Workshops: Led by international, national, and regional fiber artists
Textile Conservation with Patricia Ewer and Beth McLaughlin
This program will introduce weavers to textile conservation considerations for the exhibition of their fiber art. A review will be made of contemporary materials as well as documentation procedures. Methods for presentation and hanging techniques will be provided along with references and supplier lists. Individual display problems will be addressed in a short hands-on format. A review of modern materials, such as fibers, yarns and dyes, along with documentation, gallery and client needs, and long term care requirements will be discussed. Participants will explore hanging methods and materials including hands-on application on an individual/personal object.
Reserve your seat now 1179 Saturday, February 11: 10am – 3pm | Level: Multi
Tuition: $119/$99 Members (after 1/11/12 Tuition: $134/$114)
Patricia Ewer is the principal of Textile Objects Conservation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is conservation professional with over 30 years of experience in treating textiles, managing, developing and staffing conservation projects. She has held conservation positions at Historic Royal Palaces (UK), Midwest Art Conservation Center (Minneapolis, MN), Biltmore House (Asheville, NC), an the Textile Conservation Laboratory at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine (New York, NY), and the Textile Conservation Workshop (South Salem, NY). She has been a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works since 1989. She is co-editor with Frances Lennard of the forthcoming book Textile Conservation: Advances in Practices. Patricia was recently a presenter at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Tapestry Conservation Symposium in 2009.
Beth McLaughlin is a conservator in private practice. She was formerly the Senior Conservator for the Midwest Art Conservation Center and the Chief Textile Conservator at Biltmore House in Asheville, NC. Beth received a Masters in Fine Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts summa cum laude from Ohio University. She is a professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, Textile Specialty Group, and a member of the Southeast Regional Conservation Association, and the Textile Society of America.
Pick Me Up: Easy-As-Pie Pick Up Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom with Jane Patrick
Now that you’ve got plain weave down on the rigid heddle loom, it’s time to spice things up with pick-up patterns. Using a pick-up stick on the rigid heddle loom is easier than you think and you’ll soon appreciate how powerful this little tool can be. We’ll spend the morning creating weft floats and the afternoon warp floats—and then put it all together to weave both in the same fabric with just one pick-up stick. Whether it’s honeycomb, krokbragd or lace, you can weave all of these patterns on your rigid heddle loom – and have a blast doing it. Prerequisite: Students must be able to warp a loom independently and have woven several projects.
Reserve your seat now 1180 Friday, March 9: 10am – 4pm | Level: Advanced Beginning
Tuition: $119/$99 Members (after 2/09/12 Tuition: $134/$114)
Magic Fingers: Finger-Controlled Techniques for Any Loom with Jane Patrick
Finger-controlled techniques allow complete weaving freedom, since they can be added anywhere, anytime, to almost any cloth. Need a little accent along the hemline? Add a row of leno or Brook’s bouquet. Need a little color accent? Then a row or two or soumak might be just the thing. Then too, you can create complete, unique fabrics by using Danish medallions or Spanish lace which no machine could ever, ever duplicate. Now that slow weaving is in, it’s time to learn the joy of the hand weaves, whether you have a frame, rigid heddle or multishaft loom. We’ll spend the day learning as many techniques and variations of these techniques as time allows. From leno to Brook’s bouquet to soumak, explore the vast options available in this hands-on explorations. Jane will bring many examples from her new book, “The Weaver’s Idea Book,” as well as projects and ideas that are sure to inspire. Whether you are a novice or seasoned weaver, or whether your looms is s rigid heddle or multi-shaft floor loom, finger-controlled weaves can take a weaving from ho-hum to wow! Prerequisite: Students must be able to warp a loom independently and have woven several projects.
Reserve your seat now 1181 Saturday, March 10: 10am – 4pm | Level: Advanced Beginning to Advanced
Tuition: $119/$99 Members (after 2/10/12 Tuition: $134/$114)
Jane Patrick has been in the weaving and textile arts field for over 30 years. Between 1981 and 1992, she was an editor at Interweave Press where she was editor of Handwoven magazine, books, and the Design Collections. Jane is a textile enthusiast, with interests in both contemporary and traditional work. She enjoys the design process of bringing an idea to fruition. Her articles and projects have been published in Handwoven, Spin-off, Craft, Vav Magazinet and Yarn Market News magazines. She is the author of the recently published Time to Weave and The Weaver’s Idea Book (Interweave Press). Jane has lectured and given workshops and classes for weaving guilds and conferences. She is currently Creative Director for Schacht Spindle Company.
New Millennium Fibres with Heather Winslow
What on earth is Lyocell? Why would anyone combine cotton, silk, or merino wool with stainless steel into a yarn? Aren’t pineapples and soy beans for eating and bamboo for building? What does a combination of silk and ramie feel like? How does one deal with lycra? What is seacell and how do you use crepe yarns? Learn the answers to all these questions and more during this fun filled workshop using new millennium fibres. Each person will receive a warp and set up a loom with a different yarn and structure, and then weave samples on all the other looms. Just imagine what a unique project you can then weave once you get home. Prerequisite: Students must be able to warp a loom and read a draft independently. Materials Fee: $48 [includes handouts, pre-wound warps and weft]
Reserve your seat now 1182 Friday, Saturday & Sunday April 20, 21 & 22: 9am – 4pm
Tuition: $357/$297 Members (Registration Deadline: March 5) | Level: Advanced Beginning to Intermediate
Heather Winslow is a teacher and textile artist who is known and respected nationally. Her educational background is in teaching, and after 44 years, she still has a passion to share her knowledge with others. She is curriculum coordinator of The Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles, Illinois. Heather is a regular teacher at Sievers School in Wisconsin, and she has taught at Arrowmont, Coupeville, and many Convergences. She teaches weaving, knitting, spinning, dyeing, beading and embellishment at guilds and shops and at state, regional, national, and international conferences. Heather’s one-of-a-kind garments have been exhibited internationally and are in several private collections. Her articles have appeared in fiber-related magazines such as Hand Woven, Spin-Off, and Weavers, and her garments have been published in a number of books. Heather is the author of More on Moorman: Theo Moorman Inlay Adapted to Clothing.
Rare Wools from Rare Sheep: Spinning Adventures and Fun with Deb Robson
You don’t need a lot of experience to enjoy this class that will give you a solid grounding in the world of wools— just a willingness to explore. The focus will be on rare-breed wools, which come in a huge variety of colors, textures, lengths, and descriptions. They can be hard to obtain, and spinners often don’t know how to begin working with them. Come get your hands on a selection, and learn how to feel comfortable in the spinnerly wilds! It takes between six and nine months to collect fibers for your pleasure and discovery in this workshop. I’ll gather as many as 15 breed-specific wools for you to sample, many of them listed as rare by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, possibly accompanied by some less-rare classics for comparison. You’ll have plenty to experiment with, from getting acquainted through spinning — to, if you’re inclined, working small samples by knitting, crochet, or mini-loom if you have one (like a Weave-It). Registration deadline is May 21, 2012. Prerequisite: Ability to independently spin singles yarn and make a two-ply. Students can expect a materials fee of $85 to $120, payable to the instructor.
Reserve your seat now 1238 Friday, Saturday & Sunday, July 27, 28 & 29: 9am – 4pm
Tuition: $357/$297 Members (Registration Deadline: May 21) | Level: Advanced Beginning to Advanced
Deborah Robson experienced a moment of awakening when she realized that the list of rare sheep breeds included the animals who grew some of her favorite spinning fibers, like the Lincoln Longwool. When she learned about the plight of the Navajo Churro, her desire to learn more about, and raise other fiber artisans’ awareness of, these sheep and their wool turned into a permanent quest. She has edited Spin-Off Magazine and Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, as well as books for Interweave Press and for her own Nomad Press. With livestock expert Carol Ekarius, she spent four years writing (and researching and spinning) The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook: More than 200 Fibers from Animal to Spun Yarn. She also has a DVD set from Interweave Press called Handspinning Rare Wools. She spins, knits, weaves, crochets. . . .
Shadow to Light Workshop with Master Textile Artist Helena Hernmarck
Helena Hernmarck, our era’s legendary trompe-l’oeil weaver, offers the rare opportunity to get an insight into her weaving technique in a three-day workshop to take place at the American Swedish Institute June 27–29, 2012. Hernmarck will take students on a private tour of the ASI exhibition In Our Nature: The Tapestries of Helena Hernmarck. She will explain and demonstrate her weaving technique, assisted by two or three master students. Hernmarck will also illustrate her use of color when selecting yarns and will demonstrate how she uses color blended “butterflies,” or yarn bundles, to make her creations. Students will then work under the guidance of Hernmarck to create their own sample piece that goes from “shadow to light,” as they work on the illusion of a shadow on their own frame or table loom. Participants will also receive a take-home handout outlining Hernmarck’s technique. This workshop is sponsored by the American Swedish Institute and the Weavers Guild of Minnesota.
Those interested in participating in “Shadow to Light: Workshop with Master Textile Artist Helena Hernmarck” are required to complete the Workshop Application, due to ASI by April 1, 2012. Applicants will be notified of their application’s status by April 15, 2012. Students can rent a loom for the workshop for $30, should they need one. More details will be provided to the students who are selected to participate in the workshop.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday: July 27, 28, 29: 9am–5pm
$545/$495 ASI & WGM Members (application due April 1, 2012) | Level: Intermediate – Advanced
Location: American Swedish Institute
