Last month, I had the pleasure of teaching 4 tapestry workshops over 6 days in Des Moines, Iowa. The workshops were a part of the Midwest Weavers Conference: A Confluence of Threads; it was a wonderful experience. The planning and coordination that went on to launch such a successful conference must have been immense, and all of that effort showed. The Des Moines Weavers guild volunteers were very helpful and friendly all through my time there and I can’t imagine the event going smoother than it did. Many thanks to Cherie Maxon for inviting me and making me - and I’m sure many others - feel special.

The first workshop was a 3-day Soumak class. Three days sounds like a long time, but with tapestry, we know different… right? Still, it gave us ample time to include some forms of both Single and Double Soumak and begin to see the possibilities for future uses.

It was a small class of 5 students; nice and intimate. 

Those 3 days flew past quickly…

Next came a 3 hour class: Line in Tapestry. It was the largest class I taught that week, but I neglected to get ANY photographs at all! If you’re reading this and you were in the class, feel free to send me images!

This was followed by two 1-day workshops, Color Blending and Texture in Tapestry. Big subjects that could easily have also been 3-day classes! I did get a few images from these classes, although not as many as I would have liked.

Color Blending….

Texture in Tapestry class…

Unfortunately I did not keep good notes on who to attribute each to, but one student, Bridget Steinhart, sent me her finished piece from the class. She did a beautiful job of incorporating different techniques, don’t you think?

And then there was the exhibit hall where I was happy to see Tapestry represented. It was a large space and packed with wonderful work.

One aspect that made this trip so special - for me - was the fact that I love teaching all 4 of these subjects- which basically boil down to Texture and Color Blending, both of which I use in my own work.

By the way, if you’re inspired by any of the Texture techniques you see here or on my website, you might be interested to know I have just opened the mini-class Elements: Texture in Tapestry.  This class, like the Line and Shape classes, are excerpts from the larger Elements: Art Through Tapestry class.

When you take any one of these mini-classes, you will get an art background into the element + appropriate tapestry techniques + a discount on the full Elements course (which includes a goldmine of inspiration and information in the critiques alone!)

And before I finish, I’d love to know what thoughtful person donated the Rishi Tea for those first few days of the conference. Please, please contact me if it was you- or you know who it was. I want to personally thank you (them).  I ordered a selection before I even came home! That tea has made every day just a little more special! I especially like the Turmeric Ginger, but the Ginseng Detox is a close tie!