February 2022 Newsletter

Morning Frost Drawstring Bag

Designed and woven by Sienna Bosch

Made with the Mighty Wolf & Incredible Rope Machine

I am fascinated by the ways weft color can affect pattern in handwoven fabric. We notice different aspects of the weaving right off the bat, because of the color choices the weaver made. When the warp and weft color are the same or similar, the pattern’s texture takes over. If you look closely, you can begin to see the shapes and design; however, from a distance the color looks solid. With contrasting colors, you see the pattern right away. The texture is there, but it’s no longer the first thing you notice. I love this about woven fabric.

For this project, I decided to dig deeper into color and pattern. A drawstring bag was perfect for this exploration: it is small and simple, handy for giving a gift or storing something special.

Find the Full Pattern Here

Carding for Color Part I: Understanding and Analyzing Color

By Deb Gerish

Spinners have a lot of artistic control over their raw material. We can choose a fiber or fibers to spin, then we can manipulate diameter, twist, plies, and yarn texture. Add in the dimension of color, and we can create handspun yarns that commercial mills can’t reproduce. Personally, I find all that freedom a little scary—color in particular has always intimidated me, and I’ve never gone to art school. But when I wanted to “design” colors for my handspun, a little color theory went a long way.
If you want to blend your own colors, theory can help you too. Before you pull out the hand carders (or whatever blending tool you prefer), read this tutorial and try out the exercises. You’ll probably find, as I did, that your confidence with color grows very quickly.

Read the Full Tutorial.

Colorado Weavers Day 2022

You don’t have to weave in Colorado to attend  virtual Colorado Weavers Day 2022 conference.
For a little over a decade, Colorado Weavers Day has brought weavers together to celebrate weaving, learn from each other, and network with other weavers and guilds. It is always inspirational and connecting. This year, we are taking the conference virtual and invite you to join us for an evening and day of vision and community.
We have a sterling group of speakers that will get us thinking and focusing on our craft and our community. We hope you will join us.

Deadline Extended for Project Submissions

We’re still accepting ideas for tutorials and weaving projects. Submit your proposal by March 1, 2022; we’ll contact submitters by March 15, 2022.

What do you get from publishing with Schacht, aside from money?

• Publicity! That’s never a bad thing, whether you’re an established fiber artist or trying to make a name for yourself.
• Editing! Our content editors can help you clarify your ideas and (for projects) the steps in making a woven item. It’s always good to have some tech editing.
• Professional photos! If we ask for samples, we will take pretty pictures of them. You’ll get to distribute the project/tutorial PDF.

Tools for Schools Grant

The deadline for our Tools for Schools Grant is coming up soon! Please spread the word — the deadline is March 1st, 2022. If you haven’t already, take a few minutes to read about Hawlemont Elementary. This school was one of our first grant recipients. They have developed a very special weaving program and we loved having the honoring of contributing to their progress.

Read Their Story.

Learn More about the Grant.

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