Our part of the world enjoys four seasons and right now spring is transitioning to summer. The days are getting longer, warmer, and greener. There’s renewed hope for the garden, renewed energy in the morning walks, the desire to break out of the routine, for something different on the loom, something to get excited about. Getting away for some kind of retreat is a good way to refill the creative well for the coming months.
This past week was just such a retreat for me. I spent the week at Vävstuga Weaving School in Shelburne, Massachusetts studying Drawloom Basics with Becky Ashenden. Becky’s warm welcome and enthusiasm for all things Swedish made all of us feel right at home from start to finish.
What an inspiring week! Yes, I’ve woven on a drawloom for many years, but only with a few structures. Where I’ve woven 5-shaft satin damask before, this past week I had the opportunity to try 8-shaft satin damask.
We learned the properties of the various damask weaves, 5- 7-, 8-, and 10-shaft. We even worked with weaving swords to hold pattern sheds open on two different looms.
Where I’ve woven opphämta in the past, at Vävstuga I saw the variety of designs beyond what I’ve tried, combining borders and designing effective figures.
And with Smålandsväv, there seems to be limitless variations to keep me busy indefinitely.
I have shaft drawlooms; last week I also wove on single unit drawlooms, both with pattern-saving lashes
and without.
Single Unit Draw in 6-shaft satin, back
I’ve woven mostly with cotton; this week, it was almost exclusively linen or cottonlin. I beat my warp with a steady hand; this week, I learned that some weaves just need a heavy thump.
I can follow simple directions, but I don’t always know the “why” behind the “how.” After a week of discussing the different kinds of looms, deciphering drawdowns, and weaving on several different set-ups, I have a lot more understanding of how to make the loom do what I want it to do.
And now that I’m home again, I’m putting more thought into rearranging my looms and their set-ups. When I bought my second Glimäkra last year, it was basically so I could have one dedicated to drawloom weaves and one to wide and multi-shaft weaves. The class gave me the incentive to make that happen. Over the coming weeks, I will take the draw attachments off my bigger loom and allow it to be used fully as the 12-shaft loom that it is. The smaller loom will then be the dedicated drawloom since I usually don’t weave wide drawn pieces.
I so appreciate Becky’s encouragement and the warm welcome from all the Vävstuga staff. Many thanks to all you! Now that I’m home, there’s so much to weave, so little time!
I admit I don’t understand a lot of what you wrote, because I’ve never used this kind of loom, but I am blown away by the product! What incredible variety and detail! And I know the feeling of exhilaration and exhaustion that follows a week at Vavstuga–it can feel almost like a re-birth!
It definitely makes more sense when you sit at a drawloom and see what it is doing. There are so many possibilities. I was also intrigued by Becky’s ingenuity, fiddling with the looms until they did what she wanted them to do. Always problem-solving.
I’ve seen the drawlooms when Becky has the class to dinner at the farm but the logic escapes me so far. That’s okay–I have a LOT to learn on a regular loom. And I agree about watching Becky. I think that might’ve been the biggest thing I took away from Basics–that I was the boss of my loom, not the other way around!
Jean, you had a productive and wonderful week at Vavstuga! I am very jealous of all the work you have accomplished. Beautiful pieces!!
Thank you so much, Martha. Yes, it was a wonderful week. Now I just have to put all that I learned into practice!