Rep Weave Fall
Come and join us for an autumn exploration
In this course, we will break this magical weave structure down into it’s components. Using videos, written and diagramed materials, woven projects, and Zoom meetings, we will get inspired, dive-in, demystify, and create.
None of that will take away the magic of it. How threads going in one direction, interlaced with threads going in another direction can interact in such amazing and varied ways.
Informational Zoom Meetings
Come and meet Dena and learn more about the course.
Pre-registration is required.
Rep weave is a plain weave, warp faced fabric with a dense sett. Colors alternate in the warp, and thick and thin yarns alternate in the weft. One color is brought to the front of the fabric and the alternating color is seen on the back. It can be woven on two shafts, with each additional pair of shafts giving more design possibilities. It is ideal for rugs, placemats, and table runners. The set-up for rep weave is very close to the set-up for doubleweave and the warps can be multipurposed for both.
Rep Weave samples have been found in archeological excavations including sites in Egypt, Peru, and Turkey.
In this online course, we will cover the practical and technical aspects of weaving rep, designing your own rep weave projects, and then pushing the edges of what is possible, limited by your own creativity.
After registering, the button above will bring you to the course.
The Details
This class is suitable for weavers working on four or eight shaft looms.
Class runs Sept 23-Dec 6 and includes formal classes, office hours, and online content.
Cost
Course: $150 (add $25 if registering after Sept 16)
Materials: TBD
Classes
There will be three 90 minute (online) classes, one per month. Class recordings will be available for “lifetime access”. Depending on enrollment, there may be multiple sections of each class.
Office Hours
Office hours are twice monthly. They are optional, and will be recorded. Topics are initiated by those in attendance and can cover course content or anything else weaving related. They often go in lovely and unanticipated directions and can be a bit magical.
Schedule
Sessions will be recorded and available for “lifetime access”.
Times are Eastern Time (daylight then standard)
Office hours: generally every fourth Sunday 4-5pm and every fourth Monday, 6-7pm
****note: first office hours are on Wed, 5-6pm edt (see below)
Class: generally on Wednesdays, 5-6:30pm
***note: first class is on Mon, 6-7:30pm edt (see below)
Full class schedule is at the bottom of this page.
Online Content
Online content includes two full patterns (Rep Weave Placemats and Summer Sungolds) along with videos and tutorials covering both theory and weaving technique.
You will have “lifetime access” to course materials and class videos.
Prerequisites
Dena’s Foundations of Weaving course or have the following skills:
Ability to warp your shaft loom
Ability to read a draft
**Note: if you need refreshers on any of these topics, online, self guided courses are available through Vermont Weaving Online.
If you have questions about whether or not this class is a good fit for your experience, please e-mail Dena: dena@vermontweavingsupplies.com
This class is not suitable for rigid-heddle looms (a rigid-heddle course is still in the development phase).
Equipment Needed
Shaft Loom with at least four shafts (table or floor loom)
Warping board or pegs
two shuttles and bobbins (either one boat and one stick shuttle, or two stick shuttles)
bobbin winder (if using a boat shuttle)
threading hook, lease sticks
After registering, the button below will bring you to the course.
The Projects
click on photos for more info
The Summer Sungold warp can be multipurposed for both Rep Weave and Doubleweave (instructions are included for both). This will be our second project for Rep Weave Fall and then our first project for Doubleweave Winter. One warp, two structures, two different courses back to back, plus a registration discount if you sign up for both at the same time.
Materials
We are working with Must Love Yarn to supply class materials. They will have bundles available and be offering a discount. All information will be available soon.
Below are the suggested colors, but you are also welcome to choose your own.
Meeting Times
note: there is one small change in the schedule with the first office hours and class times being switched. I have decided to do this after listening to student concerns
Wed Sept 23, 6-7pm (office hours)
Mon Sept 28, 6-7:30pm (class)
Sun Oct 11, 4-5pm (office hours)
Wed Oct 21, 5-6:30pm (class)
Mon Oct 26, 6-7pm (office hours)
Sun Nov 8, 4-5pm (office hours)
Wed Nov 18, 5-6:30pm (class)
Mon Nov 23, 6-7pm (office hours)
Sun Dec 6, 4-5pm (office hours)
Vermont Weaving Online
Our course content for Foundations of Shaft-Loom Weaving is on Vermont Weaving Online. You will need to sign in or create an account to access your course materials.
Vermont Weaving Online is our educational platform. It is a (still) breath away from launching and includes full course units for each of our projects/kits along with courses on structure, color, design, and warping. It is a bit hard to find right now because we are still tweaking things, but you can get a sense of it by clicking on any of the course units or project courses below. We currently have a free Explore option (which includes plenty of great content) available which you can access by clicking the button below. You will be asked to create an account or sign in to your existing account to access.
Dena’s Philosophy of Teaching
Learning about weaving can be a complex journey. Basic mechanics (setting up a loom and throwing the shuttle) technical (reading and creating drafts, planning treadling sequences, structure, and by the way…what is summer and winter?), and artistic considerations are all important.
Ideas are tightly linked but don’t necessarily build in a linear way. If you want to design a project using Summer and Winter, it will help to understand blocks and color. But if you want to focus on color or blocks, you will still need to choose a weave structure that will work for your project. Weavers often cycle around concepts many times, each time developing a deeper understanding.
I have been avidly weaving since 1986. In my forty years, the world of weaving has gone through significant changes. We now have access to an abundance of yarns, it is easy to find patterns that give us every piece of information we need, Marguerite Davison’s A Handweavers Pattern Book (the bible of handweaving drafts) is out of print and hard to find, while online resources, which may or may not match your learning style are plentiful.
The breadth of knowledge from weaver to weaver, from beginners through those with years of experience, has significant variation. This is one of the reasons why I love discussions that include weavers at all levels. Beginning weavers learn from experienced weavers, but experienced weavers also learn from beginners, who are asking the questions that we stopped asking years ago.