Weaving with Words

Like cloth, written language is ubiquitous, and it is easy to lose sight of the visual beauty of words amid the routine advertisements, instructional manuals, and emails that we read every day. Yet the intrinsic power of words – their ability to transcend ordinary “information sharing” to express ideas and convey sentiment – adds immeasurably to their visual appeal as patterns on the page. With the goal to inspire weavers to expand their repertoire of decorative approaches, this lecture will provide an introduction to the use of inlay to weave letters and words in cloth.

Although originally trained as a composer, with graduate degrees from Columbia and Brandeis Universities, Scott Norris has spent more than thirty years dyeing and weaving linen in his studio in Florence, Massachusetts. He has received Best In Show honors from the New England Weavers Seminar, and has published profiles, essays, and reviews in publications that include Handwoven (“Good Enough to Eat: Color Blending with Huck Lace,” March/April 2000; “Color and Pattern in Overshot,” March/April 2011; A Winter Scarf in Dornik Twill,” Handwoven Design Collection #19), American Craft, Ceramics Art and Perception, and Ceramics Monthly. He is an experienced teacher of beginner, intermediate, and advanced weavers, and a frequent guest lecturer and workshop leader for weaving guilds throughout New England and upstate New York. He has taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Adirondack Folk School, Snow Farm – The New England Craft Program, the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, and other educational centers. In recent years, his output has evolved from the production of functional household items such as tablecloths, dishtowels, and bath towels to the development of panels and smaller pieces decorated with laid-in words and images that tell a story of a fictional 19th century weaver, his family, and his community, as featured in “Really weaving a story,” ​​the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton MA, December 7, 2023.

Scott’s new book will be available starting in July 2026:

 Artist’s website: elamswidow.com