Vävstuga Treasures
Come experience a tranquil time at Vävstuga where you will receive individual coaching, one project at a time.
Instructor: Becky Ashenden (available 9am–7pm, except for a mid-day break)
Prerequisites: Vävstuga Basics (Why does everyone need Basics?)
Max enrollment: 9
Session fee: Session I (Mon–Wed) $225, Session II (Thu–Fri) $150, plus $30 per project. Includes all instruction and studio time. Pre-payment is required and non-refundable; see our cancellation policy.
Materials fee: $50+ (we weigh the woven projects and charge by the ounce)
Room & board: lodging available $45/night; meals not provided
Schedule: Studio open 9 am – 7 pm; Becky will be available during these hours except for a mid-day break
Dates offered: (2012) Session 1: January 30 – Feb 1, March 19–21, November 12–14; (2012) Session 2: Febuary 2–3, March 22–23, November 15–16
Take advantage of this opportunity to step beyond your realm of experience, no matter what that level might be. Students will be able to concentrate on their selected project and Becky will be on hand to get you started and to assist you as needed. We offer a Mon–Wed session and/or a Thu–Fri session. The larger projects require all five days.
Each piece may be large or small, simple or wildly complicated. (See below for more about choosing a project.) We offer you the opportunity to create beautiful handwoven items that you might not tackle at home. We hope that you might chose a fiber new to you, a new technique, or simply a wonderful combination of many colors that you have not tried before. And, of course, our beautiful Swedish yarns will be well represented in the project choices, enabling participants to familiarize themselves with the variety of materials that we have to offer.
Possibilities could include but will not be limited to:
- Elegant single ply linen tablecloths (plain weave, damask, and beyond)
- Exquisitely traditional tablecloths (overshot, halvdräll, såldräll, jämtlandsdräll)
- Luxurious and cozy blanket or coverlet (multishaft twill, overshot, double weave or smålandsväv)
- Beautifully patterned traditional Swedish rep rug (16/2 cotton warp and string yarn weft )
- Yardage for clothing (2–12 treadles, using a variety of yarns and structures)
- Refreshing curtain panels (using some of our finest cotton and linen yarns)
How to choose a project
Follow these steps to select your first project for each session. Participants will then be allowed to move to new projects as other looms become available.
- Please peruse our Vävstuga Treasures photo gallery below to choose your first project in a session. Note that for most projects, you have a broad choice of weft yarn colors; we have also notated each project's approximate width, along with its loom type (Standard or Ideal) and size. If in doubt, just call or email us and we'll coach you on an appropriate choice.
- Once you have selected a project from the gallery below, check to see whether it is still available: the Treasures Calendar indicates which projects are already reserved for specific days.
- Please contact us to place your requests. We'll discuss them with you, as there are loom logistics to be worked out.
If you especially want to work on something that's not in our current lineup below, in some cases we are able to set up a custom project. (See our Past projects and Project wish list for inspiration.) This option requires a $400 nonrefundable deposit. Please contact us if you'd like to pursue this path.
Current projects, 2012
red/gold rep rug
16/2 cotton warp
string yarn weft
99 cm [120 cm Std]
Photos from Mera Fint att Vava used with permission from Ann-Kristin Hallgren;
photos from Gamla Svenska Vavnader från nor till soder used by permission from Doris Wiklund;
photos from Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave used by permission from Tina Ignell.