A change of season.

Dear Friends,

Summer might technically have a couple more weeks, but here in Vermont the weather has chilled and pops of orange and yellow are peeping through the tree lines. Soon the season will officially change when the length of day and night are perfectly balanced. In March, within a day of the Spring equinox, we learned that the school would have to find a new location. It's curious, and perhaps fitting, that this September we will run our first class in Newbury the day after the Autumn equinox. “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” Newton tells us. The scales were tipped, but balance prevails.

This coming month brings with it our big move, and you can help! We’re especially looking for hands and vehicles for the weekend of September 14–15, but we anticipate there being plenty to do through the following week and weekend. Help us coordinate the moving crew by signing up here. We’ll also be open for the first two weekends in October as part of the Vermont Crafts Council and Vermont North By Hand Open Studios. During both weekends we’ll be running a sale of work by friends of the weaving school (that’s you!). We hope you can come and visit us, chat with tour goers, demonstrate on one of our looms, contribute a piece to our sale, and check out the new location.

We have had a spectacular summer of learning and making, thanks to you, and we can hardly wait to get settled into our new digs.

On behalf of our board, happy (almost) fall,

Justin Squizzero

Director

Looking Back

Above: Elena Kanagy-Loux introduced us to bobbin lace making! We made lots of mistakes and beautiful samplers.

Below: August Foundations had the highest percentage of towel projects since the start of the class in 2021! Noellani was ambitious enough to weave two throws in the week, and took the opportunity to practice tying a new warp to an old one.

Below: Marina Contro and Evan Kinori returned for two weeks of Weaving and Sewing a Garment From Hemp. The class took a (literal) field trip to meet Laura Sullivan and learn about her research growing hemp as part of The University of Vermont Extension, and designed, wove, patterned, and created their own garments.

Below: The finished pieces. These garments are exquisitely crafted in every detail, down to the Dorset buttons and handwoven hemp tape.

Below: Having come out of storage for Weaving, Interrupted, during the month of August many hands took a turn at a tape loom from our collection marked, "PT 1773." The first run of tape became hanging loops for towels that will be available during our Open Studios Sale in October. You can see more of this tape loom in our header image.

Looking Ahead

We have one opening for Foundations September 30–October 4, so snag that spot or you'll have to wait until 2025!

Just a reminder that the new location is unheated and we'll be shifting to a seasonal schedule in Newbury. All classes for the rest of 2024 and many of the classes for 2025 are already on the calendar. It's never too early to sign up!

The Big Move!

The move to Newbury is right around the corner, September 14–22, and you're invited to help! We need to dismantle equipment, pack lots of small items, transport collections, set up the new space, and clean the old one. There's a job for everyone, so if you'd like to join the party, please let us know about your availability by filling out this form.

Open Studios

To celebrate our new home, and to introduce ourselves to Newbury, we're participating in the Vermont Crafts Council and Vermont North By Hand Open Studio weekends. These events take place the first two weekends in October and we would love to see you there. You can stop in for a visit, or, if you'd like to volunteer, we could use some help sharing the weaving school with our guests. To volunteer during the event, please sign up here, and to enter pieces for the Open Studios Sale, please fill out this form.

A full listing of our programs may be accessed here. We hope you can join us!

As always, we can only do what we do with your generous support. Gifts of all sizes make a tremendous impact. Thank you.

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