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Tapestry on 4 Shafts

Guest instructor Joanne Hall will be presenting her fascinating tapestry technique on four shafts. Inspired by Swedish weavers who developed ways to weave tapestry that would take less time and produce lightweight results, these methods are practical for large pieces. The most distinguishing characteristics of this weave are the texture on the surface and the visible warp.

Joanne's technique is known as the HV technique. It was developed from the work of 20th century textile designer and weaver Märta Måås Fjetterström. HV is short for Handarbetets Vänner (Friends of Textile Art), an organization established in 1874 and still operating today as both a school for textile arts and a studio that produces tapestries, many of them on a large scale. This school has been influential in the development of many textile artists, including Hans Krondahl and Helena Hernmarck.

To begin our workshop, we will weave a 7" x 8" sample project, a copy of a piece in the collection of the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis. This sample will teach you many of the basic techniques you will need to learn to progress to the four shaft techniques. It will teach you basic tapestry weaving techniques, but with a light beat, using the beater on the loom. We will also be weaving a linen tabby weft to give more stability to this lightweight technique.

Then we will weave a second sample, exploring ways to weave tapestry images with hand manipulated wefts as well as treadled sheds. Joanne will supply a basic cartoon to follow and start you off with techniques she uses in her own tapestries. This will give you practice with the extra sheds used with a rosepath threading. Joanne will also demonstrate and explain the techniques of other weavers.

Joanne Hall is a weaver, teacher and author with a Masters Degree in Textile Design from the University of Minnesota. After teaching at the University of Montana and Cal Poly in California, Joanne started the Elkhorn Mountains Weaving Studio in Montana City, Montana, where she weaves tapestries and teaches weaving classes.

Joanne wrote the book Mexican Tapestry Weaving after studying weaving in Mexico. She has also studied Swedish tapestry weaving and has developed a floor loom weaving technique for weaving large tapestries. You can see her large tapestries in buildings in Montana and in out of state locations.

Also author of Tying up the Countermarch Loom and Learning to Warp your Loom, Joanne is very knowledgeable about looms and weaving. She distributes weaving looms and weaving supplies to shops in the US and Canada. She teaches classes for beginners and classes for different types of weaving, including drawloom weaving. She travels to teach for art centers, weaving shops and guilds throught the US and Canada.