More Soumak!
Earlier this month I taught another 3-day Soumak workshop; this time at Yarn Barn in Lawrence, Kansas. Yarn Barn is well known to many so probably needs no introduction. They have a great brick and mortar store and a robust shipping operation. (I know this because I got to see the behind the scenes production; a rare treat!)
They also have a fantastic classroom space on the second floor with lots of light and room for multiple looms or setups. It was a joy to teach in. We were even able to watch the “30th Annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade” from the large windows overlooking Mass Street! (I should have thought to get a photo of some of the horses; they were gorgeous).
The format of the 3 days was much the same as the workshop I taught in Des Moines earlier this year: Day One for Single Soumak, Vertical or Diagonal Soumak on Day 2, and Double Soumak techniques on the last day. We covered a LOT of ground and variations of the humble half-hitch!
The setup was perfect: my shiny new projector worked just as planned- but what made it even better was the huge blank wall to project videos onto - allowing us to focus on the movements of the stitch.
If you know Lawrence, KS, you’ll be aware that the location is also a great restaurant row and shopping extravaganza (with Sarah’s Fabrics right across the street and among many others, a wonderful paper store just a block away.)
Here’s a brief summary in photos of what was on the looms.
I wish I had close-ups of some of these. You can see that vertical and diagonal Soumak were a hit (always) but there’s also a lot more going on in many of these pieces. Some came with a vision of a design, some brought sketches, and others sampled the techniques with no pre-conceived plan.
Lu had a perfect photo to work from where Soumak fit right in. Then she got side-tracked wanting to try out a spiral, thus the two sections. Marci surprised us all with a wonderfully textured and completed landscape. And I think there were a couple of “tapestry converts” after the weekend was over, too. That’s what I call a successful workshop. 😊