


Rep Weaving: WeGO "Exaltation of Blocks" Tour
Weaving Guilds of Oregon
Eugene Weavers Guild, Eugene
May 4-6, 2018
Umpqua Weavers Guild, Roseburg
May 7-9, 2018
Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild, Bend
May 11-13, 2018
Clatsop Weavers and Spinners Guild, Astoria
May 29-31, 2018

Kumihimo: From Defense to Decoration
Convergence 2018
Reno, Nevada
July 8, 1:30pm —3pm
Learn the history of Japan through the perspective of kumihimo or plaited silk cords. It traces the historical development of Japanese plaited cords from fossilized remains in grave mounds to the exotic Samurai era with silk cords used to lace together the armor. It also explores the fashion trends using cords as obijime as well as decorative neckpieces.
Materials Fee: $0.
Level: Beginner

"Ripped" About Rep
Convergence 2018
Reno, Nevada
July 9, 9:00am—10:30pm
Learn about the design process and practical details of Warp-Faced Rep. See how curves from nature – a wren, a crow, a leaf, a frozen river seen from an airplane window – inspire the creation of colorful wall hangings and rugs. Following the lecture, participants will create two color wraps, one for the pattern colored layer, and the other for the background colored layer.
Materials Fee: $2. Level: Beginner

8-Shaft Rep Runners: A Study in 4-Block Design using Linked Blocks and Solid Stripes
Convergence 2018
Reno, Nevada
Tuesday, July 10 —Thursday, July 12
(Full - sign up for waiting list)
3W-T100
Design an 8-shaft Warp-Faced Rep table runner, featuring center 4-block motifs with a color-opposite border of 2-block motifs. Sessions include developing 2-, 3-, and 4-block symmetric motifs, converting profile drafts into threading and treadling plans, and developing a skeleton tie-up. Demonstrations include Cavandoli knots as the finishing technique. Loom required*.
Materials Fee: $16. Level: Intermediate.


The Power of Block Design
Convergence 2018
Reno, Nevada
July 9, 1:30pm—4:30pm
Block designs consist of black and white blocks on grid paper, where black is pattern and white is background. Learn how the textures of 4-shaft huck lace are used to develop two-block motifs, and how these simple motifs form more elaborate patterns. Practice making and converting block designs into a variety of weave structures.
Prerequisite: Must be able to read a draft.
Materials Fee: $20. Level: Beginner.

It’s in the Warp: Color and Design in Rep
Palouse Hills Weavers Guild, Moscow ID
Two different colored warps (a pattern colorway and a background colorway) combine with thick and thin weft to form the elements for exploring block design in warp-faced rep. Prior to the workshop, weavers will select a draft and pre-thread a loom. Learn how “blocks” of rep, threaded on four and eight shafts, can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on profile drafting, use of color, movement of blocks in independent and linked fashion, skeleton tie-ups, different threading systems, and design considerations for four shaft and multiple harness looms. Weavers will work exclusively on their own loom (4- or 8-shaft) to understand the weave structure of rep, sampling with different weight wefts to create textiles suitable for the table, wall, and floor.

February Workshops in Arizona: It’s in the Warp: Color and Design in Rep
Teaching Tour sponsored by the Arizona Federation of Weavers and Spinners from February 7 to 24. Rosalie will give the keynote address, The Power of Block Design, at the Arizona Federation luncheon on Saturday, February 24.
Tucson Hand Weavers & Spinners Guild
Tucson, AZ
Two different colored warps (a pattern colorway and a background colorway) combine with thick and thin weft to form the elements for exploring block design in warp-faced rep. Prior to the workshop, weavers will select a draft and pre-thread a loom. Learn how “blocks” of rep, threaded on four and eight shafts, can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on profile drafting, use of color, movement of blocks in independent and linked fashion, skeleton tie-ups, different threading systems, and design considerations for four shaft and multiple harness looms. Weavers will work exclusively on their own loom (4- or 8-shaft) to understand the weave structure of rep, sampling with different weight wefts to create textiles suitable for the table, wall, and floor.

February Workshops in Arizona: Block Designs in Summer and Winer
Teaching Tour sponsored by the Arizona Federation of Weavers and Spinners from February 7 to 24. Rosalie will give the keynote address, The Power of Block Design, at the Arizona Federation luncheon on Saturday, February 24.
Arizona Desert Weavers & Spinners Guild
Phoenix AZ
Summer and Winter is a two-shuttle weave structure where a thinner tabby weft alternates with a thicker pattern weft every other row. In Block weaving, there are eight picks of weft for each threading block: four tabby wefts alternating with four pattern wefts. It is the Pattern weft which determines the different styles of Summer and Winter: Alternating, Bird’s-Eye, X-Style, and Dukagäng.
8-shaft participants will thread their looms with the same draft, designing a table runner with center 4-block motifs and 2-block motif borders. 4-shaft participants will use a different draft to explore 2-block designs.

February Workshops in Arizona: Color & Design in Huck Lace Towels
Teaching Tour sponsored by the Arizona Federation of Weavers and Spinners from February 7 to 24. Rosalie will give the keynote address, The Power of Block Design, at the Arizona Federation luncheon on Saturday, February 24.
February 7-8 2018
Weavers West Guild, Sun City West AZ
February 14-15, 2018
Mountain Weavers & Spinners Guild, Prescott, AZ
February 21-22, 2018
Valley Fiber Art Guild, Sahuarita, AZ
The structure of Huck Lace provides a treasure trove of design for weavers where an 8-shaft loom can produce six blocks of design and a 4-shaft loom can produce multiple ways to combine warp and weft floats with plain weave. Exercises, documented by slide presentations, will show how to convert a profile draft into a threading and treadling plan. Learn how changing the tie-up plan creates new patterning within the same threading plan. Participants will use printed Design Pages and Transparent Overlays from Neilson’s book An Exaltation of Blocks to create patterns for a series of towels with three sections of Huck Lace separated by a one inch stripe of plain weave.

Kumihimo: 16-element Braiding on the Marudai
AMERICAN KUMIHIMO SOCIETY (AKS) REGIONAL WORKSHOP
FORT MEYERS, FLORIDA
Using traditional Japanese braiding equipment, this workshop is designed for participants familiar with 8-element braid structures. Building on the movements and processes learned in the introductory workshop, and for those who want to branch out into more complex braids, participants will create a sampler of 16-element braids using two colors of silk or synthetic silk. Braids include Oimatsu, Naiki, Tsukushi, 3 variations of Mitake Gumi, and Kongō Gumi. Resources for braid designs include the handout and the book Kongō Gumi: A Cacophony of Spots – Coils – Zags – Lines.

It’s in the Warp: Color and Design in Rep
Weavers of Char-Lee
Fort Meyers Florida
Two different colored warps (a pattern colorway and a background colorway) combine with thick and thin weft to form the elements for exploring block design in warp-faced rep. Prior to the workshop, weavers will select a draft and pre-thread a loom. Learn how “blocks” of rep, threaded on four and eight shafts, can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on profile drafting, use of color, movement of blocks in independent and linked fashion, skeleton tie-ups, different threading systems, and design considerations for four shaft and multiple harness looms. Weavers will work exclusively on their own loom (4- or 8-shaft) to understand the weave structure of rep, sampling with different weight wefts to create textiles suitable for the table, wall, and floor.

It's in the Warp: Color and Design in Rep
November 10-12, 2017
Teleraña Guild
Phoenix, Arizona
Two different colored warps (a pattern colorway and a background colorway) combine with thick and thin weft to form the elements for exploring block design in warp-faced rep. Prior to the workshop, weavers will be sent drafts for 4- and 8-shaft looms. Weavers will select a draft and pre-thread a loom. Learn how “blocks” of rep, threaded on four and eight shafts, can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on profile drafting, use of color, movement of blocks in independent and linked fashion, skeleton tie-ups, different threading systems, and design considerations for four shaft and multiple harness looms.

An Exaltation of Blocks
November 9, 2017, 9:30am – 3:30pm
Teleraña Guild
Phoenix, Arizona
Block designs consist of black and white blocks on grid paper, where black is considered the pattern block and white the background block. Find out how one weaver used the binary number system and the textures of 4-shaft shaft huck lace to develop the definitive number of two-block designs, and how these simple designs become the building blocks of more elaborate patterns. The design sessions allow weavers to construct and deconstruct complex patterns with component motifs from two different sets of Design Pages and Transparent Overlays.

Kumihimo: 16-element Braiding on the Marudai
Sunday, October 22, 2017
American Kumihimo Society Gathering
Tampa, Florida
Using traditional Japanese braiding equipment, this workshop is designed for participants familiar with 8-element braid structures. Building on the movements and processes learned in the introductory workshop, and for those who want to branch out into more complex braids, participants will create a sampler of 16-element braids using two colors of silk or synthetic silk. Braids include Oimatsu, Naiki, Tsukushi, 3 variations of Mitake Gumi, and Kongō Gumi. Resources for braid designs include the handout and the book Kongō Gumi: A Cacophony of Spots – Coils – Zags – Lines.

Kumihimo: Introduction to Braiding on the Marudai
American Kumihimo Society Gathering 2017
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Tampa, Florida
Bring your marudai* and eight weighted spools for an exploration of 8-element braids using silk or synthetic silk. Learn the basic interlacements for round, square, and flat braids, and how the placement of color on the Marudai affects the design of the braid. Braids in the sampler include Yotsu Gumi, Maru Genji, Edo Yatsu Gumi (with its variations of repeating steps two and three times), and Hira Kara Gumi. Resources for braid designs include the handout and the books The Twenty-Four Interlacements of Edo Yatsu Gumi and The Thirty-Seven Interlacements of Hira Kara Gumi.

Rep Runners: A Study in Block Design Using Linked Blocks and Solid Stripes
GORGE HANDWEAVERS
Saturday – Monday, September 16–18, 2017
Using the same profile draft, weavers will thread an 8-shaft loom with four or five different colors of 3/2 cotton or 5/2 cotton. Choose three pattern colors and one or two background colors. The runner will feature a series of 4-block center designs with side borders showing 2-block linked designs in opposite colors. The center motifs and border motifs will be separated from each other by solid colored stripes. Weavers will select 6 to 9 different 4-block motifs using Design Pages from An Exaltation of Blocks. Believe it or not, there are 1,024 different 4-block motifs. Weavers will receive enough motifs in their handouts to whet their creative appetites!

Workshop: Color & Design in Huck Lace Towels
Mid Atlantic Fiber Association Conference
Millersville University, Millersville, PA
The structure of Huck Lace provides a treasure trove of design for weavers where an 8-shaft loom can produce six blocks of design and a 4-shaft loom can produce multiple ways to combine warp and weft floats with plain weave. Exercises, documented by slide presentations, will show how to convert a profile draft into a threading and treadling plan. Learn how changing the tie-up plan creates new patterning within the same threading plan. Participants will use printed Design Pages and Transparent Overlays from Neilson’s book An Exaltation of Blocks to create patterns for a series of towels with three sections of Huck Lace separated by a one inch stripe of plain weave.

Kumihimo: 16-Element Kongo Gumi Braid
Lecture and Hands-On Session
In this slide lecture, learn about Japanese history from the perspective of kumihimo by following the historical development of Japanese plaited cords from fossilized remains in grave mounds to Samurai silk-laced armor to fashion world of kimono, obi, obijime. See how current practitioners of kumihimo are evolving new designs to reflect the changes in the world of plaited cords. Following the slides, participants will make a kumihimo key ring on a round foam disk.

An Exaltation of Blocks
Conference Workshop
Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference
Hosted by Contemporary Handweavers of Houston
Marriott Town Square, Sugar Land, Texas
Block designs consist of black and white blocks on grid paper, where black is considered the pattern block and white the background block. Through a slide presentation, find out how one weaver used the binary number system and the textures of 4-shaft shaft huck lace to develop the definitive number of two-block designs, and how these simple designs become the building blocks of more elaborate patterns. The design sessions allow weavers to construct and deconstruct complex patterns with component motifs from two different sets of Design Pages and Transparent Overlays. The pages are from a book called An Exaltation of Blocks written by Rosalie Neilson. Weavers will create original and unique patterns suitable for weaving on 8-shaft looms such as Huck Lace, Summer and Winter, and Warp-faced Rep. Some of the simpler designs can be woven on four shafts, while more complex designs can be woven on 24-shaft looms.

It’s in the Warp: Color and Design in Rep
Pre-Conference Workshop
Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference
Hosted by Contemporary Handweavers of Houston
Marriott Town Square, Sugar Land, Texas
Two different colored warps (a pattern colorway and a background colorway) combine with thick and thin weft to form the elements for exploring block design in warp-faced rep. Prior to the workshop, weavers will select a draft and pre-thread a loom. Learn how “blocks” of rep, threaded on four and eight shafts, can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on profile drafting, use of color, movement of blocks in independent and linked fashion, skeleton tie-ups, different threading systems, and design considerations for four shaft and multiple harness looms. Weavers will work exclusively on their own loom (4- or 8-shaft) to understand the weave structure of rep, sampling with different weight wefts to create textiles suitable for the table, wall, and floor.