Spinning and Weaving in Richmond, VA

Well, It's a full summer, with preparations for the show in Sept, and teaching at residential arts camp, but I have several dates for weaving and spinning classes in Richmond this summer also.
If you want to check out the dates, please click on the title of this post, to be taken over to teaching schedule blog, or visit upcoming.org for Richmond, where many of my classes are posted.

We just began a weekday weaving class. It meets Tues. mornings (I have to leave in a few minutes) from 9:30 - noon, and I hold a Wed. night class also. It meets from 6:30 - 9:00 pm.
There is an opportunity for a tapestry weaving class also, but folks need to contact me about what day/time is good for them. The tapestry classes are available in the fan, and in the far west end.

A new sewing session is upcoming on Friday mornings also. All of my classes are adult classes.
c.

Touchstone Center for Craft 2009 catalog of classes

I want to share with you about Touchstone Center for Craft, as I thoroughly enjoyed myself there last year. AFter many years of raising kids, and holding our breath to make ends meet, our kids are grown, and I can take myself to art camp! Last year, I taught at Touchstone, and intend to do so again this year. It was so much fun. They have a fantastic, yet fairly intimate facility. There is a Photography studio, a rather amazing blacksmithing facility, beautiful watercolor/painting studio along a little singing brook, a pottery studio along the same. Ther is a paper arts and stained glass(I think, it had a lot of torches) studio, and LOOMS galore! I will be teaching spinning, rigid heddle weaving, and weaving on the floor loom.
No matter what you take, you should take yourself off to art camp this summer. It was quite a gift to give myself last year. It was a beautiful drive from central Virginia to Farmington, PA, where Touchstone is. You might even enjoy the trip, as I did.
Here is a link to the catalog. http://www.touchstonecrafts.com/Graphics2000/catalog.pdf
gotta go. I've got a spinning commission to get finished, and a solo show to work on.
I've got to be ready for the show in JULY!!!Panic!!!!!

class schedule

Class/ teaching schedule

Jan 19 Mon Spinning Yarns from the Spinning Wheel http://www.visarts.org 6:30 - 9:00 4 week session 1812 W. Main St. 804.353.0094

Jan 24 Hand-felted Scarves http://www.visarts.org 10 am - 4:00 pm One day workshop 1812 W. Main St. 804.353.0094

Jan 31 Sew Much Fun http://www.artsglenallen.com One day, Parent child workshop 10am-4pm

Feb 7 Spinning yarns from the spinning wheel 10 - 4pm http://www.bayschool-arts.com Sponsored one-day workshop by VMFA Statewide Partnership

Feb 4 Wed Wed. night Weaving Stillman Studio (Far West End) 6:00 pm - 8:30 Weekly 3800 Stillman Pkwy

Feb 10,17,24 & 3/3 Learn to Sew Cherri Hankins Studio 6:00 pm - 8:30 (804) 687-0543 Stillman Studio (Far West End)

Feb 12 Thurs Learn to Weave on Floor Loom http://www.visarts.org 6:30 - 9:00 pm 4 week session 1812 W. Main St 804.353.0094

Feb 14 Hat Felting http://www.artsglenallen.org 10am-4pm One day workshop

Feb 14 EEEEKKKKKK Double booked Rug felting http://www.bayschool-arts.com

10 - 4 One day workshop

Feb 21 Weekend of Rigid Heddle Weaving Workshop 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Richmond,va 23233 Sat. 9-4 & 6:30 - 9:00, Sunday 1-5 pm 804.687.0543

Feb 28 Hand Felted hats http://www.visarts.org

10 am - 4 pm One Day Workshop

Mar 6, 13, 20, 27 Tapestry Weaving The Art Center in Orange (VA)

10 am - noon Fridays (540) 672-7311

Mar 6, 13, 20, 27 Spinning Yarn from the Spinning Wheel The Art Center in Orange (VA)

12:30 - 2:30 Fridays (540) 672-7311

Mar 6, 13, 20, 27 Friday afternoon Fiber Funshop The Art Center in Orange (VA)

4 - 6:00 Fridays (540) 672-7311

March 7,8 Learn to Weave in a Weekend 3800 Stillman Pkwy; Richmond, VA 23233

Sat. 9-4 & 6:30 - 9:00, Sunday 1-5pm Cherri Hankins Studio (804) 687-0543

Mar 21 Felted Vessles http://www.visarts.org

10 am - 4 pm One day workshop

March 28 Felted Vessels http://www.artsglenallen.org

10 am - 4 pm One day workshop

April 3 Intro to Weaving (rigid heddle class) http://www.bayschool-arts.com

10 am - 4 pm One day Workshop

April 18 Weaving for My Walls http://www.artsglenallen.org

10 am - 4 pm One day workshop

April 24 Rigid Heddle Weaving http://www.visarts.org

10 am - 4 pm One day workshop

May 2,3 Learn to Weave in a Weekend 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23233

Saturday 9am-4pm, 6:30 pm - 9:00pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5pm Cherri Hankins Studio

June 7 - 12 An Immersion in Weaving 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23233

40 hours of instruction and 20 hours of open studio time in one week! Cherri Hankins Studio 804.687.0543

June 14 - 21 Spinning yarn from the Spinning Wheel http://www.touchstonecrafts.com/

Daily An immersion spinning experience for adults in Wharton Furnace, PA

June 21 - 27 Weaving at Touchstone http://www.touchstonecrafts.com/

Daily An immersion weaving experience for adults in Wharton Furnace, PA

July 11 & 12 Weekend Rigid Heddle Weaving Workshop 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Ricmond, VA 23233

Sat. 9-4 & 6:30 - 9:00, Sunday 1-5 pm Cherri Hankins Studio 804.687.0543

August 9-14 An Immersion in Weaving 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Richmond, VA 2323340 hours of instruction and 20 hours of open studio time in one week! Cherri Hankins Studio 804.687.0543

August 15 & 16 Learn to Weave in a Weekend 3800 Stillman Pkwy, Richmond, VA 23233

Saturday 9am-4pm, 6:30 pm - 9:00pm, Sunday 1:00 pm - 5pm Cherri Hankins Studio 804.687.0543

August 23 Rigid Heddle weaving http://www.touchstonecrafts.com/

Daily An emmersion weaving experience for adults in Wharton Furnace, PA

New studio

Well, I'm waiting to hear back from the properties management company to sign contracts on a new fiber arts studio in Richmond, VA. I'm starting this one with about 800 squ ft.
Hopefully, we will be expanding within 6 months. The intent is to open a studio where my students have greater weekday access to the studio, and where we can have larger looms, and a greater variety of equipment. I have a freestanding warping mill that I love, and would like to share with my students. It would be nice if they could try the mechanical dobby loom. I want to teach morning weaving classes, and weekday spinning classes.
As we expand, I am also planning on offering sewing, needlepoint, cross stitch, and much more! I'm lining up teachers now. The studio is very close to some fairly nice and affordable hotels, restaurants, and shops, so it's time to promote the weaving vacations, and week-long weaving classes much more.
Currently, it looks like we will be moving into the studio the first week of Dec. and Our first official class there will be 12/6. I have openings for a few more weavers, and have tabletop tapestry looms, rigid heddle looms, floor looms, and free standing tapestry looms. Take your pick, and join our fast growing community of fiber artists.
This is exciting! I'll post pictures after the contracts are signed.
Cherri

updated Rigid Heddle Loom Review

Since publishing the Rigid Heddle Loom review, I have woven on/with the Kromski Fiddle, and the Harp, and wanted to update the review, with these looms. I also want to say that I read recently that some floor loom weavers consider rigid heddle looms to be ‘toys’. Well, they are fun, they are small, they generally provide a quick weave, so my rigid heddle looms are my toys. My floor looms are my toys, and my tapestry loom is my toy. My work is my play. And I do a LOT of it. Don’t worry about what others think. How much fun are you having?

OK, to review the looms:

Beka. It’s a a simple loom. I like the Beka because it’s an inexpensive way to have rigid heddle looms to take from art center to art center without renting a larger vehicle. They are lightweight, and graceful looking. These looms assemble in less than 5 minutes. The ratchet brake is fairly secure, but the end of the 2 beams screw into the side supports, and (Dislikes) these tend to tighten themselves so the warp doesn’t advance without working with them every time. The block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down, is just that, a block of wood, as a result, the heddle slips off a good deal. I also don’t find it comfortable as a lap loom. I just doesn’t rest well against the table, and if tilted, the rigid heddle is even less likely to stay in the up or down position. If you have the money for a better loom, don’t spend your money here. This loom should cost approx $110 for a 20″, and $127 for a 24′ . Included equipment are 2 stick shuttles, a pickup stick, and a threading hook. Be aware: No warping device is included!

Schacht rigid heddle looms Schacht is an ok lap loom. Again, it’s very rudimentary, streamline, and graceful looking. It’s very light weight, and easy to travel with. I like the Schacht for the same reason I liked the Beka. I also like the fact that Schacht notches the block that holds the rigid heddle up, or down. As you know, anything with the Schacht name is not “economy” priced. I dislike it because it is rather an economy loom,by design, yet at nearly twice the price of the Beka. The warp brake is tightened by screwing the block on the back beam, which allows slippage, leading to frustration in my classes. So between the price, and the slippage, I don’t use Schacht. It comes with a clamp, warping peg, stick shuttle, and threading hook. Generally, these looms cost approx $180 for a 20″ loom, and $200 for a 25″ loom.

Kromski Harp is a lovely loom. I didn’t plan on liking either Kromski because the hinged loom seems like a rather silly idea to me. LIkes:The rigid heddle loom is already so much smaller than other looms, why hinge it. Yet one of my students who travels a lot said, “simple, to fly with it”. Yes, it would travel better in that small state. I began liking the loom as soon as I finished putting it together. The wood is finished. The various supports are turned wood, or otherwise decorative, there is a system with the loom to assist in threading, the loom comes with a nice heddle/reed hook, a DVD, clear instructions, a pretty rigid heddle, clear assembly instructions, warping devices and shuttles. It’s a good deal. I got the 16″ for $189, which is a good price for a package that includes everything you need. Dislikes: I didn’t like the density of the reed, but that’s because I’m so fond of the Leclercs, which come with a more widely sett reed. I’m concerned the hinge will come loose. I can’t figure out how to carry the loom, as the hooks come unhooked when the loom is folded. You pretty much have to buy a carry bag to keep the stuff together (good thing they sell one). I have enjoyed it in the few days I’ve had it. It is the only rigid heddle loom that I’ve bought to teach on that just beckoned me to use after class. I will buy more of these if this holds up. It’s actually a good buy.

Kromski Fiddle is a cheaper alternative if you want a Kromski, but don’t want a hinged loom. It’s a comfortable loom to use. I got the 16″ version for about $130. It comes with the hook, a warping peg, shuttles, and assembly instructions, as well as that cool system for holding the apron rod to make warping easier. It is simpler to assemble than the harp. Dislikes: The wood is unfinished. It does not come with use instructions, or a DVD. The heddle is very closely sett, and Too bad. I will use both the Kromski looms again. Very good loom. I would pay more, and be more likely to buy this again, as well as recommend it if it were finished wood, and if it came with some use instructions. Overall, it’s a very good loom.

Ashford has a nice looking loom. It’s a lot like the harp without the warping board attached. I thought I was really going to like it. It looks rather modern with it’s colorful ratchets and it’s wonderful instruction booklet. Another nice thing about this loom, is that the craftsmanship is quality. The looms are soundly constructed, finished nicely, and fairly well designed. The very best feature of the Ashford Rigid Heddle looms, is the clear, instruction manual that accompanies the looms. A full color instruction booklet that is nearly failsafe is priceless for self-taught beginners. This is a wonderful feature! For some reason, however, I find the ratchet/dog system failed me several times, and winding on the warp is not a simple task, because the loom doesn’t have a crank on the warp beam. All of the above mentioned looms are simple in design, and structurally should make very good lap looms. I found this one is the best lap loom. It rests easily on the table, and the heddle stays firmly in place when the warp is sufficiently tight.The 24″ runs about 165.00 and it comes with 2 stick shuttles, 2 threading hooks, a clamp, and the precious INSTRUCTIONS!

Leclerc Bergere is a tabletop rigid heddle loom. It has metal ratchets, and dogs, handles to wind the warp on, and the rigid heddle securely rests in the notched “castle post”. It’s a more complex design than the aforementioned rigid heddle looms in that it is raised off the table by legs, and has a castle type device for the heddle, rather than simply a support block. It comes with a styrene boat shuttle, 2, 28″ long stick shuttles, metal lea sticks, a set of 2 warping blocks (each has 2 pegs for creating a cross in your warp), and warp sticks with cord. As you can see, this is a loom, and if you want to learn the entire process of warping, this is a great place to start. You get a lot of equipment for a weaving studio, and a very good table top rigid heddle loom. I really like this loom. It’s good for me because as an instructor who travels to art centers(that don’t own looms) to teach, I can take a loom that I can actually teach the entire process of dressing a loom on, and it translates to the student’s floor loom also, because the loom is designed to be dressed back to front like a floor loom. The rigid heddle rests firmly in the notches, and there is a ‘rest’ position for threading it. it travels well with the loom warped by simply putting rubber bands around the joint where the rigid heddle rests in the castle post. It comes with a very clear, though instruction booklet that will easily get a beginner started with the loom, and with some elemental tapestry techniques. However, what I don’t like, is that it is not graceful and complact. It doesn’t have a simple design, and really isn’t a lap loom. Also, although I like Leclerc looms a lot, the craftsmanship on the older Leclerc looms is better. The craftsmanship on the loom is rudimentary. At just $165, this 24″ loom stands head and shoulders above the others for my purposes. (best overall rigid heddle loom in this review)

Leclerc Penelope II is a rigid heddle tapestry loom. It is weaves 22.5″ and works as an upright double rigid heddle loom. It can be used with a single rigid heddle, but comes equipped with 2. The craftsmanship is very good on this loom, the beams are braked with metal ratchets and dogs, the beams also have cranks for easy beaming of the warp. As the loom is designed to be used vertically, the rigid heddle supports are designed to hold the heddles securely in this position. The loom is designed to be warped with lea sticks, and in a ‘back to front’ fashion. Again, this makes it a wonderful pre-cursor to a floor loom, if that is the direction the weaver is headed. This loom gives very good tension on the warp, and is comfortable for a variety of tapestry techniques for tapestry, but is not an efficient loom as a substitute for plain weave, or pattern weaving quickly because of it’s upright position. I’m very impressed with this loom. It comes with tapestry bobbins, metal lea sticks, 2 warping blocks, which have 2 pegs each, for creating a cross in your warp, heddle hook, and 2 long stick shuttles. Now, for the downside, it also comes with an instruction booklet that has instructions for the Penelope, but not the Penelope II. As of the date of this review, I had not been able to get instructions from the company on how to use the 2nd rigid heddle with the loom, as the instructions are for a single rigid heddle design. Thanks to Schacht for the clear instructions on how to thread a 2 heddle rigid heddle loom. What do I not like about this loom? As I mentioned, it’s not for someone who wants to ‘crank out’ rigid heddle work. Other than that, I can’t come up with a single thing I don’t like. It’s definitely a rigid heddle loom for the tapestry weave, or a weaver who wants to do 4 harness work on a rigid heddle loom. . At $235, this loom is a bargain. (I own 5 of them, and am getting ready to order 3 more… mostly for teaching, but occassionally, for some ‘me’ time).Excellent loom

Be a part of the solution!

I won’t go ‘partisan’ on you. But let’s be a part of the solution. Support Americans. This year, instead of buying cheap stuff or expensive stuff in department stores for holiday gifts, give American made quality fine craft and fine art items. Support America by recognizing quality in your own country. Don’t go out and buy cheap Wally Market stuff, actually spend a little extra, pay cash, so you aren’t sinking yourself deeper in debt, and buy a fine American made quilt, or afghan, or handwoven throw. Buy pots from the local potter, prints from the local photographer, and scarves from the local felter. Don’t look for cheap, junk. That supports poor craftsmanship. Actually spend what you can, and be a part of the solution by keeping your money local.

Be aware that wool, alpaca, and other local fiber producing animals are not harmed in the harvest of their fiber, and it is a renewable resource. Buy items made from easily, readily and locally re-newable resources.

When I was at one of the ‘gourmet’ grocery stores the other day, my kids and I were tastin gelato, and the attendant giving us samples kept saying,” This is locally produce from Maryland, from Pennsylvania, from Georgia…..” We are in Richmond, Virginia, so our ‘locally grown produce is from Richmond, and the surrounding counties. If it took more than 5 gallons of gas to get it to me, it’s not local. Thanks.

If you agree with this, cut and paste the above message on your blog, in your e-mails, and at your workspace. We need to be a part of American as a sustainable economy. Again, buy locally. Buy nationally. Buy Quality.

More on the local alpacas

Teri got back with me about all the fun things Fireweed Alpacas is involved with in the near future. Here is a list of some of the upcoming fun:

State Fair of Virginia
Saturday, September 27 9 am – 9 pm

National Alpaca OPEN HOUSE
Sunday, September 28, 12 pm – 5 pm
2280 Camelback Road
Maidens, VA 23012
(804) 556-2526
fireweed@boone.net
www.fireweed-alpacas.com

4th Annual Taste of Goochland
Tuesday, October 14
5 – 8 pm
Boy Scouts of America
1723 Maidens Road (this is actually on our property! See you there)

Teri is having the open house in Maidens, and it’s a great opportunity to see the alpacas in their home environment. The “Taste of Goochland” is an opportunity to come out and see what Goochland County has to offer. It’s a large # of Goochland businesses reaching out to the community to introduce themselves. It was great last year. Fireweed Alpacas did participate and drew a great deal of attention with their crias and adult alpacas. There is much more information coming from Fireweed, and an opportunity that my local fiber friends will LOVE! We can participate with shearing day, and earn fiber to boot.

Stay tuned.

Cherri