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/

2025 Class Descriptions

FALL BEGINNING WEAVING – Sat, Sept 6, 2025

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.

Registration will open July 9, 2024 at 12pm

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

WEAVING WITH YOUR HANDSPUN YARN – Sat, Sept 13, 2025

Do you have bins of beautiful handspun yarn that you don’t know what to do with or are just too beautiful to use? Are you afraid to weave with your handspun yarn? Do you fear that your handspun yarn is not structurally sound for weaving?

If you said “yes” to any of these questions, then this class is meant for you!

Together we will face these fears head-on! Bring those bins of beautiful handspun yarn to class. We will cover techniques and project planning strategies specific to weaving with handspun yarn. Students will plan, weave, and wet finish a project using their handspun yarn.

Students will weave their project at home on their own loom. Rigid heddle or four or more shaft loom required.

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

LEARN TO SPIN – Sun, Oct 5, 2025

Students will weave their project at home on their own loom. Rigid heddle or four or more shaft loom required.

Equipment: Spinning fiber will be supplied. Students are required to supply their own spindle or spinning wheel for the class. (A very limited number of spindles and spinning wheels 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/

OVERSHOT BASICS – Sat, Oct 18, 2025

This class is a must for your weaving repertoire. One of American hand weaving’s most popular weave structures, overshot provides the weaver with a wealth of pattern possibilities which look complex but only require four shafts.

In this class, students will weave a runner while learning the important aspects of overshot weaving:

• Choosing appropriate yarns and colors
• Determining warp sett and beat in order to produce a pleasing pattern
• Using 2 shuttles, weaving a plain weave cloth with supplementary wefts forming the overshot patterns
• Using the proper sequence of shuttles for rhythm and good looking selvedges

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

UNDERSTANDING WEAVING DRAFTS – Sun, Oct 26, 2025

This class will demystify the essential concept of the “draft” – the blueprint for every woven pattern. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to deepen your understanding, this class will equip you with the fundamental knowledge to read, interpret, and ultimately design your own weaving patterns.

In one day, this deep-dive style class will cover:

• Vocabulary: Learn the essential terminology to providing a solid foundation for understanding draft notation.
• Draft Formats Explained: Explore the various ways weaving patterns are documented, including traditional drawdown graphs, threading drafts, and tie-up drafts, understanding their individual roles and how they work together.
• Deconstructing Existing Drafts: Gain practical skills in analyzing and breaking down pre-existing weaving drafts. Learn to identify the threading sequence, tie-up, and treadling order to understand how a pattern is created.
• Creating Your Own Drafts: Unleash your creativity by learning the principles of designing new weaving drafts. You’ll be guided through the process of translating your design ideas into a workable pattern for your multi-shaft loom.
• Introduction to Weaving Software: Get a brief overview of digital tools used by weavers to create, modify, and visualize drafts, providing a glimpse into modern pattern design methods.

By the end of the day, students will have a comprehensive understanding of weaving drafts, enabling them to confidently approach a wide range of weaving projects and begin their journey into original pattern design.

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

COLOR THEORY – Sat, Nov 1, 2025

Are you unsure which colors will work together in a weaving project? Why do some color combinations work and other color combinations don’t?

Come dive into the exciting world of color theory for weavers! Learn how to pick pleasing color combinations for your projects. Get outside your color comfort zone with some guiding principles that will help you pick colors successfully. Learn tips, tricks, and tools for color success in future weaving projects!

This will be a lecture and discussion-based class.

 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 8, 2025

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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