Overshot Summer
After registering, the button below will bring you to the course.
There are so many amazing rabbit holes to go down in weaving. Overshot…………..
History of Overshot
How is Overshot similar to other block weave structures and how is it different
How is it possible to get a wide variety of intricate patterns using only four shafts.
How to read, understand, and adjust Overshot drafts
What is a “twill derivative” and what does that have to do with Overshot.
Designing an Overshot project
Tools for making threading and treadling easier to follow
How to use “tabby”
Why Overshot straddles plain weave and twill
Using videos, written and diagramed materials, woven projects, and Zoom meetings, we will dive-in, demystify, and create.
After registering, the button below will bring you to the course.
The Details
This class is suitable for weavers working on four or eight shaft looms.
Class runs June 21-Sept 21 and includes formal classes, office hours, and online content.
Cost
Course: $150 (add $25 if registering after June 8)
Materials: TBD
Classes
There will be three 90 minute (online) classes, one per month. Class recordings will be available for “lifetime access”. Times will be based on a survey (see below). Depending on enrollment, there may be multiple sections of each class.
Office Hours
Office hours are twice monthly, are optional, and are not recorded. Times will be based on survey. 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.
Survey
Dates and times will be determined based on student availability. A survey will be emailed after registration closes and class times will be announced soon after.
Online Content
Online content is still in development. It includes four project units (preview below) plus one or two more units covering structure, design, and theory.
You will have “lifetime access” to course materials and class videos. You can preview the content, just keep scrolling down.
Prerequisites
Dena’s Foundations of Weaving course or have the following skills:
Ability to warp your shaft loom
Basic understanding of plain weave and twill
Comfort reading 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 (preferably boat shuttle, but a stick shuttle will also work)
bobbin winder (if using a boat shuttle)
threading hook, lease sticks
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Overshot
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Rep Weave (Project #5)
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Bag of Dreams (Tube Weave)
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Summer Sungolds (Double Weave)
After registering, the button below will bring you to the course.
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.