Sunday Afternoon

Dorset Buttons: A Heritage Craft - Denise Kovnat

Skill Level: No prior experience needed

Class Limit: 30

Materials Fee: None

Student Supplies: Supply list sent upon registration

Learn to make colorful, whimsical buttons – for jewelry, surface decoration or fasteners for your handmade garments – using only curtain rings, a tapestry needle, yarn, and perhaps beads. Based on 19th-century patterns from Dorset, England, these buttons are easy to create and customize to match your own fiber creations. To make your own buttons for a current weaving, felting, or knitting project, bring along your project and yarns. 

Setts in All their Glory and the Yarn Balance - Susan Conover

Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced. There is something for everyone to glean and apply to their weaving projects.

Class Limit: 20

Materials Fee: none

Student supplies: Notebook and pen/pencil

Susan Conover will cover the puzzling topic of obtaining the correct sett when it comes to your next project. This lecture is filled with oodles of pertinent information for the handweaver of any experience level.

The lecture begins with a short history and maintenance of weaving reeds (carbon and stainless steel) including storage solutions and rusty reed prevention and repair. Plus, a nifty conversion chart for Imperial vs. metric reed sizing.

Susan then moves into the nitty-gritty with:

• The Master Yarn Chart
• Reed Substitution Charts
• Yarn Wrappings
• Stretchy, stiff, and handspun yarns-Obtaining the correct sett
• Number of times that the weft intersects the plane of the cloth in one repeat
• Firm setts, slippery yarn setts and drapey setts
• Calculating your shrinkage in both warp and weft
• A cameo project will be a sett sampler in plain weave and twill which participants may enjoy weaving at home

The last bit of this lecture will cover The Yarn Balance (aka the McMorran Balance) which is a handy device to measure the approximate yards per pound of a chosen yarn. A must for any handweaver who wants to identify the grist of their “stash.”

Comfortable, Stylish Slow Clothing, Wearable Art, Saori Inspired Apparel -Fashion Show/Lecture - Linda Shevel

Skill Level: none required

Class Limit: 24

Materials Fee: none

Student supplies: Notebook and pen/pencil, willingness to model garments

The beauty of a person emerges when they are comfortable, natural, and true to self. Beauty in clothing arrives the same way. With fibers, threads and yarn, fabric is hand-woven for clothing that is unforced, pleasant, and enjoyable to wear.

In this lecture we’ll discuss the design process, and you’ll see a variety Saori inspired tunics, tops, vests, dresses… participation in the fashion show is not required, but many garments will be available for you to try on if you’d like.