July 2019

This month’s news focuses on quintessential Scandinavian rug weaving

Stop by our booth in the vendor area at NEWS July 12-14!

We’d love to see you and to show you some of the new tools and equipment that Becky has been developing, as well as a plethora of gorgeous hand wovens and wonderful weaving books!

July/August classes

We have 2 spaces available in Inge Dam’s Tablet Weaving class, July 16-19

Pebble Weaving with Tablets Meets Fabric class July 16-19. If you would like to learn to incorporate a tablet woven band into your loom weaving, join us this month as we welcome guest teacher, Inge Dam to Vävstuga. Inge’s work is gorgeous and her teaching reputation is stellar.  

Extra Vävstuga Basics class just added for August 5-9

If you’ve been on our waiting list, or are considering taking this wonderful class, we’ve just added a new Basics class to our summer schedule the week of August 5-9, 2019. First come-first served, so please call 413-625-8241 or email office@vavstuga.com right away!  

This June we enjoyed classes in Basket Weaving, Tapestry, and Swedish Rag Rugs

Wendy Jensen, award winning basket artist and wonderful teacher, returned to the Barn Studio at Vävstuga for her Basket Weaving class on June 1st.  Students wove Wendy’s “Harvest Basket” with individual touches that made it their own. Barbara Burns has exhibited her tapestry work internationally and has won awards from as far as Serbia and the UK. She returned to Vävstuga by popular demand, offering her Tapestry: Beginner and Beyond class. Swedish Rag Rugs are a quintessential part of Scandinavian culture and life, and a favorite class at Vävstuga taught by Becky and Sara-Jeanne Burke. The students in the class expressed their individuality in this medium to stunning results! Here are some images of works in progress on the looms: and some of the finished projects!

Rug Weaving Books

We are excited to offer a new book on krokbragd which we’ve added to our other wonderful books about rag rugs and rep rugs, as well as books that include rugs among other project offerings. Krokbragd Our weavers have been asking for years for a book on krokbragd and Debby Greenlaw’s book fills the bill beautifully. Providing a comprehensive look at this wonderful weaving technique, this book brings together the traditional aspects of krokbragd with a fresh, contemporary approach to creating stunning textiles on a variety of simple looms. Kankaankutojan Mattokirja The pictures speak for themselves in this beautiful rag rug book from Finland. The unusual variety of 4-,6-, and 8-shaft threading produces breathtaking designs. The fresh and contemporary use of color in this vast array of structures, including twill, rosepath, plain weave, rep, overshot and more, are an inspiration for the soul. With a little help from Google Translate, this book will be a worthwhile addition for those who love weaving with rags! Rep Weaves The beginning of Laila Lundell’s wonderful book is dedicated to simple patterns with very detailed instructions and explanations about every aspect of the technique. The book builds upon this knowledge as it progresses through page after page of absolutely beautiful contemporary as well as traditional patterns.   Custom Woven Interiors Kelly Marshall’s inspiring book includes 18 project sets of related items such as rugs, table runners, placemats, throws, curtains, upholstery, pillows, dishtowels, and bedspreads. She also provides insight into designing for the versatile Rep Weave. Räknade Tråder – nya vävar This very special book is the result of a group of 9 dedicated people who started working together in 2000 to analyze and meticulously document over 600 older Dalsland weavings from the 1700s-1940s.  The group settled on 29 projects for this book, including several rug projects. The name means “counted threads” which refers to the endless hours this group spent counting both warp and weft threads for this beautiful book. Amanda Mönster – nya vävar A companion book or sequel to Räknade Trådar, this book contains 25 projects based on those originally woven by Amanda Johannson, including 5 rug projects.  

New style of Rag Rug Shuttles

Glimåkra has recently re-designed these rug shuttles and Becky and Sara Jeanne were delighted to discover, during our recent Rag Rug class, how slick and fast they moved across the shed. The cut is designed for easy loading and they hold more than you might think as the slit on the ends is rather long. We recommend that you give these a try! At this time, these shuttles are available for sale by calling the office. They measure 11.75″ and 19.75″ and cost $30 and $34, respectively. When our webmaster returns from Sweden, she’ll put them up on our web store.

Opportunities to Weave Rugs (and other projects) at Vävstuga

Join us this fall for one of our Vävstuga Favorites classes and you could choose to weave a Krokbragd or Rosepath rug (or one of the many other possibilities available).  We have 2 spaces left in our September 16-20, September 30-October 4, and October 21-25 class weeks, and 4 spaces open in the November 4-8 week.

15-week Väv Immersion Program

This amazing immersion program begins on August 12 and runs through November 22.  An unparalleled opportunity for deep and meaningful learning of Scandinavian weaving under Becky’s expert teaching, this comprehensive course includes challenging projects and extensive theory classes, resulting in an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. Acquire a deep foundational knowledge of and capability with this age-old craft. There is still a few spaces remaining for those who can join us.