floor Loom and Rigid Heddle - Suggested Study Topics
Floor Loom Weaving

These classes use our four- or eight-harness floor looms. Table looms are available for students with leg or back disabilities. The basic unit of study is 6 weeks for $125. Beyond the basic class level, each topic may take more than 6 class sessions to complete. Unattended "Open Studio" time is available at no charge every day of the week for extra weaving time.

Beginning Handweaving This course introduces the new student to weaving on the floor loom. It covers all the basics of warping a loom, weaving, and finishing a woven piece. Students will learn to weave in plain weave and twill, complete a sampler, and if time permits go on to weave a scarf, placemats, or item of similar size.

This course or equivalent knowledge is a prerequisite for all other floor loom classes.
Beginning Rigid Heddle Weaving This course introduces the rigid heddle loom. . It covers all the basics of warping the loom, weaving, and finishing a woven piece. Students will learn to weave in plain weave, varying pattern through yarn variations and spacing, and then learn finger-manipulated weaves such as Brooks Bouquet, leno, and Spanish Lace. If time permits, pickup designs will also be introduced.
Rag Rug Weaving After studying and sampling a number of "rag weaving" techniques, students may weave placemats, a table runner, or a small rug in the technique of their choice.
Weft-Faced Rug Weaving - Introduction Students will sample several weft-faced rug weaves from Peter Collingwood's classic text.
Overshot I Overshot is one of the most well-known of colonial weaves. In this course, students will learn to weave an overshot pattern, manage two shuttles, select appropriate yarns for a project, and follow a complex treadling.
Overshot II After mastering the basics of overshot weaving, we will spennd more time working with overshot drafts. The special meaning of "as drawn in" in overshot will be clarified, and we will look at ways of enlarging and reducing patterns and altering treadlings for different effects.
Summer and Winter I Summer and Winter is a weave which allows weavers 2 design blocks on a 4-shaft loom, or 6 on an 8-shaft loom. In this first level, students will learn five ways to treadle this weave, creating a sampler which will display all five techniques and various wefts.
Summer and Winter II In this level, students will learn the theory of blocks and profile drafts, and will create an original design using a selected summer and winter treadling.
Lace Weaves I - Huck Students will weave a huck sampler and then choose a pattern for a runner or scarf.
Lace Weaves II - Lace Bronson and Swedish Lace Two more classic lace weaves are sampled, with place mats or a bureau scarf to follow in the weave of choice.
Color and Weave The use of color combinations to produce complex effects will be studied in this course. Examples will include Log Cabin, Shadow Weave, and Houndstooth and other checks.

Shadow Weave Intensive

This class will cover the Atwater and Powell threading systems, and explore the effects that color and texture variation have on a shadow weave design. The student will also sample "shadow rep", which produces a ripsmatta-like textile in the shadow weave pattern. A thorough study of shadow weave will definitely require more than 6 class sessions.
Double Weave This class will cover the weaving of double-width, tubular, and double-faced cloth using a four-harness loom.
Drafting and Design This class begins with manual drafting using graph paper, and teaches the weaver to develop the threading, treadling, and tie-up for an original pattern or from a fabric sample to be analyzed. We will cover considerations such as sett, fiber mixes, and mixed weave structures which will affect the look and stability of the finsihed cloth. A brief experience with a computerized drafting program will be included.
Liturgical Weaving "Liturgical Weaving" is weaving items for religious use. Besides the vestments and altar paraments used in Christian churches, liturgical items include Judaism's tallit (prayer shawl), Torah covers, wedding canopies, and ark curtains; Muslim prayer rugs; Buddhist and Hindu altar cloths; religious wall hangings and tapestries; and any other woven items which an individual may use for worship. This class will be tailored to the student's requirements: depending on the tradition, we will cover such topics as the proper use of liturgical colors; tailoring for vestments and paraments; fiber content restrictions; how to tie a tallit's ritual fringe, etc.
Independent Study For intermediate or advanced weavers, we offer tutorials in any topic of your choice. After meeting with you to determine your goals, we will construct a personalized program of instruction. The duration of this class will depend on the topic.