Weaving Courses

All courses are based on an holistic approach to design rather than ‘learning weaving’. Courses are usually project based, although technical courses are also provided. Tailor-made for each student, you are able to work at your own pace and in your own way. We are also able to arrange excursions to Macclesfield Silk Museum and Paradise Mill (jacquard silk weaving), or Quarry Bank Mill (cotton spinning and weaving).

STUDIO TIMES :

The studio is open from 9 am - 9 pm every day, and teaching hours are from 10 am - 5pm, allowing you time to work alone in the evenings, or browse through the library of weaving and design books.

Previous students have enjoyed their time here.  Here are just a few comments from more recent visitors :

Sonja Aldengard - Summer 09
"I learnt weaving in my native Sweden a long time ago, and although I have a loom in my London home, it has sadly been idle for some 25 years. Retirement
has given me the chance to take up this interest again, but I needed some help to get going. My week with you was everything I had hoped it would be, and more.
Thanks to your encouragement and calm guidance I have managed to brush up on the basics of weaving and now have the confidence to develop this further,
and the possibilities seem endless. I was very comfortable staying in your house, and I very much enjoyed the hospitality and wise company. Thank you so much."

Alison Horspool - Spring 09
"Thank you for your help over the weekend. When someone is learning something new and particularly as a "mature" person, it can often take a bit longer to
pick things up. Your patience helped a lot and the hospitality was lovely in pleasant surroundings. "

Other craft interests in the area include the Gladstone Pottery Museum, Tutbury Crystal , the William Morris connection at Leek, local market towns of Ashbourne, Stone, Uttoxeter (with its horse racing), and Cheadle (Pugin church of St Giles), the cathedral city of Lichfield, the county town of Stafford, and attractions such as Alton Towers (5 miles), Shugborough Hall (nr Stafford), Cannock Chase, Peak District, and cities such as Stoke-on-Trent (the Potteries), Derby, and Nottingham (city of lace).

Long Weekend Breaks – Friday lunch to Monday lunch

Taster Breaks
Beginners

I show you lots of samples, you browse through some design books, you select the yarn,  I prepare the loom for you, and then you weave! Just a taster of weaving to see if you like it.

Contact me to discuss your requirements and dates.

Price 2009/10  £ 350    (From April 2010 - £380)
Cost includes 2 full days and 2 half- days teaching, yarns (excluding cashmere and silk), 3 nights bed and breakfast, and lunches.
3 course evening meal optional - £12.50

Non residential £290 (including lunches)

Gill Hancock - Summer 08
"Thank you for the incredible weekend.  It was so good to come and focus totally on weaving as a new skill and work through how I could
incorporate it into my lifestyle."

Kath Moss - Autumn 08
"Just wanted to say thank you for a wonderful weekend last weekend. I had such a great break and really enjoyed it, you're a great teacher - thank you! And yes, now I think I am properly hooked!! "

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Refresher Breaks

Beginners/Intermediate

One of our long weekends, the Refresher Break is designed for people coming back to weaving after a break.  Whether you want to brush up on design skills, or revise warping methods and weave samples or a small project, this is for you.  Bring your own loom, or you can use one of ours and we will aim to have a set of samples or a small project woven to take home with you.

Contact me to discuss your requirements and dates.

Price 2009/10  £350    (From April 2010 - £380)
Cost includes 2 full days and 2 half-days teaching, 3 nights bed and breakfast, and lunches.
Yarns extra - at cost

3 course evening meal optional - £12.50

Non residential £290 (includes lunches)

Louise West - Summer 08
"Thank you for a wonderful inspiring weekend, I just need the time to continue with all the infectious enthusiasm and knowledge gained with you."

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1 or 2 week courses

Any standard

Specially tailored to your individual requirements, 1 or 2 week courses can focus on a specific project you have in mind, or a topic for study ie a family of weaves, network drafting, colour and weave effects, shadow weave - whatever you would like to learn.

For people who have tried the Taster Breaks, it's a chance to learn how to prepare the loom for weaving, develop a sampler or weave a project.

If you're more advanced and want to expand from 4 or 8 shafts, the 16 shaft Harris table loom and the AVL are the looms for you - with up to 24 shafts you can create amazing designs.

Contact me to discuss your requirements and dates.

Ingrid Vercruyssen - Spring 09
"I thought your enthusiasm and passion for weaving were very infectious and your HUGE knowledge made it possible for me to target specific areas of interest, which is exactly what I was looking for.  In other words, I think that you are a very skilled, adaptable teacher, and your course was very well tailored to my needs.  I felt quite privileged to have you all to myself!"


Jeanne and John Frett (USA), Summer 2007

"John and I would like to thank you again for your excellent weaving instruction and warm hospitality.  We thoroughly enjoyed our week with you... Thank you for a very memorable and educational experience."

Price 2009/10    1 week  £595 (includes 1 night free B&B!)    (From April 2010 - £650)

Cost includes 5 days teaching, 6 nights bed & breakfast (Sun - Sat), and lunches.

Yarns extra - at cost.

Evening meal optional - £12.50    Non-residential £500 (includes lunches)   

2 weeks  £1,270  (includes 1 night free B&B!)    (From April 2010 - £1385)

Cost includes 10 days teaching, 13 nights bed & breakfast (Sun - Sat), and lunches.

Yarns extra - at cost.

Evening meal optional - £12.50     Non-residential £1025 (includes lunches)

Jacquard Courses

Advanced only

An intensive introduction to the intricacies of jacqurd designing and weaving, plus a look at fabric analysis and construction.  With a maximum of 4 students, this course aims to teach you the basics of jacquard with designing on computer, card cutting and lacing, and weaving on 4 different sample looms and my 1930s jacquard power loom.  Familiarity with a computer design programme such as CorelDraw or CorelPaint, or Adobe Photoshop preferable.  An optional trip to Paradise Mill at Macclesfield is available.

Not for the faint-hearted!

Agnes Hauptli - Summer 09
"I thoroughly enjoyed my workshop with you, it was a dream come true! The way you have the workshop setup is brilliant, learning how
to "read" how each one of the babies is set up, doing the sett samples, designing my one design, fixing and correcting the mise-en-carte, punching
all those cards and then finally weaving my sample gave me a huge understanding of Jacquard weaving as it was done in the olden age and also
makes me appreciate those wonderful pieces of weaving one sees in museums a lot more.
Your workshop gave me a good grounding and whatever loom I might acquire in the future, it will be of great benefit to me."

Price 2009/10    £1,355  (includes 1 night free B&B!)    (From April 2010 - £1,475)
Cost includes 11 days teaching, 13 nights bed & breakfast, and lunches.

Yarns extra - at cost.

Evening meal optional  -  £12.50.   Non-residential  £1115 (includes lunches)

Terms & Conditions

      1.   A non-returnable deposit of £100 is required to secure the course.

      2.   Balance is due one calendar month before the course start date

      3.  Website and brochure prices quote for specific weaving days, B&B and lunch.

           Extra weaving days and B&B can be booked if desired. Email me for costs if you would like to do this. 

      4.  Studio hours 9 am - 9 pm.  Teaching hours 10 am - 5pm. 

Studio equipment

Stables Workshop

4 sample jacquard hand-looms.  Set-up :  1 with 1 1/2-repeat;  1 with 2-repeat; 1 with 3-repeat; 1 with 5-repeat.

Bobbin winders
Threading and sleying hooks and other accessories
Small library of jacquard weaving books

1 200s card cutter

1 lacing table for 200s cards

1 lacing machine for 400s cards

Main Studio

1 4-shaft Ashford table loom with treadles, suitable for beginners:

1 8-shaft Ashford table loom

1 AVL 24 shaft compu-dobby loom (sectional warping) with computer

WeavePoint 2.2 programme for AVL

1 Jacquard Power Loom:

1 card-cutter for 400s cards

1 double head automatic pirn winder (for Hattie)
1 wet room (fabric washing facilities, including mangle!)
Spool rack for 56 bobbins

1 warping frame
Bobbin winders
Threading and sleying hooks and other accessories

Warping raddle

1 warping mill

Design and research area (upstairs in main studio)
Considerable library of weaving books suitable for all weavers
Considerable library of design books and resource material suitable for all weavers

1 computer for designing for jacquard

Scotweave design programme for dobby & jacquard (1999 edition)

Fiberworks Silver 4.1 for dobby
Weavepoint 6.4 for multishaft loom

ArahWeave PE design programme for jacquard (2007 edition)

Laptop for designing for jacquard and dobby

Yarns available - wide choice of cotton, wool, shetland, cashmere, rug wool, mohair, silk, paper, metal, lurex, raffia, and miscellaneous.

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