We continued our fall weaving and willow classes this past week with Rita Hagenbruch’s Loom-Structured Lace and over the weekend, the Bent Willow Chair class with Ken and Michelle Workowski. The chair-makers were in awe over the finely woven shawls, blankets, scarves and runners still on the looms or on display and the weavers were equally struck by the progress that the willow chair students had made in just a few short hours, along with the woodshop atmosphere of drilling and hammering.
The weaving class had been in session for four days prior, so each student had made great progress on their projects. Lacy wool plaid blankets and scarves, tencel shawls or scarves with beautiful drape and linen or cottolin lace runners were the projects of choice for this class.
While this photo was being taken of the weavers and their finished pieces on graduation morning, perhaps resting on their laurels, the students in the bent willow chair class were stretching, bending and kneeling, often with a power tool in hand, making by hand, a place (eventually) to rest!
Ken and Michelle start everyone off with the base pieces cut to size, ready to be assembled. Their preparation ahead of time makes the process of building a chair possible in the weekend class time frame.
More great photos of the class and their work can be found on Ken and Michelle’s Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/natureofthingsonline/
Weaving or willow, yarns and shuttles or nails and screws, keep the happiness in your hands!
I so enjoy your emails and all the wonderful photos! It’s like therapy to see all the wonderful things that are possible to learn to make. I have a fond memory of taking the ferry across to attend my own class while students were about to board with their finished willow chairs and big smiles on their faces! In this day and age of so many woes, your school is a blessing.
Thank you Carol! We love sharing photos of the beautiful work done in class.