I don’t think I’ve ever written about when I learned to weave. I fell in love with an ikat blanket made by Pauline Sargent…I wonder where she is today!! Most people would try to find where to buy the blanket. I wanted to learn to make it. My cousin Sherrill had woven in high school and made some beautiful things, so I thought…well I can learn to do that.  At the time I lived in Los Angeles. I looked in the Yellow pages….do you remember those???  Under the heading “Weaving” was one listing for a dry cleaner who would “re-weave” your moth eaten sweaters and coats.  I couldn’t find anywhere to learn to weave.  One day while at the Southwest Museum in Highland Park, I saw that  they were sponsoring a class given by a Navajo weaver. The class included the wooden loom and other equipment as well as the wools made from Churro sheep from the reservation.  Well, I jumped on the chance to at least learn to weave.  I put on a rather wide and long warp. I was about a quarter of the way done by the time the class was done.  I took it home and wove and wove and wove.  I tried all kinds of patterns, some more successful than others.  I can’t remember just how long it took me to finish the piece. But I do remember that it was slow and took a long time. I think I got my tapestry fill for 15 years in that one piece. Last summer, while visiting my weaving friends in Los Angeles, I was introduced to the Mirrix loom.  I bought one soon after I arrived home and became a distributor of these great looms (so if you are interested in one, please email me and I will get one for you).  I bought the loom really because my friend’s loved theirs and I was looking for a way to market my mohair singles yarn.

When the box came, I immediately set it up and got it warped within an hour.  I wove several inches in the next hour. It was fun! It was fast! It looked great and I felt successful.  I’ve had so many people say to me….I want you to teach me how to weave.  Well, now I feel that I can do that.  Because my friends who are wanting to learn how to weave, don’t have the loom or other equipment yet, the materials fee includes a 16″ Mirrix loom and a wooden beater.  It also includes warping thread and the string heddles. You will also need to have some wonderful colorful mohair tapestry yarn to work with and plastic bobbins to use while weaving.  Lastly the book Tapestry 101 by Kathe Todd Hooker will answer questions after the class and propel you for further weaving possibilities.  The materials fee is $425. It seems high, I know. But most of those materials are items you will use for a lifetime.

The class itself is 3 hours. You will put together your loom, warp it and weave a 5″ square color study like the one pictured above. You will be picking the colors you want to use.  The class fee is $50.  You can sign up for the class in our store. Just click on the materials and the class fee and you will be signed up. So if you have always wanted to weave and you are ready to start come and join me on April 7th at 1:30 for a fun weaving class.