Beginning Weaving Workshop

This past weekend I hosted a beginning weaving workshop in my studio.  We've been putting up signs around the studio grounds to point out where our individual studios are, so I thought in preparation for the weekend, I'd get mine up.  I wove this one and used a warp like the one for the workshop, but wove a 2/2 twill using plastic bags as the weft.  It's fun to see the bag edges blowing in the breeze!

 It is always lots of fun to help people get started weaving on a harnessed loom.  Most everyone used an Ashford table loom.  Those looms are so easy to tote around as they fold up flat and don't weigh too much so I really like using them for classes.  

As usual, the first day was spent preparing the warp.  Everyone wound a warp of 72 threads to be put on a 10 dent reed for a 7" wide sampler.  In this class, I teach front to back warping.  Most everyone used 3/2 pearl cotton so the warp would be easy to work with.  First, they wound their warps.  This is always more challenging for some people than it is for others.

Then by the beginning of the second day, everyone had sleyed the reed, threaded the heddles, and tied on the to back beam.  By the time we get to rolling the warp on the back beam, the fun really begins.  You can see the warp chain laying in front of the loom all ready to be tidied up and rolled to the back.

Here is a warp all ready to go.  It's always a good feeling to see all the threads lined up properly, with the tension just right and set up for good weaving.

Although most everyone was weaving plain weave and twill, a couple of students chose to thread a rose path threading and weave interesting patterns.

Here are a couple of samples that were finished and taken off the loom.

The final step in class is putting knots in the fringe to hold the weft in  After everyone goes home, they will wet finish the fabric and trim any overlapping threads.

Welcome, new weavers!