Workshop Proposal

Weave with me. Mobile Weaving Studio Workshops

“Weave with me” workshops are a STEAM curriculum designed for all age groups to explore the art, science and history of weaving in a fun, accessible way. Participants learn using applied mathematics and problem solving skills in a interactive social setting while making beautiful textiles using multishaft handlooms.

All workshops are 6 hours in length (includes a lunch break) that incorporate lecture, discussion, demonstrations and hands-on studio assignments to make information about weaving available to all types of learners. Participants will be working collaboratively on projects throughout the workshop.

“Weave with me” Workshop Objectives and Outcomes:

  • Participants will weave a project to take home.
  • Participants will learn about the mechanics of a hand loom to used to make cloth.
  • Participants will understand how the sense of touch, or ‘hand’ is a critical part of textile design.
  • Participants will be able to select suitable fibers for a proposed weaving project.
  • Participants will develop a color palette to be used in a weaving project.
  • Participants will learn about weaving drafts.
  • Participants will learn how to analyze a setup loom to discover the nature of the warp in it.
  • Participants will learn about importance of weaving in a historical context.
  • Participants will improve self confidence and resilience as a result of resolving issues encountered during weaving that they learn to resolve.
  • Participants will improve their social skills as they work cooperatively to complete their chosen projects.

Workshop Descriptions:

Title: “Lets Get Started”

Description:

Weave with me – “Let’s Get Started” workshop presents the fundamentals of weaving. Our primary objective is to become familiar with a multishaft loom and how it operates. Participants will learn about basic weaves and how to use them to create interest in a textile. Participants will hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving while they design and weave their chosen project.

No weaving experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

Title: “Texture”

Description:

Weave with me – “Texture” workshop introduces participants to the design element of texture, using the sense of touch to make design choices. Participants will experiment with yarns and basic weaves and will hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving while they design and weave their chosen project.

Basic weaving experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

Title: “Fiber”

Description:

Weave with me – “Fiber” workshop is a materials workshop in which participants will handle and discover the different fibers used in weaving from the perspective of their material properties; suitability for purpose, tensile strength and care requirements. Participants will hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving while they design and weave their chosen project.

Basic weaving experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

Title: “Color”

Description:

Weave with me – “Color” is a color theory workshop where participants will learn about colors and how they impact textile design decisions. Students will develop a personal color palette. Participants will hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving while they design and weave their chosen project.

Basic weaving  experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

Title: “Structure/Pattern”

Description:

Weave with me -“Structure/Pattern”  workshop will introduce participants to the applied  mathematics of weaving textile design, drafting fundamentals and block theory for various weave structures. Students will use these principles to design and weave their chosen project. Participants will hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving and their favorite structures.

Basic weaving experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

Title: “200 Thread Challenge”

Description:

Weave with me – “200 Thread Challenge” workshop looms will be warped  with mystery projects, participants will be invited to discover them, and unlock their design possibilities and complete their chosen projects in a round robin format.  Participants will also hear stories about famous weavers and the history of weaving while they design and weave their chosen projects.

Basic experience is required. Materials and looms provided by Historic Weaving.

About Us:

A sampling of the mobile weaving studio equipment. Looms, tools for warping and for weaving.
The RV that carries the mobile weaving studio from place to place.

Historic Weaving exists in order to connect weavers of the past to weavers of the future by sharing our stories and our looms.

As part of our desire to connect people to the benefits of hand weaving in the most economic way possible, Historic Weaving has assembled a mobile weaving studio that can be delivered on site, for remote locations we use an RV that provides lodging for the instructor. This package creates unparalleled flexibility for scheduling workshops and greatly widens the potential audience for weaving instruction by eliminating the need for participants to invest substantially in weaving equipment and materials.

Historic Weaving is building a sustainable business model for delivering weaving outreach programs to the general public in under served areas of The United States. We are looking to bring hand weaving experiences to communities that do not have resources for traditional handweaving instruction, weaving studios, equipment or a knowledgeable teacher.

 

Our Website:

https://historicweaving.com

Workshop Leader:

Elizabeth Tritthart

Historic Weaving – Master Weaver/ Designer

Elizabeth has degrees in both Fine Arts and Engineering, which allows her to present weaving concepts using left and right brain constructs equally well. Elizabeth is a natural storyteller which helps to make her weaving history presentations entertaining and memorable. Elizabeth has been involved in customer facing technical support positions for a number of years and knows how to guide others through a problem solving process without stress. She has been weaving since 1991 when she moved to Montana. In her home studio, Elizabeth weaves using an AVL computer Dobby loom and a 100 Shaft Glimakra drawloom. Elizabeth enjoys traveling the world to research the history of weaving, learning about people, looms and designed that were in use in the late 1700’s through the mid 1800s when the Jacquard machine was invented.

Leader’s E-Portfolio:

(includes resume, bio and contact information)

Click here to open e-portfolio.

Workshop Revenue Projection:

Historic Weaving provides transparent information about the costs, revenues and expected return on investment in bringing the workshops to your community so that we can work together to provide a beneficial experience for all parties.

You can see Historic Weaving’s basic costs for a single day/single instructor mobile weaving studio workshop. Potential areas for adjustment are: rental fees for the venue, RV parking, percent overhead retention, and transportation fees. (These items are highlighted in yellow)

Our common goal is to see if the cost to students, and the return on investment is acceptable to both parties. The Calculator tool will display for you both the minimum fee to be charged per student to meet costs only and a suggested fee rate.

By using this tool it will help both us to see if we need to close funding gaps via external sponsorship/grants or modification of scheduling to place multiple workshops in a geographic area to reduce transportation and venue expenses.

A customized workshop revenue projection will be included in any contract, so that both parties are aware of the terms and the expected payouts at the end of a workshop.

Workshop Promotion:

Historic Weaving is able to promote workshops via their website and social networking channels.

It is expected that the organization requesting the workshop will promote the event via their website and social networking channels. If the venue chosen to host the workshop is not under the control of the organization, we will work together to ask the venue owner also to lend their efforts to advertise our event via their website and social networking channels.

Terms and Conditions:

What we provide

  • Mobile weaving studio equipment and materials for 8 participants.  All equipment and materials needed for weaving projects.
  • Instructional materials for weaving lessons.
  • Projector for media presentations.
  • Samples of completed weaving for reference.
  • Instructor to lead workshop.
  • Evaluation of workshop.

What you provide

  • Venue for presentation of workshop. 10×20 room with tables set up in a classroom format,  facing the instructor, two chairs per 8 foot table.
  • Working electrical outlet to plug in projector for display on an screen or open wall.
  • If a meal break is to be included in workshop, provide information on where food will be available to participants.
  • If you have the ability to host an RV overnight at or near the venue, providing  30 AMP service and full hookup, this can be used to defray transportation costs.
  • If the chosen venue location is not on the first floor near a door, Historic Weaving would need assistance in moving equipment in hand carts from the RV to the venue. Equipment is packaged in totes and able to be transported with a luggage cart or dolly.  The weight of all totes is under 50lb.

Workshop Reservation and Cancellation Policy:

A workshop is considered secured when the contract for the workshop has been signed by both parties and deposit has been paid to Historic Weaving, deposit funds will be used  to cover transportation expenses/materials required to deliver the mobile weaving studio to your planned venue. The process of bringing the mobile studio to you requires Historic Weaving to individually prepare looms for participants prior to going on the road. As a result, Historic Weaving incurs significant non-refundable expenses prior to the schedule workshop date. Because of this cost of doing business, workshops that are cancelled within 2 weeks of their scheduled date are not eligible for cash refund of the deposit. Should Historic Weaving need to cancel a workshop due to an unforeseen emergency circumstance a refund or reschedule option will be provided.

Next Steps:

Thank you for wanting to be part of bringing a mobile weaving studio to your community. To best help get things rolling, please fill in the following information:

What happens next:

After the above form has been submitted, you will receive a contract that contains a completed Cost/Revenue Projection to cover the items selected. A phone conference will be scheduled to us to review the Cost/Revenue Projection and contract together to see if it is acceptable to both parties, as well taking the time to discuss any additional items and conditions that that are needed to ensure an exceptional workshop experience for you and the workshop participants. A deposit will be agreed upon as part of the contract. Both parties will sign the workshop contract and your workshop schedule will be confirmed once the deposit is received.

I look forward to our working together to bring a Historic Weaving mobile weaving studio workshop to your community in the near future,

Elizabeth Tritthart

Historic Weaving – Master Weaver/Designer