Tomorrow, September 14th, is another course start for me. I love those days. I have had people signing up for a few months with questions here and there. But this week is the week I really get to meet the new group of students. I am always astounded by the diversity of participants from all areas of the USA and all over the world.
This class is Warp and Weft: Learning the Structure of Tapestry. It is a beginning-level tapestry techniques course meant for people who have never woven anything before. But I have found that a huge percentage of my students are people who have woven a fair bit of tapestry. They just never felt comfortable with what they learned in books and didn't have the extended experience of learning from one teacher to cement the concepts. That is what this course aims to do. I present the fundamentals of weaving tapestry and then I let you ask me all the questions you want. There are videos of me teaching and accompanying handouts about each technique. There are also resources to other tapestry traditions including videos of other tapestry weavers working. But the key to the whole thing is that you get to work on the material over a long period of time at a pace that works for you. You can take as long as you want actually, though it takes most people 3-6 months to complete the course working a few hours a week.
So tomorrow at noon EST, the course content opens. The first few weeks for me tend to be all about looms and yarn choices and the struggle of warping appropriately for tapestry. The frustration of getting that first header correct is pretty universal, but everyone gets it. Eventually (and sometimes it takes two tries) everyone gets it.
If you're interested in the course, there are still openings. You can start with the All-Three-In-One version that has all the material in one large course, or you can take it in three parts. There is also a self-directed version which costs a fair bit less but doesn't come with any help from me. I will take registrations at any time, but starting with the group is a lot of fun!
More information is available on my website here: http://www.rebeccamezoff.com/online-learning/
There are reviews here: http://www.rebeccamezoff.com/reviews/
And an in-depth look at the course here: http://www.rebeccamezoff.com/warp-and-weft-learning-the-structure-of-tapestry
I revel in the challenges of teaching online. I have learned so much! Just this weekend I was emailing two different students in the UK and the Netherlands to locate weft yarn sources for them. Who knew I would be so interested in what tapestry yarns you can buy in London? (or Delft, or Bangkok, or Christchurch, or Texas for that matter?)
With gratitude for all the wonders brought to me from tapestry people all over the world,
Rebecca
Here are a few photos of past student work, both samplers and practice pieces. Enjoy!
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| Front and back of the same sampler. I weave from the back but encourage you to weave the way that works best for you. |
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| Curves and angles |
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| Work from Part 2 of the course |
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| I love this final practice piece. |
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| More curves |
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| Practice with hatching and joins. Great color work also! |
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| I love these stripes. One could weave just stripes for the rest of your life and never grow tired I think. |
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| Another practice piece with many different techniques. |
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| Why yes you CAN use a floor loom for this course. This is the countermarche loom of a student from Germany. |
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| You'll learn how troubleshoot problems such as these waves. Other common problems are uneven warp spacing, tension issues, uneven selvedges, and difficulties keeping your butterflies in the correct sheds. |
