Renegade Treadlings on Traditional Threadings

Ms and Os, Huck-a-Back, and Swedish Point are three traditional weave structures that can offer weavers the opportunity to explore myriad possibilities for towels, clothing, and accessories. We will learn how the structure of the patterns can be adapted for renegade treadlings by looking at what our looms are doing from a different perspective. Think architecturally. Study the rising/lowering rhythm of the shafts. Define what makes a pattern and a “float”, and then determine where you want the wefts or warps. Learn some fundamentals. Throw out the rules. Explore. Choose a sequence and repeat it! A new way to expand our treadling vocabulary to find our own voice in creating innovative designs for cloth.

Instructor Bio - Suzi Ballenger is a veteran weaver and educator from Rhode Island, who is known for thinking outside the box. Her work has been seen in Handwoven Magazine. She has developed specialized tools for handweaving that push the pre-conceived boundaries of traditional methods, and holds patents on her tool designs. She has studied at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, the Rhode Island School of Design, and was a visiting artist at the Penland School of Crafts in 2007. She is currently an MFA candidate for Artisanry/Fibers at University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and teaches at the Slater Mill in Pawtucket, RI.

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Welcome, Weavers!
If you’re a weaver--beginner or pro--the Vermont Weavers Guild welcomes you. Plan to join us at one of our regular meetings at the Kimball House, Randolph, Vermont.