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Weave Free or Die • Madelyn van der Hoogt DDW Workshop in NH

I just spent a fantastic three days in Concord, New Hampshire taking a deflected double weave workshop with the illustrious Madelyn van der Hoogt.  The workshop was a great experience across the board.  It was in downtown Concord, NH (near a french bakery) at the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen.  The New Hampshire Weavers’ Guild organized and hosted it.  The members who attended couldn’t have been more welcoming to an alien outsider (me), and I had the bonus of having a great loom buddy and fellow Hill Master Weaver, Diane Howes.  I was impressed and inspired by the collective skill and knowledge which shone in the challenging atmosphere of Madelyn’s class.MVDH Workshop - 01There were 18 weavers and 18 projects to weave in a round robin format.  I think there were perhaps 15 different projects and 4 repeated in different colors.  I was floored by how smoothly the class went when you consider that there were 18 weavers of differing experience and skill weaving 15-18 different projects on unfamiliar looms and then wet finishing a total of 4 yards of fabric for each project!  What a testament to how Madelyn structured the class, how flexible and skilled the weavers were and how well the Program Coordinator set things up.

The emphasis in the class was largely on the differential shrinkage possibilities of this structure which was great for me because it is one of the facets of DDW that I really haven’t explored much at all. It also provides some serious drama!

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I have often heard that Madelyn is a very good teacher, but I got to experience her skill first hand.  She is very funny, patient and really generous with her knowledge and her energy. No whiff of diva at all even though her status in the weaving world would merit a little attitude.

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We wove around the room – engaging with a huge variety of looms: 4-shaft direct tie-up, 4, 8 & 12 shaft table, 8-shaft floor, spiffy new, worn and loved oldies with a myriad of customizations.  It was sometimes a pleasure and sometimes as much of a challenge to “learn” the loom as it was to learn the structure, beat and treadling of the project.  We wove with cotton, cotttolin, bamboo, silk, superfine merino, mora wool, worsted wool . . .MVDH Workshop - 50

I feel like I have about a year’s worth of thinking and experimenting to do based on some of the ideas gleaned from this class.  Highly recommended!  And here is my wee sample which we resleyed trying to get some bubbling – unsuccessfully. I hope it’s not a reflection on the lack of bubble in my personality . . .

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COMMENTS
  • September 24, 2013
    reply

    Wow! That does look like a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of learning 🙂

  • September 24, 2013
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    Marlene Toerien

    HI, you are so lucky, a friend of mine studied with Madelyn one summer, and she just loved it.

    Marlene T.

  • September 25, 2013
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    diane howes

    What a fun class, Lisa! And a great blog post!
    I’ll be your loom buddy again anytime,

  • October 4, 2013
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    Jane Dumais

    Wonderful pictures. So glad you shared this experience with those of us who could not attend.

  • October 4, 2013
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    Heidi

    Hi Lisa,
    I totally agree with you about Madelyn’s teaching and the wealth of experimentation we can now play with as a result. Thanks for posting these pictures! Hope I get to work with you again sometime. Heidi

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