Classes & Workshops |
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The Triangle Weavers Guild strives to always engage its members in educational opportunities. Members can participate in variety of classes and workshops where they focus on their craft in a creative learning and fun-filled environment. Participants learn new techniques, master new skills or just enjoy being inspired and sharing information with other experienced and talented artisan weavers or textile artists.
Classes are taught by our talented guild members. These classes include beginning and specialty weaving classes, and classes in dyeing and other fiber arts, . Opportunities for individual instruction are listed on the Teachers page. |
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- Workshops are usually offered in a multi-day format and are taught by nationally recognized instructors. Some of the fiber artists who have held workshops for the Triangle Weavers Guild in past years include:
- 2017 Elisabeth Hill - Discovering Deflected Doubleweave
- 2016 Sara Lamb - Spin to Weave
- 2016 Robyn Spady - Block Party
- 2015 Daryl Lancaster -- Garment Construction
- 2014 Sarah Saulson -- The Joy of Color
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Class Cancellation Policy: Class fees are forfeited for cancellations which occur less than thirty days prior to the first class session unless the guild can fill the spot from a waitlist. Refunds are not given after the start of class.
Workshop Cancellation Policy: Workshop fees are non-refundable unless the guild can fill the spot from a waitlist. If your spot can be filled from the waitlist you will receive a refund of monies paid minus a $25 processing fee. Refunds are not given after the start of a workshop. For full details about Fee and Cancellation Policies for Classes & Workshops visit our Class Policies Page
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Illoominations:
Don't forget we have some great Illoomination (practically free mini-classes) for guild members. Check them out on the Illoominations page.
Don't forget we have some great Illoomination (practically free mini-classes) for guild members. Check them out on the Illoominations page.
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Over and Under: Weaving Basics
Friday - Sunday, July 12 - 14, 2019, 2 1/2 days Friday 3 pm - 7 pm, Saturday 9 am - 5 pm & Sunday 9 am - 5 pm Instructor: Leslie Fesperman Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $200 for members, $240 for non-members plus a materials fee of $25 paid to instructor Maximum class size: 5 Registration deadline: July 9, 2019 With the intention of functioning as an ‘on ramp’ to the craft of weaving, this introductory course offers new students the opportunity to begin their study. Through weaving a rayon scarf, the beginning weaver will be introduced to the four-harness loom while learning vital weaving skills including reading a draft, planning projects, preparing the loom, and weaving. Materials provided by teacher/TFAC: Four harness loom and accessories (shuttles, bobbins, sley and reed hooks, etc.) and yarn for scarf ($25 materials fee paid to instructor) Student should bring: Notebook/sketchbook; pencils, pen, highlighter. Bring your lunch on Saturday and Sunday and snacks if you like; hot drinks will be available. This class is now closed! |
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Sakiori! Silk and Batik as Wearable or Functional Art
Saturday, July 27, 2019, 10:00 am-4:00 pm Instructor: Dawn Hummer Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $60 for members, $80 for non-members plus a small materials fee paid to instructor for any purchased materials Maximum class size: 10 Registration Deadline: July 13, 2019 |
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Enjoy Sakiori weaving and choose your own project: a wearable mobius/scarf or a wall/table piece. This “no rules” style of weaving allows for designing in the reed, meaning you will create without a plan and design as you go – freestyle! Focus on color, texture, spontaneity and experimentation, resulting in a completely unique piece of wearable art or home décor! Techniques will include looping, alternative selvages, double and triple interlocking weft, floats, inlay, knots, inserts, slits and windows, Sakiori techniques, finger fringing and characteristics of specific yarns.
Sakiori utilizes cut or torn fabric strips of silk, cotton, batik, etc. for the weft. Strips of recycled and repurposed fabrics are perfect for this purpose. Bring your own stash of recycled silk or batik fabrics, torn into strips, or purchase from the instructor for a small materials fee. A sharing basket of “treasures” will be available if you would like to contribute bits and pieces of special yarns for pops of color along the way. This is your project so sett and fiber are totally up to you. The class will focus on weft techniques. Black or navy in any fiber are suggested for the warp to allow for maximum designing with weft. While no specific sett is required, 8-20 epi work well depending on your fiber. Also, while no specific warp width or length are required, 7-20” in width are recommended. Looms must be warped in advance of the class. You can use your own loom, rent one of 4 pre-warped Saori looms from the instructor for $25, or use one of a limited number of guild looms available on a first-come, first-served basis. Guild looms will need to be warped at TFAC prior to class and remain on the premises at TFAC. TFAC will be open on occasion during the week before the class to provide time for warping. Please indicate on your registration form if you would like to rent a Saori loom from the instructor or use a guild loom. Prerequisites: Ability to warp a loom independently unless renting a pre-warped loom from the instructor. Participants should bring a tapestry needle and your warped loom with plenty of weft fabric strips and yarns for your project. Bring your lunch and a snack if you like; hot drinks will be available. To register for this class, click here |
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Beginning Color
8 Wednesdays, beginning August 28, 2019, 1-3 pm (August 28; September 4, 11, 18; October 2, 9, 30; and November 13) Instructor: Rose Warner Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $160 member, $200 non-member, plus a $10 materials fee for handouts and boards for wraps Registration Deadline: August 23, 2019 Class size: 8 student limit |
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Have you ever felt paralyzed when trying to decide what colors to use for your weaving project? This class will teach you about color and design theory and how to combine colors to build your confidence in making color choices that will produce beautiful woven goods. Class participants will experiment with a variety of color schemes (monochromatic, complementary, analogous, etc.) and learn the importance of color value, tints, and tones. Class activities will include reading, extensive color study homework, and 3 weaving assignments to be done at home between sessions. The class will meet at TFAC on 8 Wednesdays over 3 months from August 28 through November 13.
Participant Requirements:
To register online, click here |
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Double Weave Overshot
September 5, 6, and 7 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM each day Instructor: Jackie Heller Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost for each class: $180 for members, $220 for non-members plus $5 materials fee handouts Level: Intermediate and above Maximum class size: 6 Registration Deadline: August 15, 2019 |
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Any draft that is threaded in an odd-even order can be used to create a double weave overshot structure. The resulting fabric looks like the original design but it is an integrated two-layered plain weave structure which avoids the problem of long floats, making it a very stable cloth.
Participants will choose one of four patterns provided by the instructor. Looms will be warped back-to-front. The instructor will provide instructions in advance for winding a 2 ½ - 3 yard warp that will need to be wound onto the back beam prior to the first class and ready for threading during class. Time permitting, the instructor will demonstrate converting a four-shaft overshot drawdown to a double weave pattern using FiberWorks PCW. Prerequisites: Intermediate or higher weaving experience. Students should be very comfortable threading a lot of heddles and warping their looms independently. Participants should provide your own 5/2 cotton for warp and weft in two colors: one dark and the other light/contrasting. You will need approximately ¾ lb. of each color. You may also choose to bring a third color to change the appearance of the underside of the fabric. This is a two-shuttle weave; bring your own shuttles if you like. Plan to bring your lunch each day and a snack if you like. Hot drinks will be available at TFAC. NOTE: Any 4 harness loom can be used for this workshop. However an 8-treadle loom will make the treadling for this project simpler. The guild has looms available for participants to use if needed (and some of those looms are 8-treadle looms). The guild looms must remain on the premises at TFAC so you will need to plan to beam your warp at TFAC if using a guild loom. TFAC will be open on occasion during the week before the class to provide access to the looms. Please indicate if you need to use a guild loom on your registration form. Online registration will open on Monday, 7/8/19 at noon |
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Color Blending and Texture: A Workshop with Jan Friedman
Friday- Sunday, Sept 27-29, 2019, 9:00am – 4:00pm Instructor: Jan Friedman Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $275 member, $315 non-member, plus a $40 materials fee covers 1 bag of yarn gradations, silk and fabric strips as well as a small bag of accent yarn Registration Deadline: September 6, 2019 Class size: 16 student limit |
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This workshop will teach you how to weave slow color gradations using color groupings. This approach is effective not only in tapestries but also in rugs, table linens, and garments. It is possible to achieve wonderfully rich colors by combining numerous thin yarns of varying shades. By choosing different fibers such as rayon, wool, cotton, silk, and metallic yarn, you also can add subtle textural interest to your work. Further textural effects will be explored by working with dyed silk, and cotton fabric strips.
Check out Jan's website: www.janfriedmanfiber.com
Prerequisites: Some weaving experience; ability to warp a loom independently
Participants should bring:
Note: There are a limited number of looms available for students to use on a first come first serve basis. Misc weaving tools are also available.
To register online (MEMBERS ONLY), click here
Registration for NON-MEMBERS opens Monday, 7/15/19 at 12 noon
Check out Jan's website: www.janfriedmanfiber.com
Prerequisites: Some weaving experience; ability to warp a loom independently
Participants should bring:
- A pre-warped floor, table or tapestry loom, threaded at 6 epi, straight draw, 10” wide, 2 yards long, using natural carpet warp or cotton seine twine (12/6 or 12/9) for warp. Weaving accessories used for weaving, e.g. shuttles, bobbins, beating forks, etc), loom bench.
- Bring lunch and a snack. Hot drinks will be provided.
Note: There are a limited number of looms available for students to use on a first come first serve basis. Misc weaving tools are also available.
To register online (MEMBERS ONLY), click here
Registration for NON-MEMBERS opens Monday, 7/15/19 at 12 noon
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Get Your Warp On - A Beginning Weaving Intensive Study
Saturdays and Sundays, October 12-13, and 19-20, 2019, 9:30-2:30, Saturday, October 26, 9:30-2:30 and Sunday, November 3, 1 -3 PM Instructor: Marion Flint Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $240 member, $280 non-member, plus a $20 materials fee covers syllabus, photo CD, and yarn Registration Deadline: September 15, 2019 Class size: 6 student limit |
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This class is designed for:
No prerequisites 4-Harness Floor looms and all materials will be provided. Note: Although the sessions are planned to give time for completing the projects, students may need to come into TFAC drop-in sessions (Tuesday and Saturday afternoons) to weave between classes. Online registration opens Monday 8/12/2019 at 12 noon |
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October 29 – 30, 2019 – Patsy Zawistoski
Spinning with Weaving in Mind How about spinning and weaving with your own unique yarns? Don’t be intimidated about spinning warp any longer. We’ll learn to spin different types of smooth and textured warp yarns and I’ll help you understand why these yarns meet the requirements for warp. We’ll also spin fluffy weft yarns. We'll learn about the calculations and how to adapt them to your own situation. Students will choose a colorway: purple/blue, blue/green, green/yellow, yellow/orange, orange/red, or red/purple. We will do some wrappings and a small weaving to sample warp ideas. If you want to coordinate the class yarns with some from your handspun stash, bring about 100 yards of smooth 2 or 3-plied handspun in your chosen colorway. This could be part of your warp. In class, we’ll spin the complementary wool and mohair as textured warp and weft yarns. More details to follow |
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Warp Painting/Dye Day
Two 1-day sessions are being offered: Friday, May 31, 2019, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm - New! Saturday, June 1, 2019, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm Instructor: Mary Kircher Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $45 for members, $65 for non-members plus a materials fee of $10 paid to instructor Maximum class size: 8 Registration deadline: May 24, 2019 |
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Add unique color to your weaving projects with warp painting. Blend and overlap colors to create your one-of-a-kind palette on scarves, linens, or yardage. The class will include a brief discussion of color theory, dye safety, and color mixing, considerations for dyeing scarves or other projects, and finally warp painting techniques.
Pre-requisites: No dye experience is necessary, but you must be prepared to prepare a warp prior to class. Participants should bring two prepared warps 3 yards or shorter (cotton, linen, tencel, bamboo, or silk) and a willingness to experiment. Details about preparing warps will be provided by the instructor before the workshop. Plan to bring your lunch and a snack if you like. Hot drinks will be available at TFAC. This class is now closed! |
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Traditional Shibori Techniques
Saturday, June 8, 2019 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Instructor: Kelli Crispin Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $60 for members, $80 for non-members plus a materials fee of $15 paid to instructor Maximum class size: 8 Registration deadline: May 25, 2019 |
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The Japanese term “shibori” describes a variety of techniques for compressing and securing cloth to create beautiful dye resist patterns. The class will cover many traditional shibori resist techniques, including binding, wrapping, itajime (folding and clamping), arashi (pole-wrapping), and stitching. You will learn techniques inspired by nature motifs, such as mountain path, spiderweb, storm, and snowflake, and dye the fabrics in an indigo vat. All levels of experience are welcome.
Pre-requisites: None. $15 materials fee covers fabrics and scarves, indigo dye, and use of dye vat Participants may bring your own fabric and wearable items made from plant fibers (cotton, linen, hemp, rayon), silk, or wool (finer weight, not bulky). Blends of these fibers that contain a small amount of polyester will also work. You also may wish to bring rubber gloves. Wear old clothes and shoes that you don’t mind getting dye on, and bring a lunch. This class is now closed. |
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Taste of Tapestry: An introduction to basic tapestry technique
3 Sundays, June 9, 16 & 23, 2019, 1:00 - 4:00 pm Instructor: Mary Kircher Where: Triangle Fiber Arts Center (TFAC) 3717 Murphy School Rd., Durham, NC 27705 Cost: $90 for members, $110 for non-members plus a materials fee of $5 paid to instructor Maximum class size: 8 Registration deadline: May 31, 2019 |
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This class will provide a foundation for tapestry weaving on a tapestry loom or basic frame loom. We will make a sampler utilizing several weaving techniques, guidelines for traditional tapestry, how to use a cartoon and finishing. As time allows, eccentric weaving, twining and collage will be included.
Pre-requisites: None.
Participants should bring a tapestry or frame loom if you have one and a blunt tapestry needle. A variety of weft yarns will be provided for all participants, although you should bring any yarns you would like to experiment with.
Pre-requisites: None.
Participants should bring a tapestry or frame loom if you have one and a blunt tapestry needle. A variety of weft yarns will be provided for all participants, although you should bring any yarns you would like to experiment with.
- Mary can provide instructions to any participants who would like to make your own frame loom from stretcher bars. They are very easy to build and inexpensive. Assistance will also be available at a TFAC Drop-In for those interested in making their own.
- The guild has a limited number of looms available on a first-come, first-served basis if you would like to borrow one. Guild looms may be taken home between sessions and for up to 2 weeks after the class concludes to finish your weaving. Non-members who borrow a loom to take home must provide a refundable deposit of $50 in cash or check payable to Triangle Weavers Guild due at the class; deposit will be returned upon return of loom.