Home again!

I got home late last night from Gettysburg, PA and teaching at the Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association Conference.  This year, like two years ago, MAFA was held at Gettysburg College.  Last time there were just under 150 attendees and this year it was much closer to 200.  MAFA is growing!

For a Utahn, used to dry heat, the heavy humidity was shocking even if expected.  Sometimes it felt that I was trying to breathe bath water but the dorm was air-conditioned and the classroom, too, although less effectively.

I was teaching Color and Weave Effects, a class about how a color rotation of light and dark threads in the warp direction and also in the weft direction changes the appearance of even the simplest weaves.  In fact, my favorite patterns in color and weave effect are woven plain weave.  Each participant had prepared a loom on which to weave both plain weave and 2/2 twills--and if more than four shafts were involved, more structures. 

I taught the participants to draft the designs so that they could see what a certain color rotation would produce.  After they had done some weaving they learned how to work from a design that they want to produce to the draft that will produce it--if it is possible.  Then I showed them how to transfer some of the wonderful small patterns of plain weave into large versions of themselves using profile drafting.  It was the most complete version of this workshop I have ever been able to present.  We had two and a half full days and we made the most of them.

I can't praise the participants enough!  They worked hard, stayed with me all the way and seemed to be having a good time as they did it.  It was fun for me, even though I was battling a cold, and I think they had fun, too.

Here is a picture of a color and weave effect fabric.  This one is made up entirely of plain weave, the simplest of all weave structures.  The patterns in it are very cool, I think.

This picture shows more variety.  The black and white one is woven in 2/2 twill.  All of these made the trip to Gettysburg.


I have done the laundry, gotten the sprinkler system repaired at last, and gone through the mail that arrived in my absence.  Today I slept in although I awoke at 5:30 EDT as I had been doing, but because I was in Utah, not Pennsylvania, I went back to sleep, gratefully.

As is always the case, no matter how wonderful the trip is. I was and am very glad to be home!