Split-Shed Weaving
Beginner, Intermediate
Required Skills:
Students must know how to thread a loom and follow a basic 4-shaft draft.
Class Length:
Two and a Half Days
Class Times:
Friday, 9 am to 12 pm
Friday, 2 pm to 5 pm
Saturday, 9 am to 12 pm
Saturday, 2 pm to 5 pm
Sunday, 9 am to 12 pm
Break out of blocks with split-shed weaving. Weave curves and blend colors using continuous wefts on a four-shaft loom with no special equipment. Students will learn to weave multiple combinations of weave structures using only four shafts and a straight threading. Only tie-ups and treadling are changed between samples. Most of these combinations would normally require a minimum of eight shafts. Work with combinations of twills, tied weaves, double weave, Han damask, taqueté, pigué, and more! Weave samples using continuous, complementary, and supplementary wefts, as well as wefts which combine to produce shading for pictorial weaving. (This is the process Deborah Silver uses to create her art.) Students will also learn to make a cartoon on cloth that will advance with the warp and will not wrinkle when beating. Although students will not be able to complete all of the samples in class, they will leave with the ability to complete them at home with all of the drafts and instructions. Looms that allow multiple shaft tie-ups to each treadle are most preferable, but table and direct tie-up looms may also be used. The table loom process is slightly slower.
Registration Fees:
For FTWG Members: $425
For all others: $500
Materials Fee:
$15
Materials Fee Includes:
All cartoon-making materials Handouts
Registration Fees are paid when you register to attend the FTWG Conference. Materials fees are paid directly to the instructor at the beginning of class. You should plan to pay the materials fee in cash.
- Looms will need to be pre-warped.
- Students will provide their own weft yarns (instructor will email samples of acceptable yarn types).
- Three 10” – 14” flat shuttles
- One other shuttle that will be comfortable to use with an 8- to 9-inch-wide warp.
Deborah Silver earned a BFA in Fiber from the Cleveland Institute of Art. She weaves art using the split-shed technique, transforming traditional weaving structures into a signature method of hand-weaving. Her recent art is drawn from American women’s history and from memorials found in old cemeteries. Deborah authored “The Technique of Split-Shed Weaving”, a book that illustrates pictorial weaving using the split-shed process on four-shaft looms. Her articles have been published in Complex Weavers magazine. Deborah teaches split-shed weaving workshops internationally. Deborah’s weavings have been shown in numerous juried exhibitions including the World of Threads Festival in Ontario, Canada. She is the recipient of several awards, including the Complex Weavers Award and First Place at Complexity 2018.
These photos were provided by the instructor to demonstrate the experience of taking this class.
