6-Week Series

Date: Tuesdays, September 15 – October 20

Time: 6pm-9pm

Description: Interested in learning to weave?

In this introductory series, students will learn basics of how to use a 4-harness loom and will gain an understanding of some of the cloth structures that can be created on this type of loom. Together, we will go through every step of the process, from measuring yarn through to completed woven cloth! At Contemporary Craft, we have a selection of floor and table looms, offering students the opportunity to experience different physical approaches to dressing the loom (getting the yarn on the loom) and weaving. We will explore the similarities and differences between the looms as we weave samplers exploring different cloth structures.

Students will create a woven sampler that incorporates various structures and materials and will leave the class with a base from which to plan and design future projects of their own!

No weaving experience expected or necessary.

Tuition: $290 + $25 materials fee

Materials: All materials will be provided

Note: We really want you to join us in the studio! Full and partial tuition scholarships are often available—with some limitations— to offset some of the financial burden of attending a class.

You can find more information about scholarhips, as well as the application at this link.

If you have any questions, email Jamie Boyle, Senior Education Manager, at jboyle@contemporarycraft.org, or leave a voice message for them at 412-465-1628.

Location: Contemporary Craft, Timmons Studios (5688 Butler St., Pittsburgh, PA 15201). Note, this workshop will take place in the Fleischner Family Fibers Loft, which is on the second floor of the building.

There are 2 entrances to the Timmons Studios.

• One entrance is facing Butler Street. To access the Fibers Loft from the Butler Street facing entrance, there are a total of 32 stairs to ascend.

• One entrance is facing 57th Street. This entrance is accessible by ramp, with no stairs to ascend. There is a lift inside the building to access the second floor.

If there are accessibility accommodations we can provide, or if there is anything you would like us to know before you arrive, please leave a message for Jamie Boyle at 412-465-1628 or by email jboyle@contemporarycraft.org.

Cancellations and Refunds: Workshop cancellations are decided three business days before the start date. If workshops must be cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, the entire class fee will be refunded through Eventbrite, or you may leave your workshop fee in your Contemporary Craft account for future workshops.

Refund Policy: Student refund requests must be made at least three business days before a class begins. There will be a $25 cancellation fee. No refunds will be given without three-business days notice. Processing of refunds takes approximately three weeks.

View of the Contemporary Craft Weaving Lab in the Fleischner Family Fibers Loft. Photo by Nathan Shaulis.

About the Artist

Rachel Schmitz is a fibers artist based in Pittsburgh. She earned her BFA in Graphic Design at the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia where she also took her first weaving class. She rediscovered her love of weaving at Contemporary Craft and went from casually taking classes to having her own loom and weaving space set up at home. She is also a knitter, spinner and sewist who loves to find ways to blend her fiber crafts together to make one of a kind functional objects. When she isn’t weaving, Rachel also runs and plays in Pittsburgh’s women’s pinball league and is a former PA Women’s Pinball State Championship qualifier.