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April 13, 2013 - Scott Norris -
Weaving with Linen
Linen is beautiful. Moreover, it is beautiful in unusual
ways: it is crisp yet curiously weighty, pleasantly cool to
the touch and, particularly when freshly washed and ironed,
possesses a pearly sheen unlike that of any other fiber.
Linen is also durable. If treated with reasonable care, a
well-woven piece of linen will last nearly forever, easily
surpassing the lifespan of any other natural fiber. But
despite its beauty and permanence, linen is seldom used by
most weavers. Many weavers are discouraged by the yarn’s
dry, grass-like texture, so different from the gentleness of
cotton or wool. Other weavers find the fiber unforgiving and
temperamental, prone to twisting and snagging in the
shuttle, likely to break without warning and, unless handled
with care, certain to reveal every inconsistency in a
weaver’s technique. There is some validity to each of these
concerns, and every linen weaver has struggled with all or
some of them.
However, experience has shown that any difficulty posed by
linen can be overcome with forethought and patience, and
seasoned linen weavers treat the fiber with the same
confidence as they treat wool or cotton. Scott will discuss
each of these issues and describe techniques used to weave a
variety of linen items, including dish towels, bath towels,
and tablecloths. The topics will range from selecting
appropriate linen yarns to utilizing attractive finishing
techniques, and include color selection, design ideas, and
caring for linen.
Biography: Scott Norris is a linen weaver and dyer
who specializes in the production of hand-dyed tablecloths,
bath towels, and other functional, household textiles. He
has taught extensively for more than 15 years, with an
emphasis on classes in weaving linen, dyeing linen, and
multi-shaft design, as well as numerous introductory courses
for beginning weavers. He is a 2011 recipient of the Best In
Show – Gallery award from the New England Weavers Seminar,
and a former MacDowell Colony fellow. Scott Norris is also a
writer, with profiles, articles, essays, and reviews
published in magazines such as American Craft, Ceramics Art
and Perception, and Ceramics Monthly. For more, visit his
website at http://www.elamswidow.com/.
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