Teaching
Interested in learning more about the handweaving tradition that existed before the advent of the powerloom? Want to take a deep dive into how I resurrect 200-year-old coverlet designs for weaving today? Does your museum's historic loom need a housecall? I can help! I have taught traditional weaving since 2014 and my background in museum interpretation gives me a unique perspective on the needs of historic sites. To learn more about my education and experience, download my current CV.
Classes
My main venue for instruction is through the Marshfield School of Weaving where I learned the British-American weaving tradition and now serve as Director. I teach some specialized classes at Marshfield, but more importantly I teach the Foundations of Weaving class, a week-long introduction to the techniques passed down through Norman Kennedy and Kate Smith and informed by my own research into weaving practice of the past. This class teaches the heart of the weaving tradition that I work in and is open to weavers of any experience level, including none! Visit Marshfield to sign-up.
Presentations
If there's one thing I like it's talking about pictures and my slideshows are anything but a bland Powerpoint. Illustrated with an abundance of images and video, my slideshows help the audience experience a slice of traditional weaving and may be delivered in-person or virtually. Q & A discussions are encouraged and examples of my work are available for in-person presentations. Slideshows currently available:
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Any Flower Drawn: Restoring a 19th-century Linen Damask Jacquard. This presentation tells the story of how a mid-19th century Jacquard machine made for the Irish linen damask industry made its way to Scotland and Vermont. The process of restoring that machine to weaving figured linen damask is followed with an in-depth look at recreating a piece of 17th-century linen, from painting the point paper to punching the Jacquard cards and the operation of the loom itself.
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Fancy Weaving: A figured coverlet, a Jacquard Machine, and the process of recovering knowledge. This presentation kicks off with a brief overview of how I came to handweaving and then details the history of my Jacquard equipment, how the loom works, and the entire process of recreating a coverlet woven in 1830.
Slideshows last approximately an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. If delivering in-person I can provide a laptop and projector, just give me a screen or blank wall!
Workshops
Hands-on workshops are often the best way to learn traditional handweaving skills. Currently I'm offering a 1–3 hour workshop on multiple-end warping that includes a short slideshow of the technique through history, a demonstration using 19th-century equipment, opportunity for hands-on practice, and a discussion of ways to use this technique with tools most weavers already have on hand.
Consultations
There are countless looms on display at historic sites across the United States, but the resources for learning how to work with them are few and far between. Handweaving in America before the 20th century looked very different from the handweaving practiced today, and approaching a historic loom from the modern perspective ignores its rich history. Users of modern looms often run into trouble when working with pre-industrial handlooms and many people demonstrating at historic sites have a hard time troubleshooting when the loom isn't functioning correctly. Let me help you out! I have consulted with several museums to get their looms in optimal working order and to provide training in the use of the tools for those demonstrating on them. Contact me to discuss your historic site's loom house call.
Don't Take My Word For It
I'm honored to have been asked to present or consult for a growing list of organizations including:
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Rhode Island Spinners Guild, Rhode Island
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Materializing Race
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The Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut
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Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, Massachusetts
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The National Museum of the American Coverlet, Bedford, Pennsylvania
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Fabric of Life Learning, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
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New York Textile Month, New York, New York
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Rethinking Craft in Postindustrial Society, Conference, Columbia University, New York, New York
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Flax & Linen: Following the Thread from Past to Present, Symposium, The New England Flax and Linen Study Group and Historic Deerfield, Deerfield, Massachusetts
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Chesapeake Weavers, Annapolis, Maryland
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Weaving Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Hudson-Mohawk Weavers Guild, Latham, New York
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The Vermont Historical Society, Montpelier, Vermont
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Studio Place Arts, Barre, Vermont
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Weavers of Western Massachusetts, Florence, Massachusetts
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Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, New York
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And many more!