Friday was the opening of exhibits and vendor sales, followed by a fashion show with everything to traditional to avant garde to just plain fun clothing and accessories. The reception afterward included the most flavorful fruit and the most wonderful specialty cupcakes, and plenty of time to get to meet and greet other weavers. About 144 were registered: some leaving Sunday, the rest on Wednesday. Here is a snappy red dragon from the display.
Saturday's class was a thorough introduction to tapestry from the medieval period to the most modern times and designs. In the afternoon, students used either their own looms or ones provided by Rebecca, whose favorite traveling loom is a Mirrix.
Sunday I finished weaving my "Indiana Spring" tapestry (not quite complete here) and then rewarped the loom for the workshop. This 7 X 10" tapestry is my view of some of the greens and fields with sprouting plants in the Spring.
On Monday, the color theory class was the first of three full days of slides, explanations, and both paper and weaving exercises. Here are tables packed with Harrisville yarns: undyed singles and doubles which she had dyed for her tapestry colors, especially gradations; and ones regularly sold by Harrisville. Our yarn and papers for exercises were part of our class fees, so all we had needed to do was warp our looms before class.
Our first exercise was a reminder that we each "read" colors differently. Rebecca had us pick a square which we thought was the same as a can of Coke, then compared our choice with an actual can to show some of us remember one shade and others another. Plus, our individual abilities to perceive colors varies tremendously.
Through all classes, Rebecca was as funny and helpful as you might expect from her many Youtube videos. Check them out! Don't miss her time-lapse video of a winter greetings tapestry.
This is three days steady weaving. The two narrow bands are value exercises with the lightest at the top and the darkest at the bottom in graduation shading. Checking this is easy with black and white, but not so easy with colors. Happily, my phone had a tonal setting which turned all these into black and white images showing the gradations. Someone also suggested an app called Blendoku, which is far too much fun--and also educational.
The stepped design has two parts: the first half is for the warm shades, and the reversing one for the cool ones. Interestingly the blue-green in the top half next to the light blue read "cool" to me and to others, but later I say the camera showed it as warm in black and white.
Out of 12 students, 9 had Mirrix looms! The shedding device makes a huge difference in the speed with which we can work. (I used to be opposed to them, because I love wood, but when I was at a Weaving Indiana meeting during which people brought various looms, I moved the shedding device back and forth and then bought a Mirrix Big Sister in December.)
One member of Weaving Indiana was in the three-day class, but I had plenty of time to meet and talk with other weavers and teachers, especially during meals in the cafeteria and at evening presentations and receptions. If possible, check out next year's classes when they are on the MLH website and join in the fun and learning.
I'm home, and I still have about six more exercises I can weave up for more explorations of colors and their interplay. (I could have even more from the handouts and the reference books Rebecca discussed, but I want to apply what I have learned.)
And after that, another tapestry! Right now I have five planned, so I'll stay a busy bee this summer.
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