Presentations & Workshops

Private, semi-private and virtual instruction is available through my studio in The Mill at Shady Lea in North Kingstown, RI.

Weaving cloth is magic! My mission is to share my skill and passion for the vanishing language of handweaving. This language speaks to the quality of life I want to live. I strive to keep handweaving current and necessary. Learn to weave; warping and technical skills; pattern drafting and structure; unusual materials; Special needs and high risk populations; professional development; consultation; loom repair and restoration.

Fearless Loom Dressing

Warping, beaming, and threading the loom alone, often brings up visions of discomfort, frustration, confusion and torturous tangles. In this step by step presentation, we will follow my failsafe method of warping back to front. I will walk you through the steps of securely tying your warp, chaining it off and moving it to the loom, setting up the raddle and lease sticks, winding the warp on the back beam, and finally threading and sleying. After this program, you will have all the information to repeat this process again and again, successfully!
90 Minutes F2F or Zoom

This workshop can be extended to a one day program.

Transforming Tools and Weaving Wonders

Understanding the equipment we use, as weavers, is the first step to changing the way we use it. We will identify way for disrupting the fluid order of warp and weft through closely observing loom anatomy. Then you will learn how to use the knowledge of weaving equipment to achieve fantastic and unexpected effects in your cloth. Contemporary tools such as Open Reed®, Supplementary Beater®, and RailReed will be explored and demonstrated as simple alternatives we can use to transform the traditional grid into a woven wonder. Don’t be put off by the anatomy of your loom — learn it and use it!
90 minutes F2F or Zoom
Weekend Workshop

Renegade Treadlings on Traditional Threadings

Ms and Os, Huck-a-Back, and Swedish Point : These three traditional weave structures offer weavers the opportunity to explore myriad possibilities for towels, clothing, and accessories. Once we learn what distinguishes these threadings from others, we can expand our treadling vocabulary to create our own voice in creating innovative designs for our cloth.
90 Minutes F2F or Zoom
Weekend Workshop

Using Color to Create Pattern with Turned Taqueté

Turned Taqueté is a perfect opportunity to step into the fun of color as the basis for exploring pattern and geometry in weaving. You will be amazed at how easy it is to use color to create designs with this simple and diverse structure. Using color in Taqueté will convince you there are no “bad” combinations. You will learn how only a few colors can create exciting shapes and designs that are individual and stunning.

Your individual colors and treadlings will allow you to create multiple widths of squares, rectangles, lines, and crossed intersections. This is a chance for your personal aesthetic to come alive as you weave multiple designs from one warp.
90 Minutes F2F or Zoom
Weekend Workshop

The Stories a Bedsheet can Tell

Indulge for a moment, in the idea of sleeping in linen bedsheets that you have woven! Linen has imperceptible elasticity, incredible strength, and a finish that will last generations. Linen will tell you exactly what it wants and what you have “done to it” if it doesn’t like the way you handle it. Material objects such as these are not divorced from their owners, inert ‘things’ with no life of their own. Instead, they are invested with meaning – emotional, religious, and even political. This presentation looks at material culture – linen, the history of bedsheets, and the process of making. We will share the inspiration and challenges of our quest to be hand weavers in an automated society.
75-90 Minutes F2F or Zoom

Paper. Book. Art.

Every aspect of making paper allows for repetition, concentration, discovery and opportunity – just like weaving. Drawing on experiences in Hawaii and with traditional Japanese papermakers, this presentation wills hare the various methods of making paper. Each participant will have samples to handle, compare, explore and question. We will use these handmade papers to explore types of folds and stitched folios to make a treasured book. Guaranteed, you will be giving books all year long after this!
90 Minutes F2F or Zoom

Spinning paper yarn

Spinning paper is a dynamic process that has been used for centuries to create textiles from Obi to undergarments to WWI uniforms to accessories. Join me in exploring the characteristics of fibers that create the best paper yarn. We will learn the straightforward method for preparing paper to spin and then, start spinning! We will use familiar and unusual fibers and the results are astonishing.

This presentation can be combined with making your own paper. Everyone will go home with at least 4 sheets of handmade paper from various materials — daylily, iris, indigo, cana lily, abaca and jeans are just an example of the materials that can be used. Hands on and immersive!
90 minutes
Zoom or F2F

Paper. From Sheet to Spindle

Fiber has characteristics that can be articulated through the paper-making process. Using a fusion of Eastern and Western techniques we will work with abaca, flax, iris, day lily, persicaria, and other common garden plants to bring these fibers to their fullest expression. Through beating, sheet forming, pressing, manipulation, and drying we will uncover the distinct personalities inherent in these materials.

We will also examine the histories of paper yarn and clothing to add to our understanding of material and use. After thoughtfully preparing our own set of handmade papers and reviewing the results, we will gather to sit and spin paper thread that is suitable for basketry, crochet, knitting, weaving, and other hand manipulation techniques. Recognizing the unique behaviors of these fibers allows the artist to communicate a deeper understanding of intention and meaning in their work.

Community Weaving Project
(All Ages)

This activity involves the use of large wooden frame looms (typically 4’x6’) that the students help build. These frame looms are free standing and two-sided allowing participants to work from both sides as they weave wide cloth strips through the holes to weave their design.

This project is most successful when students produce designs that have been inspired through earlier classroom discussions on color, pattern, texture, and symbolism. We discuss finger-manipulation techniques, woven joins, embellishments, color choices and finishing.

The Community weaving process takes 8 – 20 hours from start to finish. It is amazing to watch this process! Just when you think it is done, it becomes clear that the weaving could use a bit more fabric here or a touch of color there. It is a wonderful lesson in group dynamics and offers students a chance to interact directly with their peers – they are the leaders in this.