My Students
January 15-18, 2019 - Nancy - "Introduction to Weaving”
Nancy Calkins lives in Minnesota. She came to visit one of her sons who lives in Las Vegas in December 2018.
She wanted to learn how to weave and found me on the internet. On December 15, 2018 she came my home where I have a group of weavers, knitters, spinners, etc. that meet at my home once a month. We are part of the Las Vegas Fiber Arts Guild. I showed her samples of what she would be learning if she took my class.
First she would learn how to wind 4 different colors of butterflies out of 5/2 pearl cotton. These will be glued into a notebook that I will give her. She would learn how to wind a warp on my warping board and make a cross and tie it with 5 different pieces of yarn. She would make a chain and then learn how to wind the warp onto the back of the loom, thread the heddles with four different patterns and then the reed which determines the width of the piece. She would then tie the warp onto the front of the loom and begin weaving.
By the time the class would be over she will have woven 60 different patterns. All of these patterns are included in the notebook that I will give her. She will have glued butterfly yarn samples next to each pattern. I provide all of the yarn for my students.
My “Introduction to Weaving” classes last over 12 hours. My students usually come either 4 times for 3 hours each or 3 times for 4 hours each for a total of 12 hours. If they need more time they can come again until they finish their sampler.
Nancy was so excited to take my class that she flew from Minnesota to Las Vegas and spent 4 days with me learning how to weave. She was a fantastic student and I hope she will visit me the next time she comes to Las Vegas to visit her son.
Nancy is winding a butterfly.
Looks great.
Each butterfly represents a different warp pattern.
Nancy is winding Color 1 on the warping board.
Color 2 is finished and Color 3 is started.
Color 3 is wound.
Nancy counts 20 warps.
Then puts green yarn around each group of 20.
Warp is all wound.
A happy student with her warp of beautiful colors.
Cross is tied along with the rest of the warp.
Cross close-up. Chain will be made to take warp off loom.
Chain
Lease sticks are put in cross in chain and yarn holding cross is removed.
Raddle is placed on back beam.
Close-up of warp separated in raddle and lease sticks.
Raddle separates warp into one inch divisions.
Wooden dowel is slid into warp on back of loom.
Wooden dowel and metal rod are attached together.
View from front of loom.
Paper is inserted and warp is rolled onto back of loom.
Beautiful view from front of loom.
Great job.
Threading the heddles for the pattern.
First two colors are threaded.
Close-up view.
Rear view - Threading color number 3.
Front view- Threading color number 3.
Colors 1-3 are threaded through the heddles.
Rear View - Color 4 is almost threaded.
Great job Nancy.
Threading the reed determines the warps per inch.
Reed is threaded.
Warp is tied onto the front of loom.
Waste yarn is woven in.
Levers are pressed to form a shed.
Shuttle goes through the shed.
Weft is wound onto bobbin using a yarn winder.
Nancy enjoying her weaving.
Weaving progresses.
Beautiful fabric.
Nancy holding a boat shuttle with a bobbin filled with weft inside.
Rear view of loom.
Shuttle goes carefully through the shed.
Progress is made.
Weaving continues.
Almost finished.
Unwinding the woven piece from the loom.
Unwinding continues.
Nancy is un-doing her woven piece from the loom.
Nancy and Side 1 of her finished piece.
Nancy and Side 2 of her finished piece.
Side 1 of sampler.
Side 2 of sampler.
Nancy Calkins and Maurine Adrezin (Her Instructor)
An inkle band made by Nancy.
Another inkle band made by Nancy.