Linens: Seed to Cloth
Special 9-day class
Process flax, spin, and weave
Instructors: Becky Ashenden & Eva Gaultney
Dates offered 2024: Jul 8–16
This popular class introduces you to the magic working with linen starting from raw plants, all the way through the process of mangling the woven piece to a silky finish. The satisfaction seeing this process through step-by-step will bring you greater understanding of the material, as well as deeper knowledge of how to work with it. As you beam, thread, and weave your own project, you will gain confidence working with this beautiful fiber and learn skills needed to keep it all going smoothly. Choose your main project from our assortment of possibilities. Also weave on a shared loom.
Weave 2 projects
- Choose a special project of your own from our selections.
- Rustic runner in plain weave showcasing your handspun yarns.
Shared project
Weave with your handspun linen yarns to make an exquisite piece not to be replicated.
Stages of flax processing
- Ground retting (darker tones)
- Warm water retting (lighter tones)
- Breaking
- Scutching
- Hackling
- Distaff dressing
- Spinning
- Finishing
Flax processing
Explore the entire process of growing flax, spinning yarn, and weaving it into cloth. Ground retting produces deep rich darker tones, while water retting produces a light creamy color. Every crop is different, and every retted batch comes out differently, giving an unbelievable array of colors and textures to weave with.
Spinning
You do not need to be an experienced spinner to enjoy this week. Flax is a long fiber, which makes it an excellent place to start. You are welcome to bring your own spinning wheel if you have one that you are comfortable with. We also have several spinning wheels of various styles for participants to try out. Linen is a magical fiber and this is a chance to get to know it intimately.
Extra days
We offer this as a nine-day class, as we have learned from experience that the extra days will allow students more time for spinning and weaving. Official class time instruction will not be offered during the weekend, but Becky will check in each morning and afternoon to see whether any troubleshooting is needed.
Register now
Prerequisites: Vävstuga Basics (Why does everyone need Basics?)
Max enrollment: 6
Location: Barn Studio
Course fee: $1250 (includes all instruction and studio time, course handouts, lunch Mon–Fri and Mon–Tue, and dinner Thu — over the weekend, meals will be provided as needed in the student kitchen)
Materials fee: $95
Days offered: Nine-day session, Mon–Tue
Schedule: All weekdays Mon–Fri will be our regular hours, with instruction time 9:00–noon and 1:30–4:00. The weekend days Sat–Sun are extra weaving time: Becky will check in twice a day and be on call for emergencies. Once a session begins, the Barn studio is available at all hours. Exceptions: on the last day, instruction ends at noon, and checkout must be completed by noon.