Please introduce yourselves. 

Nice things to include are:

Short bio

What kind of looms you use

What kind of weaving you do

that sort of thing. :)

Comments

AutumnWeaves (not verified)

My name is Autumn and I live in Connecticut. 

I do mainly tapestry weaving, traditional and Navajo style, and inkle/tablet weaving.

My looms:

Harrisville 4 shaft 36 inch floor loom

Ashford tapestry loom (the big one)

Kromski Harp (the 22 inch one)

C.Cactus Navajo looms

Gilmore Inkle loom

Handmade Inkle loom

I am starting a project called Weaving New England.  This will be a community weaving project.  You can read more about it on my blog:  www.AutumnWeaves.com

I also spin and dye my own yarns for weaving.

dteaj (not verified)

Hi Autumn. Interesting project and your tree in progress is pretty cool too! Are you making a tapestry style loom for the project? Do you have any idea yet where you will be taking the loom? The big Massachusetts fiber festival is in the late spring, as you probably know already.

I'm Debbie and I'm from Massachusetts. I mostly weave with my handspun for clothing, but lately I've taken some side turns into collapse weaves with my own and Habu yarns. I mostly do 4 harness weaves, but occasionally  dabble in 8 harness, inkle, tablet and backstrap weaving. I like most fibers, but probably mercerized cotton least and some blend of silk most, with flings into the world of linen.

Looms:

Schacht 8 harness 45" floor loom

Louet Kombo 40 4 harness 16" table loom - soon to be upgraded to 8 harness when the extra 4 come in from Holland

Schacht inkle loom

Tablets

Sticks for a backstrap loom :-)

Guilds:

Weavers Guild of Boston

Nashoba Weavers Guild

 

I just took a 3 day class with Leslie Ruby through Nashoba Weavers on 3D weaves that was totally awesome. Not down off the high yet...

 

lkautio (not verified)

Hi, I'm in MA, too.  I've been weaving since 1985 and finished the Master program at Hill Institute in 2000 under Jeanetta Jones.  I teach any level but really enjoy teaching more advanced levels. 

Looms you use: 32S LeClerc Weavebird compudobby, 8S Macomber, 4S Harrisville

Kind of weaving you do: Love laces, but interested in any complex interlacement on any number of shafts.  Lately I've been playing with the 'Bird like a jacquard, and combining structures (current project combines three different laces and a twill).  Have my 4S set up with Lace Bronson and a shaft switching device (which needs work), and an advancing twill on the 8S, leftover from a class. I like silk, linen, tencel, cotton - but not straight wool. Combinations of different fibers with different reflectivities and small color differences intrigue me at the moment.  I'm a study group junkie (mostly through Complex Weavers) so a lot of what I do ends up cut into little pieces (process rather than product oriented.  For the past 5 or 6 years I have been studying Japanese textiles (mostly mid-century modern) through the absorption method, which is starting to influence my design work.

Guilds: Weavers Guild of Boston (Dean), Pioneer Valley Weavers, Weavers of Western MA, Weavers Guild of Springfield, Complex Weavers (past-pres.), HGA

Laurie

 

spiderbesideher (not verified)

Hi, I'm in NH.  I've been weaving since 2003 and seem to have "fiber ADD" since I also started spinning and dyeing that year and can't seem to embrace one without dragging the other two into it.

I'm playing with Lace weaves right now and tartans and tapestry. I'm trying to focus on my guild's rating plan as a way to keep moving forward.

Looms:

4 harness Harrisville

4 harness Dorothy table loom

Ashford tapestry loom

Loom in a tube

Schact "School" loom

I'm a member of the NH Weavers Guild and HGA.

 

I am envious of dteaj!  I took Ruby's color class last spring and she is such a good teacher/explainer.  I'd like to take anything she'd like to teach.

Pam

 

dteaj (not verified)

No, no! I'm envious of you!

I'd love to take her color class. Ruby included really interesting colorways in her projects for the 3D class. I was really interested in how she combined bright and dull colors to make the whole cloth sing.  She has a great sense of humor too.

RedPhillip (not verified)

Hello Weaving Comrades:

Short bio:  I'm Phillip Allen, live in Winsted, CT, and have been weaving for about 12 years.  I am a partner in a studio venture, The Workhouse Studio, here in town.  The Facebook link below leads to our page there, though unfortunately you must have a Facebook account to view it.  Our website is under construction.

What kind of looms you use:  Varpa Finlandia 120cm 12 harness counterbalance; Schacht 36" low castle 4 harness; Schacht  25" 8-harness table loom; Kromski Harp 24" and 32" rigid heddle; Hill Creek Fiber Studio 6' square frame loom.

What kind of weaving you do: yardage; rugs; scarves, throws, etc.

 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Winsted-CT/The-Workhouse-Studio/124330958818

esmesmom (not verified)

Greetings!

I'm Laura Benjamin from right on the Canadian border in Canaan, VT.  I started weaving in July and am on my second project.  That's slow but I also spin, knit some, quilt, and learned some about dyeing this summer.  That because a full-time job makes me crazy and the crafty stuff keeps me from losing it entirely.

I have the one loom that came from some barn in Massachusetts.  I bought it from a friend, the rescuer and rehabber of the loom.  We think it may be Canadian.  It's got 4 shafts and it works for $300.  That'll do for now.

So far I have a very long table runner all done, and fabric for cushion covers on the loom.  I can see making fabric to sew a whole slew of things, plus scarves of course, and who knows what else...Something tells me this is going to be fun!

periwinkle (not verified)

Hi All,

I'm Phyllis, live on Cape Cod and have been weaving since 1986. Trained on Early American Looms (barn looms) in VT. Right now my equipment consists of  two macomber 40" 8h, a barn loom and a harrisville T6 that is looking for a new home. Never mind the spinning wheels and lots of etc to go along with all of that. I  work for a couple of small historical societies weaving and restoring/maintaining their antique equipment. I hope to be of help to anyone who has barn loom questions as most of my weaving life has been spent weaving on them. I've woven everything from 40/2's linen to blankets on them and while right now I'm using my Macombers, I still spend several hours a week with a c1795 loom I'm using to do a project for a local historical society.  Here's to a productive and healthy winter for all!

 

weaverbird53 (not verified)

Hi all,

I'm G, and I live in Connecticut.  I learned to weave in 1984.  Spinning and natural dyeing soon followed and fiber quickly took over my brain, as it will.*g*  I wove acres of cottons and wools (and some linen and silk), with an emphasis on functional items – towels, table linens, yardage to sew, ponchos and ruanas, throws and blankets, scarves, tops.  I usually opted for simple weave structures and relatively fine threads. Most of my things were plain weave or balanced twills, although I dabbled in overshot, summer & winter, lace weaves, and so on.  For the past several years I haven't been weaving much, but finding Weavolution has rekindled the yen to weave  – this time with a focus on the hand-manipulated techniques I used to skip over as being too slow.  There's a partially done tapestry on one loom that I am thinking about *finally* finishing.  And I've warped another loom for a piece of knotted pile to make into a bag – AND I made a set of cards and am in the process of my first tablet weaving.  Such fun!

Looms: 
45" 4-shaft Leclerc Nilus,
a Baby Wolf 8-shaft,
a Leclerc 32" 4-shaft direct tie-up Initiation. 
Plus an ancient 4-shaft Dorothy table loom I've used for students, a Schacht tapestry loom, a couple bead looms, an inkle loom…  

I'm sure you all know how it is – weaving equipment just seems to follow me home!   And the yarn!  I look at my stash and wonder, how on Earth did I accumulate all this treasure?
 

mlmweave (not verified)

Hi, my name is Mary and I've been weaving since 1986.  Over the past few years, I have been on a painted warp kick - through a group of like minded weavers, we've been able to rent a dye studio to do the dying.  It is amazing to see how a plain white warp can morph into a rainbow of colors on the loom.

I typically weave scarves, table linens and yardage. My sewing skills are limited - so, I take advantage of patterns that require simple sewing techniques.  I've also spent time with some structures - like summer and winter and advancing twills.  I'm now spending some time doing collapse weaves and really enjoy seeing the flat woven piece turn into a scrunched piece! 

I enjoy weaving with bamboo, rayon and tencel. This past year, I dabbled with using more wool in my weaving.

I've recently started teaching "weave a scarf" class to get students interested in weaving.  From that, I've been able to continue teaching the students in a private student setting.  This next step in my weaving career has really been exciting for me.

Looms:

45" 24-shaft Leclerc Weavebird (used - but new to me)

40" 10-shaft Macomber

50" 4-shaft Harrisville

plus a myriad of other table looms and some smaller floor looms that I use for my weaving students. 

 

Fiddler2 (not verified)

Hi Folks,

 I am Fiddler2 and I weave in Southern Maine. Although I have been weaving since mid 1990's, I have recently been inspired to kick into high gear. I did have  45" and 18' Schacht floor looms which I had to let go due to necessity. However, I stumbled across a real find, a Cambridge floor loom (circa mid 1900's), 45" 4H that needed a lot of TLC, for $200.00!!

I love the feel of the history of this piece of equipment, and am already planning to retrofit it to 8H. It came to me assembled incorrectly, and had been retrofitted with the treadles in back, and lamms out of alignment. The castle was assembled incorrectly as well. After a lot of measuring and figuring I managed to realign it, and it works fine!

I am happy to have found this site, and look forward to a lot of inspiration!

 

 

weaver85 (not verified)

Hi, I'm Rebecca from NH.  I started weaving at uni for my art degree and have been loving it ever since.  I mostly used 10/2 and 20/2 cotton, love doing all sorts of twills and have recently been doing a lot of natural dyeing.  I'm back in the States after living in the UK for almost 2 years, so I just joined HGA and am starting to look around for more local guilds.  Any suggestions?

Looms:  My dad and I built an 8 harness, 45" floating shaft loom 4 years ago.  It has issues with some of the lamms, but works well otherwise. 

 

 

lkautio (not verified)

Hi Rebecca, The best place to start is the big NH Weavers Guild.  They meet on the third Wed of each month in Concord.  Even if you can't go at that time, they will be able to help you find connections: http://www.nhweaversguild.org/

Depending on where you live in NH, there are also some small NH, MA, and ME guilds/guild-like groups (see information on Mainely Weavers and NOBO for example), or the VT Weavers Guild <http://vermontweaversguild.org/links.html>.  Quite a few of the southern NH weavers also come to the Weavers Guild of Boston meetings in Westborough, MA on the second Wed of the month:  http://www.weaversguildofboston.org/

There is more information about the area guilds on the NEWS (New England Weavers Seminar) website: http://www.newenglandweaversseminar.com/~l/index.php

You can also ask at local weaving yarn stores, such as Harrisville or the Fiber Studio in Henniker.  They offer weaving classes of various levels.  If you are up for a ride, Hill Institute in Florence, MA (near Webs, the biggest yarn store) offers weekly classes leading to master weaver certification.  Several of the guilds, including Boston, NH, and CT offer master programs that can be done by mail.

Happy Weaving!

Laurie Autio

weaver85 (not verified)

Thank you so much for the info!  Especially the master programs.  I've been thinking about doing it through HGA, but it's nice to know all the options out there.  I've taken classes at Harrisville and Haystack before, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the community :)

weavergirl40 (not verified)

Hi Everyone,

I'm also from NH.  I've been weaving since 2000, but very infrequently. This site has inspired me to weave a little everyday and I'm looking forward to trying new projects. I love working with bamboo and cotton chenille. I currently have a 36" 4H Harrisville loom.

I am self-taught and would love to take some formal classes if I could find them in my area (near the White Mountains)

 

usonian (not verified)

Hi folks,

My name is Andy and I'm in central Massachusetts, right on the NH border.

I've been on weaving hiatus since 1994; I took a weaving elective in college and really loved it, but I was also totally spoiled by the 4-harness floor loom I got to use in the class. 

In the years since then I haven't had the right combination of time, space, and money to get back into it, and smaller/simpler looms just never lit the same spark in me.   But all these years later, several circumstances have aligned and next week I'm going to be bringing home a used Harrisville loom (Yay Christmas present from my wife!) Once I clean her up and scrape together the requisite tools, accessories, and some yarn I plan to pick up right where I left off, weaving tartans.

Beyond that, who knows?

lkautio (not verified)

Andy, Depending on where you consider central MA, you might enjoy joining one or more of the guilds along the CT River.  There are two in Northampton.  Pioneer Valley Weavers meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 (social time starts at 6:00) at Webs <http://pioneervalleyweavers.org/> in Northampton.  Author Gail Callahan will speak on dyeing at the Feb. meeting.  Weavers of Western MA meets on the 4th Wednesday of the month at Hill Institute <http://hillinstitute.com/about.htm> in the Florence section of Northampton at 2:00.  The Jan. lecture there is by Brigita Fuhrmann on Transparency (inlay) weaving.  Hill has a 6 year master weaver certification program which you might find interesting. The Weavers Guild of Springfield generally meets on the first Saturday of the month <http://www.weaversspring.com/> . Their next program is by Susan Wright, one of the master weavers from Hill, discussing the master program. If you are in the Worcester area, there are guilds there, as well as NHWG which meets in Concord, NH on the third Wednesday of the month. <http://www.nhweaversguild.org/> If you are free, I'd encourage you to join Weavers Guild of Boston, which meets in Westboro (just off 495) on the second Wednesday of the month.  It is the biggest guild in New England.  Each meeting has a choice of 3 or 4 morning classes and an afternoon lecture.  In Feb. we will have Peter Collingwood Day, and a celebration of rug weaving.  Author Jennifer Moore will be giving class, lecture, and extended workshop (Doubleweave beyond the basics) in March.  <http://www.weaversguildofboston.org/> see education.  Hope to see you at one of these guilds!

Laurie Autio

Marie P

Hello everyone,

I am in love with weaving and sewing. Weaving is relatively new to me ~ 5 years and feeling like I am just getting started. I belong to the Nashoba Valley Weaving Guild and am constantly inspired and nurtured by their work and help. 

I have an 8 shaft Might Wolf I purchased from a lovely woman in Ohio with all the bells and whistles, a little 4 shaft fold up loom I inherited from my husband's grandmother along with various little tapestry, inkle and sampling looms, and a 23 inch rigid heddle purchased new.  

My favorite project is creating fabric to then make a garment from. I've actually only woven fabric on the rigid heddle loom to create tailored pieces. Someday I'll move up to the 4 heddle, but until then, I am having fun creating cool fabrics to play with. 

Marie Porteus

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