Varied Approaches to Learning to Weave

Weaving classes have resumed  and its nice that  that the  'buzz' in the class seems to coincide with the renewed energy that spring brings with it. Participants and students are excitied to be finishing projects, starting new ones, and for about a dozen people, trying weaving for the first time. 

Helen Skelton 

Undulating Twill scarf - cotton warp, wool weft

Anna Henrikssons's Twill Handweavers Pattern Book p 51

 A fair number of projects have arrived all of a sudden and I'm glad to see certain participants share their work with us that have not in the past. They are notably excellent weavers and have been very modest about sharing the results of their labours. Many of you saw the scarf below as it was being woven and , though I took a half dozen pictures of it, it does the actual scarf no justice! Its always better to see it in person.

Linda Thompson, 

8 shaft pattern from Handwoven magazine. Woven with space dyed tencel. 

I have observed that in the class, there are many approaches to weaving and learning to weave, as there are of teaching it. Some learners are fearless and fast; others slow, careful and meticulous. Others enjoy being creative and exploring the fibres they are attracted to and are risk takers, others want only the tried and true. Some forge ahead never concerned about doing things the 'right' way or checking with the teacher , others seek confirmation about each step of the process. Some like a challenge, others weave for the comforting act it is. Some want to learn constantly, others are content to engage in the meditatave and healing process of weaving. Whatever your method, it is the way you weave, and the way you learn to weave. 

Iris Koczerginski (on left). Plaid twill blanket woven with Lamieux yarn. 

I am an experiential learner, which means I have to have hands on experience to learn best. Books are a resource only after my hands and eyes have explored the process, guiding my mind to find more information I may need as I progress on my weaving learning curve. Though I have woven for 25 years, and taught weaving for over 19 years, I still have not learned all there is to learn, and probably never will.  I  stay open and receptive to what each project and weaving experience has to teach me. To give you an example, I was recently trying to work out a rug design from a book on woven rugs, with stunning and inspiring pictures of finished projects. Unfortunately the instructions were sadly lacking, as well as some important information not included that made it impossible for us to figure out how the rug was woven. I even contacted the designer and she willingly admitted that she messed up but didn't provide any corrections and revised instructions. Yes, it was frustrating, especially for the student, who works full time and hopes to get some woven projects she can be proud of completed, and less time sampling and figuring out. Alas, that  happens....every once in awhile, we hit a bump on the woven path, that sends us scrambling and questioning our capacities, perhaps even our sanity! 

Julia Pelenyi. Woven shawl in plain weave with assorted fibres.

Judite Vagners. Hand towels . Cottolin. 

Atwater Bronson Lace and turned Atwater Bronson Lace

Handwoven magazine 2015

Julia Penleny, tapestry woven with leather strips. 

COURSES, CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS

Woven Drawings workshop with Nieves Carrasco

one week workshop August 17 - 21 2015

$350.

Toronto Weaving School at Burr House, Richmond Hill

Tablet woven borders with Inge Dam

4 day workshop August 10-13 2015

$350.

Toronto Weaving School at Burr House, Richmond Hill

Ontario Handweavers and Weavers Biennial Conference May 22-24 2015, 

Burlington Ontario http://panoply2015.ca/

FOR SALE

Leclerc 45" jack loom for sale. Previously enjoyed, gently used. Includes accessories - reeds, heddles, shuttles, bobbins, open-ended bench. $550.00. 

Call Carole at 416-754-0899

Weaving Wonder

   Inge Dam is known for her meticulously crafted and artistically hand dyed woven yardages with card woven embellishment inserts,  from which she creates luxurious  garments . She has garnered many awards for her weaving and has taught extensively, in particular throughout the United States, including for many Convergence conferences, organized by the Handweavers Guild of America. She has recently authored a book on her techniques, Tablet-Woven Accents for Designer Fabrics Contemporary Uses for Ancient Techniques which you can purchase from her at any time. 

Through her studies of ancient textiles Inge became fascinated with the concept of weaving tablet woven borders jointly with a piece of fabric on the loom. This technique was used on many of the ancient garments she  studied. Students will be introduced to this type of weaving through a brief introduction to its history and hands on practice. They will set up a loom with a simple weave structure and learn how to make a tablet warp and how to arrange it beside the fabric warp so the border and the fabric can be woven together using only one shuttle, rather than attached separately. The students will also be taught how to avoid tension problems between the border warp and the fabric warp and how to accommodate for the differences in the take up of the two weaves. A simple tablet weaving technique will be employed and the students will learn how to add embellishments to the tablet woven border, such as tassels, twining, beads at the edges and on the surface, braiding overlay, wrapped warp ends, loops, Ghiordes knots, and brocading.

Level of expertise : participants should know how to weave plain weave and 4-shaft straight twill.

Location:              Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill

Date:                     August 10-13 2015

Time:                     10am – 4pm

Maximum:          12

RSVP                     by June 1 2015

Cost:                      $350 plus $2 material fee

 [] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour,

25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. tapestryline@sympatico.ca

For her exhibition "Woven Drawings" at the David Kaye Gallery in January 2014, Nieves wanted to bring the universe of drawing, printing, and painting into weaving by using paper in the weft.

It took a lot of experimentation to develop a technique that she thought was suitable aesthetically and technically, which she will share with you during this workshop.  

During this workshop participants will weave narrow samples (approximately 6 inches wide) using paper that has been drawn and painted on, in the weft. By the end of the workshop each participant should have at least one sample finished and mounted, ready for framing. Two or more samples will be assembled to explore creating larger pieces out of narrow modules.

The workshop is divided into two parts. The first part will be dedicated to learning the techniques required to prepare the paper and weave a few samples. Once the techniques are learned, participants will have time to explore the possibilities of what they can do with the techniques acquired with a new set of paper sketches and samples. 

Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill 

Date:                August 17 - 21 2015

Time: 10am – 4pm

Maximum: 12

RSVP by June 1 2015

Cost: $350 plus material fees

[] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. 

Historical and Fashion Jacquard Weaving in Florence, Italy June 2015

This year I will be taking 6 students to take a one week workshop at the Fondazione Arte Della Seta Lisio in Florence Italy. We are not taking any more participants but if you think you'd like to join me next year, contact me for more info. 

I would also like to invite a tapestry weaver to do a workshop for Toronto Weaving School: Kathe Todd Hooker. If anyone is interested please let me know. The workshop would be for one week, perhaps the last week of August. The price would depend on the number of students: $350 - $500. plus materials. Please let me know if you are interested. http://americantapestryalliance.org/artist-pages/kathe-todd-hooker/

One of Kind Show March 25-March 30 2015

Michele Kortinen, one of the weaving students in the class, will be at the Etsy Booth selling her woven wares.

http://www.oneofakindshow.com/toronto/index.php

It's all in the Beat

Plaid scarves woven by Judite Vagners

Like in music, beat plays a significant role in how satisfied you will be with your finished woven product. Recently one of our very experienced weavers, Judite  Vagners, wove these 2 scarves in a very fine wool yarn. The same pattern, the same yarn was woven at two different setts. One at 20 epi (threads per inch) the other 30. Of course, the one at 20, ended up being wider than the first, but also of note is that the one at 20 had a much more supple hand than the one woven at 30.

Baby Blanket in 2/8 space dyed cotton (available in the weaving class) by Susan Abrams. A waffle weave, sometimes called honeycomb. This weave structure is often used for tea towels and baby blankets. 

The closeness of the threads both in the warp and weft, combined with the weave structure as well as the purpose of the textile, will determine it's suppleness or lack of. If we want a rug or placemat that is hard wearing then of course, something with more rigidity and hardness will be more suitable. If we want a scarf or baby blanket, softness and suppleness are critical. How does one determine with precision such outcomes? My standard answer is sampling and experience.  If you work with one fibre mostly, you will get to know the characteristics of that yarn and what works best for it. If you are always making rugs, then of course, beating hard is necessary, but not for a delicate silk scarf. Mindfulness to these elements as well as a little common sense will prevent a lot of disappointment down the road.

Other Weaving Happenings 

Erin Lewis will be giving a talk on Fibre Optics in weaving and her work at the Burlington Weavers and Spinners. Monday Mar 2 2015 7pm-10.

Susan Middleton, tapestry weaver, will be giving a talk/presentation on her work at the Toronto Weavers and Spinners at Riverdale Park 7:30 pm. 

I (Line Dufour) will be giving a talk on the direction of my work at the Etobicoke Guild of Weavers and Spinners at Nielson Park April 7 2015 at 7pm. 


Karen Bota Really good tutorial for a beautiful colourful scarf on the rigid heddle loom
thebluebrick.ca/2015/02/15/tutorial-the-colour-shifting-scarf 

Tom Mae writes: We are having a special screening sponsored by our co-producer, Tartu College on Feb 28, 2015 Keepers of the Loom Documentary Film Special Screening

310 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1W4 (enter off Madison Avenue entrance on the west side of building). 2014 marked the 70th anniversary of the 1944 mass exodus from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, that was triggered by the Soviet advance into the Baltics. 

“Keepers of the Loom” is a documentary film focusing on the Estonian Women’s stories of the Baltic Diaspora, of how they kept their culture and heritage alive through the making of their folk clothing and handcrafts.

 keepersoftheloom.com You can see the trailer for the film there. Tickets can be purchased here:  http://keepersoftheloom.com/?w=a00sd#sect15

In June 2015 I am taking a group to Florence Italy to the Fondozione arte Della Seta Lisio http://www.fondazionelisio.org/ for a one week historic jacquard weaving workshop along with guided museums visits that relate to the textiles we will be studying, including the Uffizi, where we will be looking at paintings that render with great detail the luxurious textiles produced during the Renaissance, and which Lisio reproduces for their patrons. If you are interesting in joining me in June 2016 please contact me at linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. 

artist: Bronzino. 

Jacquard loom on display at Lisio. 

Don't forget their are 2 one week wonderful weaving workshops being offered in August 2015. 

Tablet Woven borders with Embellishments by Inge Dam 

August 10-13 2015 $350.

Inge Dam is known for her meticulously crafted and artistically hand dyed woven yardages with card woven embellishment inserts,  from which she creates luxurious  garments . She has garnered many awards for her weaving and has taught extensively, in particular throughout the United States, including for many Convergence conferences, organized by the Handweavers Guild of America. She has recently authored a book on her techniques, Tablet-Woven Accents for Designer Fabrics Contemporary Uses for Ancient Techniques which you can purchase from her at any time.  

Through her studies of ancient textiles Inge became fascinated with the concept of weaving tablet woven borders jointly with a piece of fabric on the loom. This technique was used on many of the ancient garments she  studied. Students will be introduced to this type of weaving through a brief introduction to its history and hands on practice. They will set up a loom with a simple weave structure and learn how to make a tablet warp and how to arrange it beside the fabric warp so the border and the fabric can be woven together using only one shuttle, rather than attached separately. The students will also be taught how to avoid tension problems between the border warp and the fabric warp and how to accommodate for the differences in the take up of the two weaves. A simple tablet weaving technique will be employed and the students will learn how to add embellishments to the tablet woven border, such as tassels, twining, beads at the edges and on the surface, braiding overlay, wrapped warp ends, loops, Ghiordes knots, and brocading.

Level of expertise : participants should know how to weave plain weave and 4-shaft straight twill. 

Location:         Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill 

Time: 10am – 4pm

Maximum: 12

RSVP by June 1 2015

Cost: $350 plus $2 material fee

 [] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 

25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. tapestryline@sympatico.ca

Woven Drawings with Nieves Carrasco. 

August 17-21 2015

Woven Drawings workshop: Nieves Carrasco                               August 17 to 21 2015 

For her exhibition "Woven Drawings" at the David Kaye Gallery in January 2014, Nieves wanted to bring the universe of drawing, printing, and painting into weaving by using paper in the weft.
It took a lot of experimentation to develop a technique that she thought was suitable aesthetically and technically, which she will share with you during this workshop.  
During this workshop participants will weave narrow samples (approximately 6 inches wide) using paper that has been drawn and painted on, in the weft. By the end of the workshop each participant should have at least one sample finished and mounted, ready for framing. Two or more samples will be assembled to explore creating larger pieces out of narrow modules.
The workshop is divided into two parts. The first part will be dedicated to learning the techniques required to prepare the paper and weave a few samples. Once the techniques are learned, participants will have time to explore the possibilities of what they can do with the techniques acquired with a new set of paper sketches and samples. 
Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill 
Time: 10am – 4pm
Maximum: 12
RSVP by June 1 2015
Cost: $350 plus material fees

 [] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. 

If you have weaving news share, don't hesitate to send it along. If you would like to have your weaving article posted, you are welcome to do so, please no larger than 500 words.

Growth

left to right: Louise Lemieux Berube, Line Dufour, Suzanne Chabot (the Director of the CTCM/MCCT) and Isabelle Sentenne (who teaches machine knitting and does the jacquard weaving for the centre.)

In biology, growing is defined as " the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level" and today this is my theme for this blog as it applies not only to my recent endeavours but also to the lives of some of the people whose path have crossed mine over the the years of my teaching weaving, as you'll see as you read on. Growth occurs if proper nutrients, environment and support are provided. Over the last several years I can gladly say that many factors have positioned themselves into enabling me to grow as an artist in my area and in developing flourishing relationships. This is evidenced in the ongoing expansion of the Fate, Destiny and Self Determination international tapestry installation, as more shapes  continue to come in worldwide.  The installation continues to accept submissions indefinitely and if you'd like to participate please contact me at linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. 

This past weekend I was in Montreal, Quebec, Canada setting up the exhibition Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination/le sort, le destin et l'auto-determination at the Montreal Centre for Contemporary Textiles/Le Centre de Textiles Contemporain de Montreal.  It's weaving school and the size of the weaving classroom is about 4 times the size of the weaving class at the Toronto Weaving School. The school was co-founded by Louise Lemieux Berube over 25 years ago and over the years they have worked hard at having the entity grow into the exciting institution it is. They offer summer workshops and master classes as well as formal training in collaboration with other educational institutions such as Concordia University and a CEGEP. They have wonderful teachers, not only knowledgeable about their textile area, but are also very engaging.  Besides weaving, they also offer machine knitting, dyeing and other textile related workshops. To know more about their programming go to http://www.textiles-mtl.com/en/. 

Susan Middleton, Louise Lemieux Berube, and Line Dufour

I departed for Montreal last Wednesday night after my evening class. I was very grateful that Lis Baston, a participant in the class, even drove me to the airport! Susan Middleton, a former tapestry student,  who herself has grown her tapestry practice through numerous exciting tapestry journeys, forays and workshops, joined me to assist in mounting the show, and somehow ended up being the official documenter and photographer of the entire undertaking. Susan is herself an accomplished tapestry weaver. To see the entire process of setting up the show on Facebook go here

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492287197576884.1073741860.194385150700425&type=3

To see the Opening Reception : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fate-Destiny-and-Self-Determination-An-international-tapestry-project/194385150700425?hc_location=timeline

The number of students in the weaving class has also grown, and so has the waiting list to get into the class. The students really grow in their abilities and confidence while they are taking the classes, along with enjoying a pleasant social environment. Over the time they spend with me I sometimes have the privilege of them sharing their life events and this one from Avril Loretti was especially heartwarming for me: 

Hi Line!
Here are a few photos of us with the baby blanket i made last spring:)My friend that i made the other two for keeps telling me how everyone stops her in the street to ask where she bought the blankets! I might have to start going into the baby blanket business soon:)

Avril with her new baby (arrived just before Christmas) wrapped in her baby blanket!

Ginette Robert shows us the overshot tablecloth her mother wove for her. It has to be 10 or 12' and woven on a 100" floor loom. 

Growing our weaving practice can also happen by joining your local weaving guild, or becoming a member of the Canadian Tapestry Network, and the American Tapestry Network as well as the Handweavers Guild of America.  Here you will network with many other weavers, both traditional and innovative, and with an inspiring practice. Handwoven magazine offers you many step by step projects, a good way to introduce yourself to the many weave structures that populate its traditions. 

Scarf woven by Helen Skelton. 

Entering call for entries is a good way to launch grow your reputation as a weaver/fibre artist and as it happens there is one to enter which you can learn about if you go to the Tapestry/Exhibition blog. 

Double weave plaid cape woven by Iris Koczerginski 

Chenille Scarf woven by Carole Hibbert on her knitters loom.

Colour sampler woven by Julia Pelenyi. 

Presently many of the students are weaving a colour sampler to use a reference so we'll be seeing lots of them in the weeks to come. It's a great way to grow your colour repertoire, especially if you are colour challenged or have a hard time imagining what colours look good together. It's also helpful if you find yourself always choosing the same old colours time and time again. In addition, if you are weaving things for other people, you can give them something to help them pick the colours they would like to use. 

RESOURCES 

Are you interesting in writing small educational articles for the Toronto Weaving School or any interesting info and opportunities for weaving? 
I am taking any articles  from weavers on any topic related to  weaving. The article should not exceed 500 words, which is a manageable amount considering how busy we are. Up to two photographs per article. 

Nieves Carrasco writes:
 "Hi Line, I'm so glad I finally went to your weaving school! It has a wonderful atmosphere, great to see all those looms and the people that were there this morning seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot.: She  referred us to this recent book:
The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads / New Directions Paperback – 
Feb 1 2014 by Elena Phipps Publisher: Fowler Museum at UCLA (Feb. 1 2014)

In 1975 Simon Waegemakers co-founded the Textile Museum of Canada located in Toronto,  with Max Allen. Susan Middleton tells me that Simon now gives lectures through the Continuing Education department and the University of Toronto's St. Michael's College. The next series of talks comes up soon: 
THE UNCOMMON HISTORY OF EVERYDAY ITEMS
Umbrellas, bags, knitting, lace and hats - a discussion of how textile objects we take for granted often have an exalted background. Many everyday items were once symbols or expressions of status or wealth, and those we now commonly use in the western world often have roots in non-western societies.
FAA8-S
Fri. 27 Mar 2015 - Fri. 1 May 2015
10 hours - 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Instructor: Simon Waegemaekers
Fee: $150.00
to register 
http://ce.stmikes.utoronto.ca/coursedescription.asp?courseid=738
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Regeneration and Rebirth

Karen Bota 2/8 cotton placemats, 8/8 cotton weft , summer and winter

We are off to a good start for 2015 in the weaving class! Funny how the small things can make us happy, like a sink that doesn't leak and heat when it is cold! Returning students were buoyant vividly describing their adventures over the holiday season or relishing the social gatherings they participated in, but what was also clear was their delight at being back at our weaving class and that happiness was contagious!

2/8 cottolin dishcloths in plain weave and twill by Marion Kirkwood

At this time of year, when here in Canada, much of the landscape is now white, gray, and brown, it lifts the spirits to think of growing grass, leaves, plants - encapsulated in the colour green. On the colour wheel , green is achieved by mixing blue with yellow.  

'Green' comes from  the Middle English and Anglo-Saxon word grene, which in turn comes from the same Germanic root as the words "grass" and "grow". 

Surveys taken in Europe and the United States have concluded that green is the color most commonly associated with nature, youth, spring, hope and envy. In western culture It is the color of permission and safety. It is also often associated with the culture of Gaelic Ireland, and with the environmental movement. In China green is the symbol of fertility. It is considered the most important color in Islam and was the color of the banner of Muhammad, and  found in the flags of all Islamic countries, representing the lush vegetation of Paradise. 

Knitters loom project by Jane Richmond. Cushions with 2ply Lemieux yarn. 

Green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth In Ancient Egypt, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile.  Egyptian artists used finely-ground malachite, mined in the west Sinai and the eastern desert For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus,- A paintbox with malachite pigment was found inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun. They also used less expensive green earth pigment, or mixed yellow ochre and blue azurite. To dye fabrics green, they first colored them yellow with dye made from saffron and then soaked them in blue dye from the roots of the woad plant.

Green had very positive associations for the ancient Egyptians. The hieroglyph for green represented a growing papyrus sprout, showing the close connection between green, vegetation, vigor and growth. In wall paintings, the ruler of the underworld, Osiris, was often portrayed with a green face -  the symbol of good health and rebirth. Palettes of green facial makeup, made with malachite, were found in tombs. It was worn by both the living and dead, particularly around the eyes, to protect them from evil. Small green amulets in the shape of scarab beetles made of malachite were often found in tombs, and was believed to  protect and give vigor to the deceased. It also symbolized the sea, which was called the "Very Green."

These days of course, we associate green with the environmental movement and weaving (and spinning) can certainly qualify as being an activity that is eco-friendly in so many ways: from the materials we use to the low tech equipment we employ. 

WORKSHOPS

WOVEN DRAWINGS workshop: Nieves Carrasco                                               August 17 to 21 2015 

For her exhibition "Woven Drawings" at the David Kaye Gallery in January 2014, Nieves wanted to bring the universe of drawing, printing, and painting into weaving by using paper in the weft.

It took a lot of experimentation to develop a technique that she thought was suitable aesthetically and technically, which she will share with you during this workshop.  

During this workshop participants will weave narrow samples (approximately 6 inches wide) using paper that has been drawn and painted on, in the weft. By the end of the workshop each participant should have at least one sample finished and mounted, ready for framing. Two or more samples will be assembled to explore creating larger pieces out of narrow modules.

The workshop is divided into two parts. The first part will be dedicated to learning the techniques required to prepare the paper and weave a few samples. Once the techniques are learned, participants will have time to explore the possibilities of what they can do with the techniques acquired with a new set of paper sketches and samples. 

Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill 

Time: 10am – 4pm

Maximum: 12

RSVP by June 1 2015

Cost: $350 plus material fees

[] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com. 

TABLET WOVEN SIDE BORDERS:                         August 10-13 2015

tablet borders woven simultaneously with loom weaving

Inge Dam is known for her meticulously crafted and artistically hand dyed woven yardages with card woven embellishment inserts,  from which she creates luxurious  garments . She has garnered many awards for her weaving and has taught extensively, in particular throughout the United States, including for many Convergence conferences, organized by the Handweavers Guild of America. She has recently authored a book on her techniques, Tablet-Woven Accents for Designer Fabrics Contemporary Uses for Ancient Techniques which you can purchase from her at any time.  

Through her studies of ancient textiles Inge became fascinated with the concept of weaving tablet woven borders jointly with a piece of fabric on the loom. This technique was used on many of the ancient garments she  studied. Students will be introduced to this type of weaving through a brief introduction to its history and hands on practice. They will set up a loom with a simple weave structure and learn how to make a tablet warp and how to arrange it beside the fabric warp so the border and the fabric can be woven together using only one shuttle, rather than attached separately. The students will also be taught how to avoid tension problems between the border warp and the fabric warp and how to accommodate for the differences in the take up of the two weaves. A simple tablet weaving technique will be employed and the students will learn how to add embellishments to the tablet woven border, such as tassels, twining, beads at the edges and on the surface, braiding overlay, wrapped warp ends, loops, Ghiordes knots, and brocading.

Level of expertise : participants should know how to weave plain weave and 4-shaft straight twill. 

Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill 

Time: 10am – 4pm

Maximum: 12

RSVP by June 1 2015

Cost: $350 plus $2 material fee

 [] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 

25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. tapestryline@sympatico.ca

RESOURCES

Debbie Harris writes:
Hi Line,
A friend passed this video along to be and I thought you may find it interesting and know of other people who it may be of interest. 
This woman is a textile artist from Nova Scotia and she talks about her time studying at NSCAD in London England, travelling to textile mills in Japan and being weaver-in-residence in Lunenberg N S and working with flax/linen.
Here is the link :  https://multimedia.nscad.ns.ca/recorded_events/weaving%20beyond%20nscad/JG%20400.mov

Red Revisited

Christmas placemats in 2/8 cotton by Jane Richmond in a pattern from the Marguerite Davison's Handweavers Pattern Book

Because we've had an overwhelming number of projects removed from the loom that had red as its dominant colour, and also since it is "Holiday Season Time" ....festivities that employs a lot of red ornamentation, I've decided to reprint this blog post (except for the projects) from last year on Red. Over the centuries the colour red has been obtained by using lead, bugs, and plants. It is one of the first colours to be produced by humans and at first was used to paint their bodies and then on cave walls and rocks. The fact that it is also the colour of the life giving fluid , blood, makes it even more of a  powerful colour charged with symbolism and significance.

Evan Davies' first project in 4/8 cotton, a table runner. Rambler Rose pattern taken from Marguerite Davison's book

When the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and his soldiers conquered the Aztec Empire in 1521, besides discovering silver and gold, they uncovered that the Aztecs obtained a spectacular red from drying and crushing a tiny cochineal, a parasitic scale insect which lived on cactus plants. They exported these to Europe where they provided them to  textile dyers. 

Lann Smyth wove these rag place mats. Warp 4/8 cotton. Rags cut manually in 1" strips. 

At first dyers guilds' in Venice and other cities banned cochineal to protect their local products, but the superior quality of cochineal dye made it impossible to resist. By the beginning of the 17th century it was the preferred luxury red for the clothing of cardinals, bankers, courtisans and aristocrats.

Baby blanket by Mai Liis Toome. Pattern from Handweavers magazine. 

There are many names given to red paints and pigments: vermilion, madder, scarlet, cerise, persimmon, sanguine, cinnabar, rouge, crimson, carmine, geranium, ruby and rose.Every textile can benefit by warming with red giving life to a muted colour palette.

3/1 twill shawl by Susan Abrams. 

Red is charged with emotion and possibility.  Red conveys heroism and bravery, honesty and patriotism, strength, power, authority. It demands that you pay attention to it. It can represent many emotions: love, hate, anger, passion, lust. Love may be like a red red rose, as one's  sins. Even  politics may be red. One "sees red" when angry. There is red tape, red ink, red wine, red lips, red blood, red earth, red barons, red barns, red hearts, red thoughts and red herrings. Even women have been described as scarlet and we all know what a red light district is.

Woven ribbon scarf by Toshiko Shindo. 

Red is the color most commonly associated with joy and well being,  celebration and ceremony. A red carpet is often used to welcome distinguished guests. Red is also the traditional color of seats in opera houses and theaters. Scarlet academic gowns are worn by new Doctors of Philosophy at degree ceremonies at Oxford University and other schools. In China, it is considered the color of good fortune and prosperity, and is traditionally worn by brides. In Christian countries, it is the color traditionally worn at Christmas by Santa Claus, because in the 4th century the historic Saint Nicholas was the Greek Christian Bishop of Myra, in modern-day Turkey, and bishops then dressed in red.