Frances Forstner Home Study Course, OHS Weaving Certificate Course

I was reading in the March/April Handwoven magazine about different guild rating and study programs and it talked about this program in Canada for home study for weaving.  I thought, well, there has to be something here in the states for that.  I am already a member of the local Weaving Indiana guild.  Weaving Indiana does not have any kind of formal learning program but does sponsor some workshops (of which I have already signed up for the one coming in September, three days in Arcadia).

 I joined the Handweavers Guild of America, because they have a certificate of excellence program, and ordered their handbook.  Of course, I just went to go look for it and could not find it, and now I am not sure I even got it, but I read something that caused me to believe that program was not the program for me.  I want something that is going to teach me, as well as test me.


So I email the folks in Canada to get more information on their program.  The magazine just had a one page article.  Here is a link to the program outline.
http://www.ohs.on.ca/~ohsonc/index.php/download_file/view/25/176/
The program consists of 18 units.  I read the descriptions, and it sounds like it could be fun.  So I contact the lady again from the program and fill out the application and mail it to Canada (had to go to the post office for special postage to Canada) They take Visa, so thought I would try how that works in Canada.  Well, Visa charges some sort of fee for international purchases, plus Canadian dollars do not equal US dollars, so the membership was a little more than the $60 since it was Canadian.

Once I got my membership, which my card and packet was mailed to me, I emailed my contact again and since they now have my card on file, I could order the Unit 1 packet so I could take a look and see what all was involved, how much info it has, and if this was something I could and wanted to really do.   I also ordered the student handbook, which is a one time thing that gives things like standards and grades and what types of equipment are needed for each unit and how to submit the samples for grading.

Unit 1: Basic Weaves

Objectives: Student will be able to weave and draft 14 weave structures based on plain weaves
and twills. Student will become familiar with the 12 basic colours in the colour wheel and
will create original fabrics based on the above.
Content: a) 14 weave structures using 12 hues of the colour wheel as selected by the
student including solid with pick and pick to introduce new colours.
b) Originals - combine parts of the 14 weaves to create three original weaves to give
the following effects:
1) Colour effect
2) Weave effect - pattern
3) Weave effect - texture
c) Characteristics of wool.

Now I wont be copying any of the actual program here, but the above outline is part of the public link so figured that should be ok to post.  This gives an outline of what the unit is and it sounds like that should be pretty easy.....until you read it a couple of times.  For this unit I need wool in all 12 colors of the color wheel.  AND I need to weave 14 samples, plus create three original designs based on what I have learned and have samples of that.  THEN I have to weave at least 2 yards (that is a lot for me) of one of these new weaves and explain what I would do with it.  I have to mount these samples in a certain way and submit the yardage as well.  This is just Unit 1.  Wow.

Luckily, with this course, I also get an instructor to email questions.  Am so glad I did.  I have not started yet, as I want to finish a couple more towels before I start it, but she gave me a few typo corrections already and is there for any questions as I go along.

There is no time limit for completing a unit.  They grade three times a year, 1/31, 5/31 and 9/30.

If this course is this intense for each unit, then I am definitely going to take a while in doing this, plus should learn quite a bit as I go.  Sounds like a wonderful challenge.  My goal is to complete this unit for the September submission.

New Addition, Ashford Joy Spinning Wheel

I wasn't going to, was going to wait a while, but then a store going out of business with 30% off changed my mind!  I can't wait to learn this bad boy!

A request from a great friend

5/19/11
A very good friend of mine, Alice, contacted me today.  She asked a simple request, would I make an inkle trim cord for her handfasting.  Of course!  I feel like I have grown closer to Dan and Alice over the past year and count them both as great friends.  I was honored to make an important item for them, especially with an art, weaving, that I so enjoy.


Their needs were simple, they wanted purple in it, they like color, so any highly saturated color for contrast would be great, or a variegated.  Orange, red, teal would be fine.  They asked for some type of pattern, just to show off the color, but nothing complicated. 1/2" or 1" would be great.   My  larger loom will be the length.

With that, I began thinking, really thinking.   I have a short time so needed to use something I already have. It was providence that I have these colors already in my stash!  I have some great soft silky bamboo, which I chose that as the fiber to symbolize sex and intimacy, in this dark orange for Alice and deep purple for Dan, with a little accent in the design and edged in white.     I know white isn't bold but I wanted a real contrast in the darker colors, and plus wanted it to symbolize love and purity of marriage.  I found a pattern in a book, one I have never done, plus I tweaked it a little.  Here is the design that gave me inspiration (I am only using part of this design, the pink/green with navy outline, but in orange/purple with white outline:

Even though they are having the hand fasting sooner, I wanted to use the wedding date of 9-24 in my design.  The design will be 24 threads wide, should be at least half an inch with that many I am hoping, might be slightly less but I thought to sacrifice width for number.  That gives the 24 part.  Now, for the 9, I have integrated that in the design threads.  The colors of purple and orange will "overlap" by 9 threads, with a design that made me think of interlocking fingers (looks like interlocking combs), to represent hands clasped together.   

Here is my work up:

I will warp up the loom tomorrow.

Michael took some photos of me warping it, but he hasnt given them to me yet :P


The flash kinda blew out the colors on this one.  All warped up and ready to weave.

 I couldnt get this one in focus as well as I wanted.

5/27/11

I got it finished tonight.

 

  Minus tassels, its 92 inches long- a little shorter than I thought it would be.  It looks so small in the photo!