August 27, 2022

Show & Tell Challenge: Sustainability

A special Show & Tell on the topic of sustainability: how do we think about the environment and make modifications in techniques, fibers and materials? The challenge is open to any medium or technique.

Complete details are here. Submission deadline: August 23     

See the entries!  Zoom Meeting Video on YouTube    Slide Show PDF

Hear Ellen Phelps of the Francis Irwin Handweavers present their MAFA grant project from start to finish. Learn about their entire process: planting, harvesting, preparing the flax for spinning, spinning, and finally, weaving, their setbacks and recovery while conducting this project during the pandemic.  

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Historically, linen textile workers were experts at their specialize tasks, farming, retting, braking, spinning and weaving. The participants decided they wanted everyone to experience each facet of producing the flax, so each tried their hand at every task. The result, as one would expect, was the full spectrum of quality in every stage, from novice to expert skill levels. See how the guild coped with the variety and created a praiseworthy and gratifying outcome.

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https://www.francesirwinhandweavers.org

October 29, 2022
Combining Wood and Woven Fiber
Kate Casey, Peg Woodworking

Peg Woodworking is a Brooklyn based company created in 2014 by designer and woodworker Kate Casey. With an intense material curiosity born out of several years as a sculptor and fabricator, each design is approached with the utmost attention to form and function. Paying tribute to the clean lines and intricate weaving found in Shaker and Scandinavian design, Peg Woodworking provides a contemporary take on traditional design. 
 
While gathering pattern inspiration from Nordic, Peruvian, and American Indian weaving, each piece is hand woven in-house with a unique array of patterns and colors. Through combining the intricate aesthetics of the hand weaving with the angular geometry and clean lines of the woodworking, each piece finds a harmonious balance of bold and delicate details. Since starting Peg Woodworking in 2014, it has remained an all-female run operation and is proud to participate in community outreach programs which expose young women and under resourced communities to woodworking and design. 

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http://www.pegwoodworking.com

January 28, 2023
Crazyshot - Creative Overshot Weaving on the Rigid Heddle Loom
Myra Wood 

Myra Wood is the author of Crazyshot!, Crazyshot Companion, Knit in New Directions, Creative Crochet Lace and Crazy Lace along with numerous published patterns in books and magazines. Myra’s been a guest instructor on numerous episodes of Knit and Crochet Now, Knitty Gritty and Uncommon Threads and Knitting Daily on PBS, HGTV and DIY Network.

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“There is nothing I love more than inspiring people creatively through teaching needlearts. I truly believe everyone is creative and I want to help you rediscover the joy and freedom while creating through needlework.”

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Myra has been crafting, sewing, knitting, and crocheting since she was young and studied fine art painting and drawing at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Philadelphia College of Art. She’s enjoyed a long career in commercial art and lives in Haverford, PA with her husband, Page and her Italian Greyhound, Beanie. Page is also an artist and for much of their careers, they’ve worked side by side, creating art for the entertainment industry in Los Angeles. Their work can be seen at Woodworksart.com

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Myra Wood is an internationally known fiber artist, designer, author and teacher. She teaches a wide range of classes in knitting, crochet, embroidery, and beading, specializing in all things creative. Her online classes are available at Craftsy.com  
    
https://www.myrawood.com/

February 25, 2023
Weaving with Mixed Media Materials
Hyunsoo Alice Kim  

Hyunsoo Alice Kim is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator based in New York and Seoul. Her unique art and research works have been invited to numerous international exhibitions and conferences. She also develops textile-related products with companies and hotels, curates exhibitions, teaches at various departments in higher education, and conducts research on innovative textiles and art education for future implementations.  

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Kim’s art practice is rooted in historical research on Korean aesthetics, her personal experiences as a modern nomad, and her expertise in various material development. Her research of Korean aesthetics started as a process of finding her own cultural roots when she returned to Korea after several years of study abroad. Kim defines Korean aesthetics as harmony with nature, beauty of curves, practicality (efficiency), modesty, and sustainability, as it is found in forms of Korean traditional culture from music to fashion to architecture. 

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Kim holds a BFA in Textiles from Rhode Island School of Design and an MS in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. She also studied at Parsons School of Design (AAS Fashion Marketing) and Central Saint Martins (MA Textile Futures) in London, UK. She is currently a Doctor of Education in College Teaching candidate, a makerspace/ sculpture studio fellow, and an adjunct instructor at the Teachers College, Columbia University. Before coming to Columbia, she was an adjunct professor at Ewha Womans University and Seoul Women’s University.          

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www.aliceinweaveland.com  
www.instagram.com/studio_alice 

Drawlooms are amazing. The unique (and at times mysterious) mechanics of these ancient devices make them adaptable, powerful design tools for weavers who love traditional methods and decorative patterns. One of the most awesome features of drawlooms is the ease with which they can be built around a warp and reconstructed on the fly to accommodate the changing needs of the imaginative weaver. By examining the complex interplay between loom setup and design capability we can better understand how this iterative process works and gain a new appreciation for the versatility of these remarkable looms.

Amy Blair is a trained educator, engineer, and passionate handweaver who has dedicated her creative life to drawlooms and contemporary figurative damask. Although she is endlessly inspired by the weavings of old, her focus is on the re-imagining of traditional designs to reflect the world she sees around her. A resident of Pennsylvania’s sunny Lehigh Valley, she is as likely to include steel mills and automobiles in her pieces as the folk motifs of weavers past.

Amy’s work has been featured in Complex Weavers Journal and Joanne Hall’s book Drawloom Weaving. She has been granted Master Artisan status by the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and was a resident artist at the Banana Factory Arts Center in Bethlehem, PA in 2021/2022. Her YouTube channel, ‘Duelling Rabbits Handweaving’, is entirely — and uniquely — dedicated to the demystification of drawlooms and the textiles they make possible.

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https://duellingrabbits.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRlCdb9Yc-8s_wYCsgKdQeA    
https://www.instagram.com/duellingrabbitshandweaving

As weavers, spinners, fiber artists, and textile lovers, we work and live with a wide variety of fibers. This talk will shed light on the environmental effects of fibers and textiles and why we need to move urgently toward sustainable practices.

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Gigi Matthews’ keen interest in fibers and textiles is a result of decades of world travel to over 30 countries. She learned to spin while living in London, spoiled by access to UK rare wool breeds; as a herbalist, she has a soft spot for plant fibers, and she was thrilled to be awarded two ribbons for spinning at MAFA 2109. She taught at MAFA 2021, published articles in Ply Magazine and Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, and has been a speaker and panelist at Handweavers Guild of America events.
 

William Storms brings passementerie, the traditional word for French ribbon weaving, into the 21st century using everything from computer-assisted looms to ammunition. After taking a workshop in traditional French passementerie in 2012, he recently began weaving it using modern materials, like industrial boat rope, poly-coated vinyl, and felted wools, and created exaggerated large-scale versions of what was typically an inch wide. His experiments have revolutionized the woven form, from being a decorative edging for upholstered walls and furniture to grand scale artworks.

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William’s name is on the rise within the interior design world as he gracefully balances his senior designer role at Crypton fabrics with his personal practice of woven textile art. He recently partnered with NYC’s Crosby Street Studios, translating his handwoven work into an eponymous line of rugs available to the interior design trade. In Spring 2023, he will launch a collection of pillows and wall art for West Elm stores.

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“Taking information from the world and putting it through the loom makes sense to me. I really love working with data and presenting it in a different format.”    

https://www.william-storms.com/ 
https://www.instagram.com/william_storms/     
https://youtu.be/fgNuDIshWjg