Fabric & Bag Fest
Weave your own fabric yardage, weave and sew a stylish Rag Bag, sew with handwoven scraps
Instructors: Becky Ashenden, Sara Jeanne Burke
Dates offered 2020:
Dec 7–11 (We have replaced this class with an extra section of Vävstuga Basics)
This class brings together three related projects using your handwoven fabric.
- Select your own fabric to weave throughout the week.
- Weave and sew Sara Jeanne’s Rag Bag design with a shoulder strap woven in.
- Make fabric postcards, patchwork bags, or other delights using small scraps of handwoven fabric.
Weave on 2 looms
Loom 1 – your own project
We’ll reserve a loom for your personal fabric project (first come, first served). We encourage you to explore many ways to weave one warp. Daily show & tell will inspire you with many ideas for using your beautiful yardage.
Loom 2 – for everyone
One loom will be set up with a Rag Bag warp ready to go. Everyone will have an opportunity to weave and sew one of Sara Jeanne’s sturdy and useful Rag Bags with a woven-in handle.
More details
Fabric
Choose a project from our Fabrics page. We will adapt it to a 50cm width, and will beam a 3-meter warp length.
Choose your own colors using our Yarn Playground or Yarn-in-a-Jar tool.
Your pre-chosen warp will be beamed and ready for threading Monday morning. You will work during the week at your own pace weaving on your own fabric.
Rag Bags
Each student will have a morning or afternoon to weave on our Rag Bag warp, and time will be scheduled with Sara Jeanne at the sewing table throughout the week to sew your wonderful Rag Bag.
Woven scraps
Feel free to bring your own woven scraps and see what can be made from them. We will also supply our own stash of scraps for you to browse through and use.
Sew another cute and useful bag from one of Sara Jeanne’s many designs using your own woven fabric.
postcard chicken from fabric scraps
postcard birds from fabric scraps
William’s tie fabric
Rag Bags in many greens
classic 8-shaft twill
fall colors, ocean colors
Ulla’s twill
chartreuse
pinstripes or tiny plaid
neutrals and rust
tiger stripes
bags using handwoven scraps
Supply list
Sewing machine:
- We encourage you to bring your own sewing machine that you’re familiar with
- Your sewing machine user’s manual, if you have it
- All-purpose foot, zipper foot, and (if you have one) walking foot
- Several empty bobbins
- Extra machine needles (sharps #12 and #14)
Handwoven fabrics and scraps:
- Any scraps of fabrics you’ve woven (and/or you’re welcome to use ours)
- Any yardage you’ve woven that you’d like to sew into bags
- Your show & tell handwovens—inspire the rest of us!
Location: Water Street Studio
Prerequisites: Vävstuga Basics (Why does everyone need Basics?)
Max enrollment: 8
Course fee: $850 (includes all instruction and studio time, course handouts, lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Thu)
Materials fee: $75 (plus materials by weight for individual fabric warps)
Room & board: $450 (includes lodging Sun–Thu evenings, breakfast Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Wed)
For more detail: See also costs & logistics, food & accommodations
Days offered: Five-day session, Monday–Friday
Schedule: Studio open 9:00–6:00, instruction time 9:00–noon and 2:00–5:00. Exceptions: on the last day, instruction ends at noon, and checkout must be completed by 3:00.