Drawloom Basics
Instructor: Becky Ashenden
Prerequisites: weaving experience
Max enrollment: 8
Course fee: $850 (includes all instruction and studio time, course handouts, lunch Mon–Fri)
Materials fee: $85
Room & board: $300 (includes lodging Sun–Thu evenings, breakfast Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Thu)
For more detail: See also costs & logistics, food & accommodations
Days offered: Five-day session, Monday–Friday
Schedule: Special drawloom studio hours: 9am–noon, 1:30–6:30pm.
All meals served at Vävstuga: breakfast 8:00, lunch 12:15, dinner 7:00.
Vävstuga library and store hours: after lunch daily, and 8–9pm Mon–Thu.
Dates offered: (2012)
May 21–25 (class full; waiting list only),
September 17–21 (class full; waiting list only)
Join us for this rare off-site opportunity to explore the mystique of the drawloom. This class will take place at Becky's childhood home, four miles out of town in a rural 1850s farmhouse surrounded by open land and tranquility. Weaving on a drawloom is not complicated and can open up an exhilarating world of patterning possibilities.
Drawloom Basics will primarily focus on using the shaft draw system (for repeated patterns) and single unit draw system (for freeform patterns), but will in addition offer some experience with smålandsväv, and weaving on a single unit drawloom with pattern-saving lashes. Damask and opphämta are commonly woven on a drawloom, but a variety of other structures can be used as well. Students taking this class will learn how it feels to use the different attachments and gain an understanding of the opportunities offered by each.
Monday will be used to tie up the shaft draw and single unit systems, as well as the treadles on looms that have already been threaded and sleyed. In addition to this overview of drawloom mechanics, students will be given time to select and prepare a design for their single unit project by perusing our extensive library of possibilities.
Beginning Tuesday morning, each student will have ample time to weave damask on a single unit drawloom, damask and opphämta on shaft drawlooms, damask using pattern-saving lashes, and smålandsväv. Students with extra time on their hands will have access to our drawloom library; they will also have the opportunity to experience additional project setup, including threading mallions, pattern heddles, and ground heddles with long eyes.
In daily theory classes we will delve into weave structures and tie-ups, complete project sheets, and discuss patterning possibilities.
Project gallery
damask, single unit draw
damask, shaft draw
opphämta, shaft draw
damask using lashes
smålandsväv
This is a unique facility in the USA!
Nowhere else do you have the opportunity to experience such a vast array of Swedish drawlooms for a week-long class. Although we are offering only two Drawloom Basics classes in 2012, we plan to expand our program with Drawloom Treasures in 2013, allowing the opportunity for students to focus on larger projects that require more time to complete. This will be a way for you to enjoy creating substantial pieces on the drawloom from time to time, without the investment of equipment or space in your home, and with the benefit of Becky's coaching.
Our equipment
The following slideshow describes the 9 looms in our drawloom studio, and what each is best used for.