Variations on a Draw
Beginner, Intermediate
Required Skills:
Students should know how to spin, thread, and keep their wheel going or how to use drop spindles.
Class Length:
Full Day
Class Times:
Friday, 9 am to 12 pm
Friday, 2 pm to 5 pm
Every spinner has their own method for holding the fiber and getting it twisted, treadling the wheel, and wound onto the bobbin – this is their “draw." Our draw is often taken from the person we learned from, and sometimes we spin everything the same way. If it doesn’t work well, we do two things: give up or keep trying until it works enough to make thread. During the class, as we talk about draws, we will talk about why, when, and where. By learning about the differences in the fibers and their preparations, students will begin to see how practice and small adjustments can expand their abilities and comfort with different fibers.
Registration Fees:
For FTWG Members: $170
For all others: $200
Materials Fee:
$30
Materials Fee Includes:
Handout All fibers needed for the class
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.
- A spinning wheel and their regular spinning kit
- Or a selection of drop spindles
- Note-taking materials
For 43 years, Paula has been spinning, weaving, sharing her love for fiber with others, researching and experimenting with yarns, dyes, and techniques. She has organized public exhibits, regional and national conferences, childrens’ summer camps, and taught workshops nationally. Paula presents programs to art, quilting, sewing and knitting groups, schools, and colleges, and demonstrates at the GA Renaissance Festival and the GA National Fair, where she has been the supervisor of the Spinning and Weaving Competition since 1998. Paula works to help fiber artists and the fiber producers come together to support the continuation of fiber production in Georgia and the Southeast. For more than a decade, she has focused on natural dyes and processing kudzu fiber for weaving. She shares her adventures in fiber where ever she can, in person and in print.