Saturdays in September

Class is taught by Chris Dunlap

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Overview

The rigid heddle loom is a much-overlooked but powerful piece of weaving equipment.  Using just 1 heddle and easily available yarns, you can make stunning plain-weave cloth as well as twills and laces.  Students will create a sampler to which they can later refer.  Cost will be $15/hr per student.  Maximum 4 students. Students should complete classes in order for the best results.  Looms in place at the VAC!

Class Outline

Class 1:  6 hrs We will begin with a discussion of the parts of the loom and how do you make cloth with this loom.  We will cover the direct-warpping method to warp the loom, preparing the loom to weave, and choosing and preparing your yarns for warp and weft.  We will discuss how to control your selvedge edges to end up with an attractive cloth.  Students will begin weaving during class and can practice between classes.

Class 2:  4 hrs  We will cover making stripes and other color work on your loom as well as discussing how to make color and weave structure work for you.  It’s amazing the effects you can achieve just using color order. 

Class 3:  4hrs  Here we will move away from plain weave and the over-one-under-one structure to explore twills and lace structures.  Here’s where you will begin to appreciate the power of this little loom!

Class 4:  4hrs  Now that we know the basics and a bit beyond, we will discuss designing your own cloth and the process of choosing the right size yarns to work together and produce the cloth you want.  If desired by students, we can walk thru the process of designing your next project!  Then the sky’s the limit!

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