Save the Dates!

2024 MLH Summer Workshops

June 7-9, 2024

Hope College, Holland MI

Registration is open!

We are pleased to announce the following instructors for

MLH 2024 Workshops

Lucienne Coifman - Exploring Rep Weave and Its New Variations

This workshop will explore many traditional techniques of Rep weave and introduce many new variations of this versatile warp-faced weave structure.

Kathy Forzley - Surface Design & Dimension Using Prefelts

Take the mystery (and the guilt!) out of using prefelts to create surface design & dimension on felt. This  wet felting class focuses on surface design techniques using handmade and commercial prefelts, partial  felts, nuno prefelts and small felted pieces to create patterns and textural designs on a felt surface.  Students will learn to make their own prefelts and nuno prefelts as well as "upcycle" pieces of an old  project into something new! We will also be exploring embossing techniques using fabric overlays in  combination with prefelts to create interesting textural surfaces. Many different techniques will be  explored through sampling and creating finished projects using a neutral or monochrome color scheme  (black, white, greys, tans) with pops of color for accents. 

Jennifer Moore - Double Rainbow: 2 Layers, 4 or 8 Shafts, 6 Colors – Endless possibilities!

This is perhaps the ultimate color sampler! You will begin by winding a warp and setting up your loom according to Jennifer’s system for working with multiple colors in a rotational sequence and bringing it to the workshop. A basic two-layered structure will enable you to mix and match our colors, creating an amazing array of color mixtures. As you weave and your warp colors move past each other you will experience a visual feast of iridescence and moire patterns. We will also experiment with single-layered structures such as warp rep and warp-faced twills and the effects that they create on this versatile warp. Those set up for two blocks on eight shafts will also be able explore an unlimited range of block combinations. The workshop includes a comprehensive lecture on block doubleweave that will give you the tools to create your own block designs in doubleweave for as many shafts as you have. This sampler will provide a remarkable education in color theory and how optical mixtures work in weaving, as well as a great source of inspiration for future weaving projects.

Brenda Osborn - Tapestry: A Tool Kit for Beginners

During this three-day workshop, students will learn how to warp and dress a copper pipe frame loom with adjustable tension and examine shape-building techniques as well as explore color blending techniques. Loom, warp, and weft will be supplied by instructor for a materials fee.

Jill Staubitz - Understanding Block Weaves and Profile Drafting using Bronson Lace

I often hear “I understand how to weave it, but how did you arrive at those tie ups?" In this three-day workshop, we will spend time unlocking the mystery! Understanding block weaves and profile drafting makes all the difference for designing your own cloth. Using Bronson Lace as our foundation structure, we’ll discuss what constitutes a block weave, and why some structures are block weaves AND unit weaves. We’ll develop various profiles to weave as Bronson Lace, and discuss other block weave structures that can be woven using the same profile. Through our workshop discussions, you will learn to translate a profile draft into a thread-by-thread draft, designing your own designs and tie ups in no time! By the end of class, you will have woven a beautiful gamp take home. I will provide a draft for threading a Bronson Lace gamp for you to prep and thread your loom prior to class. Once you understand how to design your own patterns, the weaving and designing will be up to you. Your designs will astound you! 

Laura Viada - The Art of Transparency

Transparencies are fun to weave and present a wealth of opportunities for expression and design. A close relative to tapestry, the distinguishing characteristic of transparency is the contrast between opaque areas of pattern inlay and the sheer background cloth. Transparencies can stand be stand alone art pieces, or they can be functional items such as window coverings, table linens, and wearables. This workshop introduces students to basic transparency weaving techniques, and to all the possibilities transparency offers.