Hillsdale, Ontario (705) 835-2117 drawloom@gmail.com

Jette Vandermeiden weaves damask and Scandinavian weaves on her drawlooms. She offers classes in weave structure and theory and teaches extensively, presenting seminars and workshops at colleges, conferences and guilds, locally and internationally. Jette has served as Weaving Education Chair for the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners and is a columnist for Fibre Focus. Her goal is to share weaving skills so this ancient craft will continue to enrich our lives.

Learn to weave in a private weaving studio located in the beautiful Medonte Hills, in Mt. St. Louis, north of Barrie, Ontario. Weaving classes are small, with time for individual instruction. Class instruction is adapted to suit the participants.

This video was filmed during the Blocks and Profiles workshop, November 2010.

Private lessons can be arranged upon request. You may also choose to arrange for a weekend workshop with your own group of friends. There are several B&B’s within 5 kms. The studio is user-friendly, with no stairs at the entrance and a wide-door washroom on the same level. Cars can be driven almost to the door for easy loading and unloading of looms.

CLASS SCHEDULE - 2011-2012

WEAVING BASICS I - If you have never woven cloth on a loom before, this course is for you. You will learn to make a warp, set up and dress the loom and weave plain weave, twill and some variations. Learn to read a pattern, work with colours, and get acquainted with weaving techniques.
Cost: $225 includes use of a loom and materials.

	Weavers may start on table or floor looms

WEAVING BASICS II - Design and weave your own project, using tabby or twill. Continue your study of pattern reading and cloth design. You may also choose to study a new weave structure, using it for your project.
Cost: $225 includes use of a loom. Material costs extra.

WEAVING BASICS I & II will be taught simultaneously.
Fall/Winter Weekday Session: Thursdays 9 am – 3 pm for a total of 5 days. Call for available dates. Starts September 22, 2011.
Winter Saturday Session: Saturdays 9 am – 4 pm Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28, 2012 (with Feb 4 as finish-up day or snow day)

Get up-close and personal with your loom

WEAVING WEEKENDS

WARPED WAYS - 1 day workshop
Wobbly warps? Wiggly wefts?  This one-day workshop will cover different methods of getting your warp onto the loom effectively and easily.  We will use the trapeze method of warping and practice setting up a loom using pre-sleying to get a perfectly tensioned warp.  This is a non-loom workshop; studio looms will be used for warping practice.
Level: basic weaving skills
Cost: $75 Date: Saturday Nov 26, 2011, 9:30 am – 4 pm

Classes are small for personal attention

FIBERWORKS AND AVL PLAY DAY
An AVL loom has come to live in the studio. Why not come for a day of designing patterns using PCW and try using a compu-dobby? There will be the choice of booking time (at a later date) to weave the sample you have designed on a pre-set warp.
Level: A basic knowledge of PCW is required, plus you will need your own laptop with PCW installed.
Cost:  $75 Individual time booked on AVL to complete project extra.
Date:  Sunday Nov 27 , 2011 9:30 am – 4 pm

PLAITED TWILLS - 2 day workshop
Intricate patterning of twill lines that resemble magnified interlacements or mosaic tile patterns are woven using double two tie unit weave threading. Design fabulous patterns using simple building blocks and weave patterns that look like they are much more complex than actually is the case. Choose one and start your project.
Level: Basic weaving and drafting skills required.
Loom: Work on your own loom. Only 8 shaft looms are suitable.
Cost:  $150 Dates:  Feb 18-19, 2012 9:30 - 4 pm

GET SETT! - 2 day workshop
The correct sett can make or break a fabric. The functionality of your cloth is dependent on its drape and density. There are easy ways to decide on sett before you sample. Learn to determine the best sett for your project through a series of experiments in plain weave and twill.
Level:  Basic weaving skills
Loom: Work on your own loom; 4 shaft loom is ideal
Cost:  $150  Dates:  March 24-25, 2012 9:30 am - 4 pm

SUMMER WEAVING – Weaving Basics I and II
Teanaustaye Textiles offers an intensive week long Weaving Basics I and II class. Class size is small, allowing you to study the structure of your choice, with plenty of individual instructional time. Come and spend a summer week in the country, while learning to weave.  Enjoy the gardens, the woods and the chance to spend a full week in the studio. 
Cost:  $600 includes course, materials and lunch.  Accommodation can be arranged in B&Bs close by. Dates:  August 20-24, 2012

	Even experienced weavers will find new techniques to learn

OPEN STUDIO (PRIVATE LESSONS) - Come to the studio and we will work together to study whatever weave structure you are working on. Please register by phone to set up your time.
Cost: $30/hour for individual teaching.

DIRECTIONS: from Toronto take Hwy 400 N, past Barrie, to Exit 131 Mt. St. Louis. Turn west on Mt. St. Louis Road and continue west for 5 km. Turn right on Teanaustaye Drive, which is between the 4th and 3rd Lines. #10 is on your left hand side. Studio entrance is around the back.
REGISTRATION: Class sizes are small, so register early. A non-refundable $50 deposit is required to hold your spot. Warping instructions will be sent upon full payment of deposit. Call for class availability. For further information, call (705) 835-2117 or email drawloom@gmail.com.

SEMINARS and GUILD WORKSHOPS
Jette offers a wide variety of seminars and workshops for your Guild, school or conference. Contact her to include one of these presentations at your next event.

SEMINAR TOPICS
These seminars are available as evening programs or as half day seminars.

THE VERSATILE TWILL
Twill is one of the first weaves a weaver learns. Often woven as a 2/2 twill, it is easy to overlook the many other possibilities of the twill weave. How about reversible two-faced cloth of 4 shafts? a 3 shaft jean twill? a fancy twill woven on a simple threading? a stitched cloth with different twills on front and back? or a twill that hides another twill underneath it? There are many possibilities with this well-known but often not well utilized weave. Come explore some of these ideas on 3, 4 and more shaft looms.

WEAVING: USING A TRAPEZE TO WARP
The Scandinavians weave beautiful and fine cloth. They have a different approach to setting up a warp, preparing their looms, and weaving. Find out what a warping trapeze will do and how to mangle your cloth. A demonstration of dressing a loom using a trapeze and the use of a simple mangle to finish fine cloth will be given.

LINEN WEAVING
Linen is a fibre so beautiful when woven and finished properly and yet many weavers shy away from trying linen, having heard it is difficult to work with. This seminar outlines linen characteristics, gives suggestions for simple methods of weaving with linen and a discussion of finishing techniques that will make your linen shine. Come and fall in love with linen all over again! (Also offered as a 3 day workshop.)

THE NOBLE NAPKIN
The way a table napkin was folded used to indicate your position in society. Table textiles and their presentation had a great cultural significance in the earlier centuries. We will seriously study that and also have lots of fun learning to fold napkins into various shapes and patterns, so we can send our own messages when the table is set for dinner!

DAMASK GOES NORTH: THE STORY OF THE TABLECLOTH
Where does the tablecloth come from? Why is it used? Tracing the emergence of the tablecloth through the centuries closely follows the movement of damask from the Middle East up to Scandinavia through Europe. The development of the drawloom and the Jacquard loom in Europe brought enormous cultural and societal changes to professional weavers of the time. Connections between religious and political events and the development of damasks and linens as royal textiles tell an interesting story of the influence of weaving on world events through the ages.

WAULKING
Waulking is the old Scottish term used to describe the finishing of woolen cloth into a wind resistant, water resistant fabric. It was a community event, complete with songs and traditions, which gave weavers an opportunity to socialize. This seminar will give some history, some ideas on how to weave a waulking cloth and how to finish it. Why not plan a guild waulking of your own?

BLOCKS AND PROFILES
Many drafts are written as profile drafts and use block weaves. What is a block weave, a unit, a profile? How does a short draft work? How do you get a threading draft from a profile draft? Based on 4-shaft theory, learn how useful and interesting playing with blocks can be.

NAME DRAFTING - DESIGN YOUR OWN OVERSHOT PATTERN
Learn how to use your name as a basis for original overshot drafts. Discusses some of the pitfalls of original drafting, how to design borders that complement your draft, and how to weave rose and star fashion overshot patterns. Add an appropriate treadling and presto! - you have an original pattern with a message.

JACQUARD WEAVING ON JOHN CAMPBELL'S MID 1800's LOOM
John Campbell, professional Jacquard weaver from London, Ontario, left a loom with sets of punch cards for coverlets. Two of the original coverlet patterns are being woven on the hand Jacquard loom housed at the Ontario Science Centre, with emphasis on educating visitors about the early connections between the Jacquard loom and the modern computer. Come join us on an exploration of the Jacquard mechanism ca. 1865, how it works, how it relates to the drawloom of the time and why it was such an important development in modern science.

SKILLBRAGD, SMAALANDSVAV, THREADED OPPHAMPTA
Skillbragd, Smaalandsvav, Threaded Opphampta: different names given to a Scandinavian weave woven on a double harness loom, with the pattern shafts threaded at the front and the ground shafts at the back. Warp threads go through several heddles at once, up to about 8. Supplementary weft patterning leads to interesting combinations of motifs across the cloth. The use of block theory for threading creates even more possibilities of patterning. With samples and patterns shared by Skillbragd weavers, this seminar will compile methods and ideas to successfully weave Skillbragd. Join me for a discussion on sharing tips and tricks of weaving Skillbragd.

Warping Woes?  Help is available!
Warp loose? Edges tight? Paper too narrow? Shafts hanging low? Tension uneven?  Forgot to put the warp OVER the back beam? How does a trapeze work?  Should I pre-sley? All these and more questions will be answered in a demonstration warping clinic. We will have a well-warped loom and a not so well warped loom to compare and learn what to do when the warp demons strike.

Join me in a warping clinic where we will look at the do’s and don’ts; the rights and wrongs of how to warp a loom. We’ll start with the warping board and mill, then work from back to front of the loom; checking in with the back beam, the lease sticks, the shafts, the heddles, the reed and the front beam. We will look at problems that often occur in each of these areas and how they can be solved.

DOUBLE WEAVE
2 layers of cloth. Tubular cloth. Double width cloth on a narrow loom. All are possible on a 4-shaft loom. This seminar discusses you how to sett and weave double weave in several different variations, so you can create two layers of cloth at one time, weave belt loops and buttonholes, and make that wide blanket on your narrow loom. On 8 shafts learn how to weave a 4-page book in tabby, or 2-page book in twill. Also covered will be the intersecting of layers, for creating 3-D pieces. (Also offered as a 2 day workshop.)

1 or 2 DAY WORKSHOPS

GET SETT!
The correct sett can make or break a fabric. The functionality of your cloth is dependent on its drape and density. There are easy ways to decide on sett before you sample. Learn to determine the best sett for your project through a series of experiments in plain weave and twill.
Level:  basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 shaft looms are ideal. Work on your own loom.
Length:  1 day

WAFFLE WEAVE
3D honeycomb cells in your cloth make it super absorbent and create an unusual texture. Put different colors on the back and front or make cells deeper or shallower. Learn half-waffles and variations of waffle weave. Discover the influences of colour vs. texture on the appearance of waffle weave.
Level:  basic weaving skills required
Loom:  4 or 8 shaft looms are suitable. Work on your own loom.
Length:  1 day

FASCINATION OF 4 AND 8-SHAFT TWILLS
Make a twill gamp that has many types of twill threading and just as many treadlings. Play with straight, point, advancing and intermittent twills.  Discover some of the beautiful designs created by crossing one threading with a different treadling. The possibilities are endless.
Level:  basic weaving skills required
Looms:  4 or 8 shaft looms are suitable. Work on your own loom.
Length: 1-2 days

SCANDINAVIAN MONK’S BELT
A two-block weave and very popular in Scandinavia, this structure gives clean, crisp patterning by using supplementary weft. Learn to design with 2 blocks and weave many colorful examples and variations of this delightful pattern. On 8 shafts, try a 4 block design and learn to weave vertical and horizontal borders simultaneously.
Level:  basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 shaft and 8 shaft looms are both ideal. Work on your own loom.
Length:  1 day

SUMMER AND WINTER
This useful unit weave structure with short floats creates supplementary patterning in block designs. You will weave a sampler of some of the many variations of summer and winter, including singles, brick fashion, x’s and o’s treadling and many other combinations.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 or 8 shaft loom. Work on your own loom.
Length: 1-2 days.

2 to 3 DAY WORKSHOPS

BLOCKS AND PROFILES
Many drafts are written as profile drafts and use block weaves. What is a block weave, a unit, a profile? How does a short draft work? How do you get a threading draft from a profile draft? Based on 4-shaft theory, learn how to work with blocks. Many patterns will be designed for 4 shaft looms, with an introduction on the extension of block theory to multishaft looms. Sampler looms will be set up to experiment with various 4 shaft and 8 shaft block weaves.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom: 4 or 8 shaft
Length: 2 days, Round Robin format

OVERSHOT ON FOUR
Overshot, the favourite colonial pattern weave, can be woven in stars or roses, tables or crosses. Study the basic theory of overshot, how to refine your draft, add borders that compliment your pattern and then switch your design from a rose to a star fashion. Try to use your name as a drafting device to design your own original pattern. Experiment with treadling variations for unusual effects.
Level: must have basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 shaft. Work on your own loom.
Length: 2 or 3 days

OVERSHOT ON MORE THAN FOUR
Multishaft overshot has the possibility of rearranging half-tones in many locations. Secondary designs happen in these areas. Even and uneven tied overshot, stars and diamonds – very intricate looking patterns- are all part of multishaft overshot. Find out how to design your overshot pattern by placing the individual components exactly where you would like them.
Level: must have woven 4 shaft overshot
Loom: 8 shaft loom. Work on your own loom.
Length:  2 days

LACE WEAVES ON 4 SHAFTS
Lace weaves are a large group of very beautiful, elegant weaves that incorporate interlaced threads with open spaces to create airy, three dimensional pieces of cloth. This workshop will explore several 4 shaft lace weaves, with examples of how to expand the structures to more shafts for greater versatility in patterning. Discussion of different threading units and weave structures for laces such as Swedish lace, huck, Bronson and others, and specific characteristics of these will be covered.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 shaft loom
Length: 2 days, Round Robin Format

DESIGNING MULTISHAFT LACE WEAVES
Designing your own patterns for Bronson Lace and Huck Lace is loads of fun. Learn to develop your own original lace pattern through the use of blocks and profile drafts. Weave up many different lace patterns on one warp threading. Choose huck or Bronson lace as your starting point and design a multitude of patterns. Try using treadlings from other weaves to accent your work.
Level:  basic weaving skills
Loom:  8 shaft loom. Work on your own loom.
Length: 2 days

DRAFTING, DESIGN AND STRUCTURE   
Learn to read a draft easily and accurately. Analyze drafts quickly for recognizable threading units, which can be used to draft your own design. Discover how to draft a design using weaves suitable for your project.  Have fun manipulating parts of the draft to create balance, borders and special design areas so your draft looks perfectly balanced when woven. Find out about profile drafts and discover how to plug in different weave units for a variety of results. Explore drafts from other cultures and learn how to interpret them. This is a non-loom workshop.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Length: 2 days. A shortened version can be done in 1 day.

SUMMER AND WINTER
This useful unit weave structure with short floats creates supplementary patterning in block designs. You will weave a sampler of some of the many variations of summer and winter, including singles, brick fashion, x’s and o’s treadling and many other combinations.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom:  4 or 8 shaft loom. Work on your own loom.
Length: 1-2 days.

FASCINATION OF 4 AND 8-SHAFT TWILLS
Make a twill gamp that has many types of twill threading and just as many treadlings. Play with straight, point, advancing and intermittent twills.  Discover some of the beautiful designs created by crossing one threading with a different treadling. The possibilities are endless.
Level:  basic weaving skills required
Looms:  4 or 8 shaft looms are suitable. Work on your own loom.
Length: 1-2 days

ALL TIED UP!
The tie-up is your best friend!  Thread the loom with one versatile threading and learn how to re-arrange your tie-up so you can weave many, many different structures and projects without re-threading. Discover how integrated twills, layered double weave, summer and winter, plaited twill, breaks and recesses, M’s and O’s, waffle weave and so many others can all be woven with small changes to the tie-up.
Level:  Basic weaving skills required.
Loom:  Only 8 shaft looms are suitable. Work on your own loom.
Length: 2 - 3  days

BEIDERWAND AND LAMPAS
A subset of Lampas, beiderwand uses one warp, which is divided into ground warp and secondary warp. The cloth itself is patterned and contains areas of two layer double weave, integrated or stitched doubleweave and ground weave. Woven predominantly in Schleswig-Holstein, Beiderwand actually means both sides, obvious in the cloth, as the back looks quite different than the front. Lampas, using different ground and pattern variations, will be woven as well.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom: 8 shaft loom required. Work on your own loom.
Length: 2 days

DOUBLE WEAVE
2 layers of cloth. Tubular cloth. Double width cloth on a narrow loom. All are possible on a 4 shaft loom. This workshop teaches you how to sett and weave double weave in several different variations, so you can create two layers of cloth at one time, weave belt loops and buttonholes, and make that wide blanket on your narrow loom. 8 shaft weavers will learn how to weave a 4 page book in tabby , or 2 page book in twill. Also covered will be the intersecting of layers, for creating 3-D pieces.
Level:  must have basic weaving skills
Loom: 4 or 8 shaft. Work on your own loom.
Length: 2 days

LINEN WEAVING
Linen, that most beautiful of fibres, has its own personality. This 3 day workshop will cover the process of learning to weave with different types of linen. Tips and ideas for ease of warping, dressing the loom and weaving with linen are covered. Samples woven will include several of the “linen weaves”, weave structures often used with the linen fibre. Weave a linen fabric and fall in love with the lustre of linen.

Objectives: 
To study techniques in warping, dressing the loom and weaving with linen, particularly of a finer size.
To use a trapeze when warping.
To try several weave structures suited to linen weaving.
To work with selvedges, tension, bobbin control, beat and balance in the weaving.

Note:  This is a process workshop, where the emphasis is on the methods of dressing the loom and weaving with linen, rather than the product. There will be some samples woven in class, but most of the time is spent on the process of setting up the loom correctly. I will provide the linen yarns. Most samples will be woven on your own time after the workshop.
Level: must have basic weaving skills
Loom: 4 or 8 shaft loom.
Length:  3 days

TIED WEAVES
1:1 2-tie unit weave. 3 and 4 tie weaves. What does this mean? Bergman, Quigley, Lampas, Bronson, halv-drejl are all called Tied Weaves. So are Summer and Winter and Bronson Lace and many others. Come and explore these weaves, which have short floats and lots of patterning possibilities. Create a profile draft to plan your own patterned cloth. (Round Robin)
Level: basic weaving skills and some familiarity with blocks and profiles
Loom: 8 shaft loom required
Length:  3 days  Round Robin

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Biography: Jette Vandermeiden has been weaving for 30 years and teaching for almost as many. She delves deeply into the “how’s and why’s” of understanding weave structure. Across Canada, the USA and England, Jette has taught many college weaving courses, Master Weaver diploma courses, at Convergence, Complex Weavers and other national and international conferences, guilds and through her own studio. She writes a quarterly column called The Loom Bench for Fibre Focus magazine, which explains how weaves work. Jette has served as Chairman of Weaving Education for Ontario Handweavers and Spinners, is past editor of Fibre Focus and has published many articles. Jette demonstrates and weaves on an 1865 Jacquard loom at the Ontario Science Center, coordinates the Complex Weavers Library, Canada Div. and in her spare time, weaves damask on her drawlooms.