Classes Spring 2008

The Philadelphia Guild of Hand Weavers offers a variety of classes relating to the fiber arts throughout the year. To reserve a place in a class, please call the instructor. A $25 deposit will hold your place up to 2 weeks before the class. The full fee must be received by the instructor no later than two weeks prior to the first day of class. Checks should be made payable to PGHW. Refunds will be given if the class is not filled. Classes that are offered through the Main Line School Night must be registered and paid through them. 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.

We offer classes in Weaving, Spinning, Dyeing, Feltmaking and Basketry, listed below. More classes will be added as they are scheduled. Most of our adult classes run from September through June. There are also weekly weaving classes for homeschoolers during the school year, offered in 5 week segments. For information on the homeschooler classes, e-mail Nancy Shiffrin, or phone 610-649-6209.

Kids’ Weave Camp
1 week sessions M-F, July 7-11, and August 11-15
1-4pm
Fee: $135
Instructor: Nancy Shiffrin 610-649-6209, nancyshiffrin@comcast.net

This is a class for kids ages 9 and up, from beginner to experienced weaver. During the week, each participant will complete a handwoven project from start to finish. Projects can include scarves, table runners, bags, belts and bookmarks. All materials are included in the class fee. 4-6 students per class.

Registration: All classes are held at our guild house at 3705 Main St., in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. Please call or e-mail the instructor to register. A $25 nonrefundable deposit will hold your place until two weeks prior to the first class when full payment is due. Make checks payable to PGHW and send to the instructor who will then call you to confirm the class.

Cancellation and Refund policy: Students will receive a full refund if the class 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.

The following classes are the basis of our program and are offered regularly throughout the year:

Introduction to Four Harness Weaving
Weaving I (threaded patterns)
Weaving II (complex structures, doublecloth)
Handspinning
Felting
Tapestry
Dyeing

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.

Adele Bassett was introduced to tapestry weaving in 1994, studying with Robert Lowe in Divide, Colorado, and Rebecca Bluestone at the Taos Institute of Art, in New Mexico. She went on to publish profiles of Bluestone and Rachel Brown in Handwoven Magazine. Since becoming a corporate refuge in 2003, she's taught Walk In and Weave classes for PGHW, volunteers at the Camphill Kimberton weavery for developmentally disabled adults, and continues to experiment with rug-weaving, rep weave and tapestry techniques.

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.

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.

Pam Pawl has 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. She enjoys many types of weaving, but has been concentrating on hand dyeing silk warps, and weaving complex weaves with a computer assisted loom. She loves teaching new weavers, and through them is constantly exposed to the delight of discovery. Lately she has also been embroidering small art pieces, playing with a new way of creating beauty with fiber.