Students will learn the basics of both drop spindle and wheel spinning in this workshop.

The class will focus on spinning techniques but we will also explore color and fiber blending.

Students will produce both single and plied yarns.

This is an introduction to basic floor loom weaving, but with a sense of adventure and fun.

We will dress the loom and then weave a series of explorations of color, texture and pattern.

You will leave the workshop with an understanding of how to make the interaction of warp and weft work for you.

No previous weaving knowledge is necessary. This workshop is also appropriate for all beginning and intermediate weavers who would like a refresher on basic skills and new ideas.

This workshop will provide the opportunity to work with hog casing (gut).

When using strings of gut, it can be knitted, crocheted, woven, or used as a binder to hold armatures together.

Sheets of gut work just like paper mache; yet it sticks to itself, needing no paste or glue. T

he gut is very easily painted, dyed, inked, sharpied, kool-aided, food-colored, etc.

Even newspaper comics can be transferred to the surface! We will be blowing up some of the gut, drying and dyeing it to embed pieces in the raw gut.

This process more closely resembles the process used by the Native peoples of Alaska and will give participants a better understanding of how some of those beautiful gut parkas and bags are made.

Generate color excitement in your weaving by painting directly on the warp with dyes.

Warp painting permits free-flowing designs, provides an unlimited palette, and allows you to put several entirely different projects on one warp!

Using dyes, we’ll paint warps on and off the loom, and in more than one layer.

Students will learn how to expand the painted warp’s design potential in weaving with optical color mixtures, color-and-weave effects, color manipulations through weave structure, and making just a few harnesses seem like more.

Dye safety and methods for painting warps at home will be covered.

No previous dye experience is necessary.

Dramatic shapes can be achieved through visualizing garment design in three dimensions.

Experimenting with paper maquettes and commercially knit fabric ,we will investigate a range of solutions to garment structure, asking “why not?” as often as “how?”.

Tips and exercises will develop these skills as we use body measurements, tension swatches and visualized garment shapes to create our working patterns, resulting in a new sense of control and freedom as fanciful and unstructured garments take center stage.

Let the play begin! Basic hand and/or machine knitting skills (and an open mind) are required.

We will be using basic bead embellishment, embroidery, stitching and found objects to create mixed media sculpture.

Explore daily art making as spiritual practice through project based work, rich with personal meaning and story.

Inspiration will be gathered from creative exercises, drumming, meditation and movement. 

Weave strong wonderful contemporary baskets of heavy cotton paper.

Paint, stamp or sponge the color.

Then it’s your choice: focus exclusively on one basket technique, or explore several including bias plaiting, cathead weaving, hexagonal weave with interlacing, their endless variation and the rules that can certainly be broken.

Weaving options for all skill levels will be included. Be prepared to have fun!

Want to know the tips to help make the spinning process easy and comfortable?

In this class you’ll learn those along with how to spin yarns – thick, medium or thin – with consistency, using a variety of lovely fibers!

Students will also have the option of learning different dye methods (choice of natural dye or one-shot-style weak acid dye) for added color and design possibilities, with an emphasis on safety and quality dyeing.

Participants will create yarn for a small knitting project (knitted hat or mittens, gloves, or scarf/shawlette), which after our four days together, they’ll be on their way towards making the project they envision!

Learn to construct a generous 18” tray for your personal entertaining.

Simple plaiting is the major technique in this workshop.

A grooved cherry base, as well as all of the materials are provided for the completion of this heirloom.

Hand carved heart handles are supplied by the instructor to finish this elegant tray.

John’s teaching style allows both the dedicated purist and the novice to coexist in the classroom and to successfully complete his or her project.

Explore weaving puckers, pleats, tubes, pockets and color blocks.

Learn to design, set up and weave on a warp that shows one of the many aspects of double cloth.

Using a variety of materials and finishing techniques, you will create many samples in this round-robin class.

This workshop will begin with an introduction to various knots and setting up procedures through demonstrations and slide lectures.

The main trust will be to render a knotted landscape using traditional techniques but in materials not usually associated with macramé.

For anyone, including artists and educators, who wants an overview of basic techniques in fibers, this is the class!

Tentatively scheduled are the basics in spinning on a drop spindle, microwave dyeing with Kool-Aid, felting, elemental plaiting, inkle loom weaving, speed tapestry weaving, and Japanese Kumihimo braiding.

This class is jam packed, all techniques are explained on the most basic level, terrific for those who will be transferring the knowledge to students of their own, plenty of handouts, plenty of opportunities to explore fiber as an art form!

NO EXPERIENCE IN FIBERS IS NECESSARY!

Each student will have the opportunity to experiment with a wide variety of materials and techniques using knitting machines.

Beginners will quickly learn the basics and immediately begin to experiment, while students with prior machine knitting experience will have the opportunity to challenge assumptions about what is possible with a knitting machine.

This workshop is a hands-on, challenging and exciting opportunity for each student to create an impressive collection of exciting and unexpected samples, including a project if desired.

Several lectures will be presented on color and design for contemporary tapestry.

Following each lecture, participants will work on design and color exercises that pertain to the preceding presentation.

Particular emphasis will be given to geometric design principles and to the color theories of Johannes Itten and Josef Albers.

There will be opportunity for exercises and tapestry techniques will be demonstrated.

There is an option of weaving on looms provided by Peters Valley or students may work on their own tapestry looms.

With wire cloth, wire & a torch learn techniques such as knitting, crocheting, looping and braiding as well as twining and color blending.

Explore basketry forms and basket related jewelry.

Students will receive a selection of various meshes of wire cloth, as well as wire to get a chance to explore as many of the techniques as they wish.

Students will be introduced to one of the most ancient and unusual yarn, hand-tied and twisted ramie “karamushi”.

They will learn how to create this yarn from the very raw material and weave with them as weft.

They will also learn how to reel, wind, and warp extra fine silk.

Using this as a warp, they will weave in plain structure and explore the possibility of creating extreme sheer fabric with “karamushi” and many other unique materials such as silk stainless steel, horse hair, bamboo, and crepe.

Students will use crochet stitches to explore textural and sculptural effects.

Small samples will be made to compare rigidity, flexibility and tactility of materials and stitch manipulation.

The instructor will assist each student in exploring concepts of focus to achieve works in 3-D.