WORKSHOPS

2023 WORKSHOPS SCHEDULE

This sewing circle style class will have us discussing

and contemplating the role of shoes, sustainability, repurposing, handweaving, process, and friendship.

Each pair will exemplify your intention and personal

style. Basic machine sewing skills

are needed and hand sewing is required. 

A supplies list will be sent to students. 

Let your inner artist shine as you strut forward in your very own, one-of-a-kind pair of Espadrilles you have made yourself! Each pair will exemplify your intention and personal style. Handwoven fabric is ideal to use for this DIY project and encouraging you to move with creativity and enthusiasm. The pattern is straight forward and only a firm woven 12” x 24” cloth is needed. We will use fusible woven interfacing and bias tape to prevent stretching and eliminate the need for machine stitching. 

When: Saturday and Sunday, April 29 and 30, 10 am - 4 pm 

Tuition: $115.00 plus $10.00 materials fee paid to the instructor for handouts (instructions and patterns), extra sewing needles and thimbles; thick sewing cord and extra pins

Limit: 8 students

Registration: $30.00 non-refundable deposit

(deposit will be refunded if APW cancels the workshop)

Bio: Suzi Ballenger was born and raised in Indiana.

She completed her BA at Keene State College in New Hampshire and her MFA in Artisanry-Fibers from

UMass-Dartmouth. She has worked in New England

as a weaver and teaching artist since 1996 and currently

serves on the Board of The Handweavers Guild of America. 

Her work has been published in Handwoven Magazine,

Surface Design Association, and The Textile Society of

America. She has a curiosity for material that stimulates

her woven language; believing the fullest expression of

a fiber can be realized through observation, rhythm,

and structure. When not in the studio, Suzi can be found

outside in the garden, swimming in the ocean, or walking

on local trails.

Turned Taqueté is a perfect opportunity to step into the fun of color as the basis for exploring pattern and geometry in weaving. You will be amazed at how easy it is to use color to create designs with this simple and diverse structure. Using color with this technique will convince you there are no “bad” combinations. You will learn how only a few colors can create exciting shapes and designs that are individual and stunning.

Taqueté is a two-shuttle weft faced weave. It becomes Turned Taqueté when the draft is turned 90 degrees so the weft treadling becomes the warp threading and the threading becomes the treadling. Turned Taqueté uses 2 colors for the warp and needs only one color for weft. After being turned, the structure then becomes a single shuttle warp dominant weave.

Your individual colors and treadlings will allow you to create multiple widths of squares, rectangles, lines, and crossed intersections. It will convince you, as it did with me, there are no “bad” combinations. Your personal aesthetic will jump for joy as you evolve from idea to idea thorough out a single warp.

When: Friday, May12 10:00 am - 12 noon

Tuition: $40.00 includes color handouts with pattern ideas

Limit: 12 students

Registration: $10.00 non-refundable deposit (deposit will be refunded if APW cancels the workshop)

Learn how to make your own Handwoven Chenille to make deep

piled Rugs. This is the Ultimate Stash Reducing Project!  In this

class, review the specifics for setting up the loom, weft options of

wool or cotton yarn or rag strips of different fibers, and the post

weaving process for finishing the yardage, cutting, and securing

the chenille strips.  The second half of the program will be dedicated to the design process.   The class will work through the design considerations and calculations to make a simple geometric

rug by weaving the vertical chenille strips for use in making the horizontal chenille strips for a thick piled rug.

When: Saturday, February 4, 2023   2:00 – 4:00 pm

Handouts will be available for download after the class.

Attendee Limit: 12

Tuition: $25.00

Registration: $10.00 non-refundable deposit (deposit will be refunded if APW cancels workshop)

Instructor Bio: Mary Mandarino has a BS from Washington and Jefferson College, and 30+ years of weaving experience. Mary has been the Treasurer for the New England Weavers Seminar. As a member of the Weavers' Guild of Boston she has served as Treasurer, Special Workshop Program Chair, Morning Workshop Chair and is currently the Publicity and Social Media Chair. Mary has taught at the Springfield Weavers Guild and teaches hand painting yarns for the weaver. She is currently an active member of the South End Woven Collaborative and the Danforth Weavers.