I was thinking back on my recent workshop at the Weavers Guild of Minnesota, such a fun time.
Heather Ramseth definitely won the “I came the furthest for the workshop” prize, arriving at her Minneapolis airbnb at 2 am the night before class started – from Juneau, Alaska. She has been primarily a floor loom weaver, and loved the big loom experience. She wants to give all types of weaving a chance, but had her doubts about whether she would enjoy tapestry. She studied a bit of tapestry technique before the workshop. I think we have a convert — by day 2 was singing the praises of working on her simple pipe loom. She sent this photo after she returned to Alaska, unfortunately with a cold from the long plane ride back.
My fork-as-tapestry-beater evangelism found root with a few weavers, as they switched from using plastic combs to sturdy forks, which are commonly used by Norwegians tapestry weavers. I read the class a fun passage from an article about a Norwegian weaver, “To Reach the top of a Mountain: Ann Cathrin November Høibo.” Hoibø uses a fork for weaving massive tapestries. She said, “It’s a simple tool and easy to get hold of. I take whatever fork I can find. It’s just important that it’s not too heavy. Also, I need to have a lot of them, because I leave them all over the place. At lunchtime, the other people who have studios in this building can seldom find a fork.”
Linda Soranno sent a photo of her completed tapestry. “Marimekko!” more than one person commented to me. It’s beautiful against the white, snowy background. We look forward to seeing it against a Minnesota green background, too.
Linda sewed lengths of curtain weights to the back of her piece, to make it hang more beautifully.
The Weavers Guild of Minnesota’s new location in the Open Book building was perfect for the workshop, filled with light. I look forward to seeing more of the student weavings as they finish up, and look forward to future workshops in the beautiful space.
