Shelburne Craft School

The Further Explorations course is an opportunity to expand your skills and try something new with an experienced mentor to guide you through any tricky spots. Try a new structure, a new fiber, or finer yarns. Or explore the design possibilities of an 8-shaft loom. And enjoy the camaraderie of fellow fiber enthusiasts as you weave. This course is designed to meet you where you are on your weaving journey and to expand your ability to more effortlessly achieve the results you want.

This is a project oriented course, with each student selecting their own project to weave. The instructor is available to consult on project selection at any point in your decision process. Please feel free to reach out to fiber@shelburnecraftschool.org to be put in touch with your instructor.

The course is primarily hands-on with each student warping and weaving their own individual project. The instructor will be available for one-on-one assistance and will offer tips for greater ease and efficiency of weaving. In addition, weekly instructor presentations will focus on gaining a greater understanding of weave structures and their possibilities.

This spring, the weekly presentations will focus on understanding lace weaves. Lace weaves bend the rectilinear grid of weaving and the results can be either airy or textural. We will look at two common lace weave structures: Huck and Atwater-Bronson. We will also consider the influence of materials and color on lace weave projects. Projects that relate to the lace weave theme are encouraged, but not required. In addition to Huck (huck spot, huck lace, huck-a-back) and Atwater-Bronson (spot or lace), possibilities include canvas weave (a form of huck with doubled threads) and Swedish lace. Lace weaves make lovely scarves, shawls, table linens, baby blankets, and curtains. If you would like to see some specific project examples for inspiration, please contact fiber@shelburnecraftschool.org.

In addition to class times, students are encouraged to attend one or more of the Open Studios offered throughout the week in order to have plenty of weaving time. Please see the bottom of this description for the Open Studio schedule. If you are interested in a wider or 8-shaft loom, early registration is encouraged to ensure your choice of loom.

Note that there is no gap week in the schedule this spring for warp winding. Please plan to consult with the instructor about your project plans, acquire your yarns, and wind your warp before the first class.

Pre-requisites:

Next Steps course or the equivalent experience. Students should be familiar with the steps of warping a loom and able to weave following a draft.

Materials:

Students will supply their own yarns. If you would like to buy yarn from the studio, please write to fiber@shelburnecraftschool.org. The studio has a wide range of yarns available for purchase at reasonable prices.

NOTE: no class May 7