Handloom Weaving for Beginners
5 week course - Thursday 3 August, 10am-12pm
Learn how to wind a warp, dress a loom and create fabric from yarn using the traditional art of hand weaving.
This is a brilliant course for those with an interest in weaving but with no prior experience. During this course, you will learn all about yarn, the loom and experiment with different techniques and materials and learn how to design and plan a warp, set up and dress a 4 shaft loom and weave a selection of samples.
Alyson will teach you how to design your cloth and calculate a warp and all the processes required to set up your loom, from using a warping mill to threading the heddles.
You will learn how to read a lifting plan and be introduced to the standard weave structures with the aim of leaning the basic technical knowledge required to start weaving independently.
Course dates: 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 August.
Alyson Matthews is a skilled weaver and began hand weaving over 20 years ago when she embarked on a degree in Textile design after spending many years in education teaching. Since retiring, Alyson has been able to indulge in to her passion. She loves to explore structures and design on the loom itself with a preference for using natural fibres. Colour plays an important part in her work and discovering how colours interact with each other on the loom.
Alyson has demonstrated at craft fairs, annual weaving events as well as run successful workshops and courses throughout the UK.
'Weaving has a narrative, a voice of its' own through which we can communicate. We can express ourselves through colour, the yarns/fibres we use or through structure. Every piece of hand woven cloth contains a part of the maker and has the propensity to have an impact on the receiver.' Alyson Matthews
