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| The Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers, 3705 Main Street, Philadelphia, PA 19127, 215-487-9690 |
| Home Meetings Education Membership Exhibitions Members' Gallery Calendar Contact Links | Education The Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers offers a variety of classes relating to the fiber arts throughout the year. Guild Class Registration and Payment Process: Please phone or e-mail the class instructor, (unless otherwise noted) who will accept your registration and payment, and advise you where to send it. Registration forms can be downloaded here. Full payment for a class is due no later than 2 weeks prior to the first class to reserve your space. Checks should be made payable to the Philadelphia Guild of Handweavers. Cancellation and Refund policy: Students will receive a full refund if the class/workshop is cancelled due to low registration and will be notified no less than one week prior to the first class. Refunds minus a $25 cancellation fee will be given only if another person is found to take the student's place prior to the first class. There will be no refund after the first class. All classes will be held at 3705 Main St. in Manayunk, unless mentioned otherwise. There is easy access from I76 and the Septa R6 rail line. 2012 WINTER CLASS SCHEDULE ADULT CLASSES Imagine a plain, white piece of silk … now fold it … twist it … bind it. After dyeing, you’ll be amazed at the transformation! This class will introduce the participant to shibori, the ancient Japanese fabric dyeing technique that utilizes a variety of methods – wrapping, tying, stitching, folding, twisting – to create richly textured patterns of color on fabric. Students will focus on pole-wrapped or arashi shibori, stitch resist shibori, and clamped shibori. Participants will complete a series of finished pieces as well as fabric samples suitable for multiple uses. What’s in your Stash? Take the anxiety out of planning a project by identifying what you have in your stash and if you have enough for a project. Learn the burn test for identifying fibers and how to use the Mc Moran balance to easily calculate how many yards of yarn you have. Learn to interpret cone and wrapper labels and to substitute one yarn for another in a project. We will also talk about how yarns are processed and the characteristics of the "new" natural fibers? Bring your questions, a few yards of your mystery yarns, a notebook, calculator. Weaving ll - Woven Shibori Woven shibori can be woven on any loom that will create plain weave. Intricate resist patterns are created by incorporating supplementary weft or warp threads in a pattern that are then pulled tight after the cloth is woven creating folds in the cloth. Once the threads are pulled the fabric is dyed and dried. Then the pattern threads are removed and the cloth unfolds to reveal the resisted pattern. This is a fun class for anyone who loves color and bold surface pattern. Participants should know how to read a draft and thread their loom. Dyeing will take place during class. Each participant will thread a different pattern and sample all threadings with enough time to weave a finished piece. Rigid Heddle weavers are welcome! Warping 101 Refresher Interested in a lesson on How-To Warp a Loom or needing a refresher, this 2-day class will offer you just that. Our first class will involve planning, selecting yarns, designing and winding a warp. On the second class you learn to “dress” / thread the loom. As a bonus, you will be welcome to weave a scarf on the third class, and see the woven fruits of your labor as it evolves before your eyes. Handspinning on a Wheel 1 Learn how to spin yarn using a spinning wheel. This introductory class will teach you basic spinning wheel mechanics, how to draft and spin wool to produce 2-ply yarn. Gain confidence in your spinning as you focus to develop a comfortable and purposeful rhythm through lots of practice time. We will look at and discuss wool characteristics of various sheep breeds, fiber preparation methods and forms. Begin your journey to experience the joy of this artistic and utilitarian craft with sustainable impact. Weaving Project Class This is a great class for students who have completed a beginning weaving class and would like to make a project from start to finish under the guidance of an experienced instructor. Possible projects are a scarf, table runner or placemats. This class is also a refresher for anyone who would like to brush up on old weaving skills. Limit six students. WIAW “Walk in and WEAVE” You’ve always wanted to weave but it may have seemed beyond you, or you’ve tried weaving with primitive off-loom techniques, but want to take the process further. Here’s your chance to weave a scarf in one day! Using looms which have already been warped for you, you will Painted Warps and Skeins Explore the idea of color movement in your work, by learning to paint wool or silk warps or skeins with Acid dyes. Students will learn proper dye preparation, how to stretch a warp or wind their skeins, apply and set the dyes and then how to rinse without tangling, Students should bring several prepared warps and skeins: wool (or protein fiber) or silk. Dyes will be provided. A detailed materials list will be sent prior to the class. KID'S CLASSES Homeschool Weaving for Children & Teens This is a weaving class for homeschool students of all levels, from beginners on up. Join a group of fiber lovers and learn to weave on a four harness loom. We will make all types of handwoven items, from scarves, to bags and pillows. Handweaving exercises many skills including color and design, math, hand-eye coordination, and teaches love and respect for a time honored craft. Minimum age 8 yrs. The following classes are the basis of our program and are offered regularly throughout the year: Introduction to Four Harness Weaving-Weave I Other fiber-related classes and workshops that emphasize specific techniques or specialized subjects–e.g., children's programs, planning a project, papermaking, silk painting, tailoring, yarn, warping–are interspersed within the regular program. About our instructors: Maris Krasnegor has spent many years exploring textiles, woven, printed, stitched, embroidered - and currently, handfelted! Her work has been widely shown in area galleries, with recent felt wearables exhibited at Woven, Crafts for Living, Show of Hands, Wayne Art Center, DaVinci Art Alliance, Cosmopolitan Club. Her educational background includes a BA in Art History from Wellesley College, graduate study in textile design at Philadelphia College of Art (now U-Arts) and additional study in techniques of feltmaking with Beth Beede, Jorie Johnson, Chad Hagen, and others. Kachina Martin is an educator and fiber artist based in Adamstown, PA. She works in a variety of media, including collage and sculpture, but has been focusing primarily on shibori and textiles since 2002. Currently, Kachina is working to incorporate her interest in fibers with her collaged paper pieces to create multi-layered surfaces that blend texture and color with image and text. Kachina’s wearable fiber pieces - which include scarves, wraps, and handbags - are carried in several boutiques under the label A Howling Ruth Production and have been featured in a number of juried craft shows. Bette R. McCarron has been involved with weaving, basketry and other fiber arts for more than thirty years as a member of the PGHW and has attended local and regional workshops and won several PGHW awards. She enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for basketry through classes for childen and/or adults. A former Peace Corps worker in Grenada and certified Veterinary Technician, Bette's work combines influences from travel, animals and fiber arts. Maryanne McDevitt In 1973, Maryanne McDevitt took a weaving class taught by a member of the Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers. She immediately became enchanted, joined the guild, and purchased a floor loom. She studied tapestry weaving at the Edinburgh College of Art during a year spent in Scotland. She continued weaving while teaching elementary school, where her students all learned to weave on the ever-present loom in her classroom. While in Paris in 1990, she bought a large floor loom, wove on it during her stay and shipped it home, where it is now a part of her working studio. Now retired from full-time teaching, but busy as ever with guild outreach activities and demonstrations, she enjoys helping to spread her enduring love of weaving to others. Deb Moloshok With a BA in art and botany, Deb Moloshok has professionally worked as a graphic designerand scientific illustrator. In addition, she has been involved with fiber and other “tactile” arts: knitting, basketry, sculpture, and pottery. She learned handspinning from friends and artisans while living in the New York Finger Lakes region, in the early 1990’s. Immediately at ease with the tactile and contemplative rhythmic process, spinning was added to her ongoing activities. She enjoys the process of working from raw fleece to finished yarns, utilizing natural dyes for color. Deb joined the PGHW in 2007 and has attended classes and workshops to expand her fiber arts experiences and skills. Pam Pawlhas been teaching weaving and dyeing since 1980 and has been a member of the Phila Guild of HandWeavers for over 30 years. She received her BS in Textile Design in 1995. Her teaching experience includes assistant professor in Weave Design at Phila. College of Textiles, senior lecturer in weaving at University of the Arts, instructor for Fibers Concentration at Penland School of Crafts, instructor at Cannonhill Studio/ Woven Fiber Art House and has taught workshops for guilds and fiber conferences nationally. When not teaching, she works in her studio in Manayunk where she produces limited edition hand woven and dyed scarves shawls and throws. Her work has been exhibited at Convergence, Gershwin Y, Woven Fiber Art House, Paley Design Center, Penland Gallery and she has sold work at local and national craft shows. She is fascinated with color and structure possibilities and still is excited by every new warp. Nancy Shiffrin has a BA in studio art, with a concentration in Pottery. In the mid 1980's she discovered weaving, and she has been exploring the many dimensions of fiber ever since. In 1992 she received the Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving from the Handweaver's Guild of America. Her work has been exhibited widely, including Craftforms and Fiber National. She loves teaching weavers of all levels, adults and children, and through them is constantly exposed to the delight of discovery. Shannon Strain is a physician and registered nurse through formal education and a fiber junky by choice. She began her journey in the pursuit of fiber nirvana learning to sew at the age of 20 from the mother of a boy she was dating at the time. She enjoys garment construction, needle and nuno-felting, embroidery design, machine and hand knitting, weaving, spinning (yarn that is) and anything else dealing with fiber. Currently Shannon teaches at two area shops. Topics include computer design in embroidery, machine knitting and needle felting. Faith Varrone When Faith Varrone first sat down at a loom 22 years ago, she felt like she had come “home”. That experience took place at Moore College of Art where she majored in Textile Design. The majority of her training to become a weaver, however, took place with Pam Pawl and PGHW classes and workshops. For the past 5 years has spend time in her own home studio creating handwoven scarves and shawls which she sells at local craft shows. Her work has also been shown in several local galleries and she has won several PGHW awards. Naturally drawn to color and texture, inspiration for her work stems from observing the natural world and architectural elements. Duane Weber has a BFA in Art and Design from Iowa State University and an MFA in weaving from Tyler School of Art. He is currently a full-time studio artist. |