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Western weaving

For young people from age 12, students and adult beginners

Teacher Mirja Wark

Basic weaving

Four five-day weeks will provide you with a good basis for handweaving on table looms. Eight weaving techniques will be covered, two per course. Every day theory and practice will alternate. After one week you can take home two woven items. You can choose whatever is best for you: separate weeks or one consecutive course period. See the calendar for the option.
After the course you can continue independently.

Basic weaving 1

Warping, dressing the loom, weaving, rag rugs, Finnish Raanu

Content: What is weaving, weaving process, making a weaving plan, warp calculation, warp reeling, dressing the loom, loom knowledge, function of the loom, using stick and ski-shuttle, preparation of rags, stripe designs, weaving, rag weaving, warp finishes for coarse yarn, weaving technique, Raanu design, Raanu weaving, working with wool, notation of weaving, weaving on warp of double plied yarn.


Basic Weaving 2

Drafting, chequered patterns, fake patterns, colour theory, dying 

Contents: Notation of weave patterns, weaving with square setting, warp-faced or weft-faced, determining the reed density for yarn, stripe warp reeling, creating and weaving a chequered pattern, weaving with a boat-shuttle, bobbin winding, weaving with fine yarn (cottolin or knitting cotton), finishing and after treatment, fine warp finishes, colour theory, colour wheel dying.


Basic weaving 3 

Twill weaving, returning twill patterns, knowledge of materials

Content: basic twill, twill effects, weaving with wool, returning twill patterns in warp, weft and warp and weft direction, smooth and broken returns, broken thread repair, finishing of wool fabrics, knowledge of materials, yarn numbering, analysing unknown yarn.


Basic weaving 4

Tabby weave+, fabric analysis, false damask, band weaving 

Contents: variations in sleying, designs for multiple types of yarns, warp with multiple yarns, weaving on a mixed warp, fabric analysis, false damask, wool carding, spinning wool on a spindle or on a spinning wheel, belt weaving with a comb, band weaving with pattern selections. 

Beyond the basics

In-depth knowledge for people who have mastered the basics in four separate courses of one week.

During these courses weaving is studied in-depth. After one week you can use a floor loom. The topics addressed include: weave patterns, drafting, various types of looms, various notations, how to read books and magazines, tie-up of the loom and free application of patterns, exploring possibilities with more shafts, translating a design into the weave and designing for a project.

Beyond the basics A

Various fabrics on one warp 

Honeycomb, corduroy, monks belt, design, applications, tertiary colour wheel dying, finishing techniques.


Beyond the basics B

Overshots (Dräl, half dräl, simple dräl)

Simple overshot, free overshot, classic large overshot, free large overshot. Weaving with tabby and pattern wefts, designs and applications.


Beyond the basics C

Transparencies

Lace weave, ajour, leno lace, Swedish lace, threaded and selected, working with a warping paddle.


Beyond the basics D

Double weaving

Double width, round, double faced, filled, designing for double weaving, notations, literature, tricks, warping paddle, fly-shuttle weaving. 


Beyond the basics E

Taqueté and Samiet, two ancient Persion weaving techniques

Taken from obscurity by Liban Pollet in the 1980s. Together with the students, the techniques have been dusted off and wonderful contemporary fabrics appear.


Workshops

Time: 10.00am – 4.00pm 

Rate: € 70 per person per day including lunch. 

Children under 12 years € 35 per day.

  1. Rope-making: for everyone from elementary school children to grandfathers and grandmothers – one day
  2. Band weaving on a rigid heddle frame: everyone, as above – two days 
  3. Basic card weaving: for 12 + persons – two days 
  4. Band weaving on comb: after band weaving course – two days
  5. Quick warping on the warping board and mill with the heddle frame: all weavers – one day