The Weaving School

Learn to weave. Learn new techniques.

Overview

WGGB sponsors the Weaving School in cooperation with the Catonsville Recreation and Parks Council and the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks.  Classes are open to all adults in the community and are held at Hillcrest Elementary School in Catonsville.  For most classes, looms are provided.

The Weaving School is open to the general public and to Guild members.

Skill Levels

• Novice – No previous weaving experience
• Step-Up – Completed a Beginning Weaving class and understands concepts of reading a draft, warping and weaving. Classes designed to extend skills of beginning weavers.
• Step-Out – Completed a Beginning Weaving class and is able to independently plan a project, warp a loom and weave. Classes designed to expand knowledge of weave structures and techniques.

Registration Process

The WGGB Weaving School is operated through the Catonsville Recreation and Parks Department – online registration is now open.

To register or to be placed on a waitlist, visit: https://wggbweavingschool.corsizio.com/

2024 Class Descriptions

FALL BEGINNING WEAVING – Sat, Sep 7, 2024

Weaving classes for someone with no previous weaving experience.

4 shaft loom floor loom and yarns are provided.

This class is designed for adult beginners with no previous weaving experience. The instruction focus is on teaching a simple, efficient method for warping and weaving with a 4-shaft floor loom. Projects will be completed using both cotton and wool fibers. This class will allow students to become confident about planning projects, choosing yarns, warping the loom and finishing their cloth. Students will use our “Wolf Pup” floor loom and all materials are included. Projects will be started in class and completed at home. Students should expect to spend several hours weaving at home per project.

For more details, to register, or to be placed on a waitlist, go to https://wggbweavingschool.corsizio.com/

WEAVING SUMMER AND WINTER – Sat, Oct 26, 2024

Summer and Winter is a good introduction to tied weaves, being the simplest and maybe the most familiar of these weaves.  It is a ground cloth with supplementary weft patterning. The supplementary pattern weft is tied to the cloth regularly by specific warp ends, thus limiting the length of the pattern weft float, which makes it suitable for table linens, clothing, etc. Summer and Winter is also a unit weave that can be threaded using a profile draft rather than a thread-by-thread draft. The cloth produces pattern blocks against background, and in its classic form, is predominantly dark on one side and light on the other. Plus, two blocks of pattern can be woven on four shafts.

Come learn about this versatile weave. Depending on the treadling sequence of pattern sheds, it can be woven with O-shaped units, X-shaped units, brick style units or dukagang style units. Students will weave four 8” x 8” mats, each mat with a different look.

Skill Level: Step Up –Completed a Beginning Weaving class and understands concepts of reading a draft, warping and weaving. Classes designed to extend the skills of beginning weavers. 

For more details, to register, or to be placed on a waitlist, go to https://wggbweavingschool.corsizio.com/

LEARN TO SPIN – Sat, Nov 2, 2024

Come learn how to spin!  Bring in your spindle or spinning wheel and learn how to spin and ply yarn you can use.  Whether you are a beginner wanting to learn how to spin or want to brush up on your skills, this is a great class for you.  Students will learn how to spin singles, ply yarn, how to skein yarn, how to wet finish yarn, and more!

Equipment: Spinning fiber will be supplied. Students are required to supply their own spindle or spinning wheel for the class. (Very limited amounts of spindles may be available to students on a first come/first serve basis. Contact instructors for information.) 

For more details, to register, or to be placed on a waitlist, go to https://wggbweavingschool.corsizio.com/

TOWELS!  PLAN AND WEAVE YOUR NEXT PROJECT – Sat, Nov 17, 2024

Have you taken beginning weaving but are not sure how to really get started weaving your own projects? Or maybe you don’t yet have a loom? Are you afraid you will forget everything you’ve learned if you don’t weave something right away? Is it all too overwhelming?  If you said “yes” to any of these questions, then this class is meant for you! 

We will walk you through designing a pattern and then you will wind the warp and dress the loom during class so there will be lots of guidance to get you set up to then weave off a beautiful item of your choosing at home!

We provide the wolf pup loom and the cotton yarns (unless you have some cotton or cotton blend yarn you want to bring and incorporate into your towels). 

There will be plenty of time for designing and warping in class as we have allowed a day for designing, one for winding the warp and one for dressing the loom so you won’t have to rush through any step of the process.

 After this class you will have the confidence to create your own projects with ideas from Handwoven and other resources.

 For more details, to register, or to be placed on a waitlist, go to https://wggbweavingschool.corsizio.com/

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