Professional Weaver Podcast

This week we are speaking with Crystal Gregory in Kentucky. Crystal Gregory is a sculptor whose work investigates between textile and architecture. If the nature of architecture is fixed and permanent then the opposite would be a textile, collapsible and movable. Both mediums define space, create shelter, and allow privacy. A textile, however, has the advantage of flexibility. It is a semi two dimensional plane that has the ability to fold, drape, move and change to its surroundings. It is pliable.  Gregory received her BFA from the University of Oregon and her MFA from the School of the Art Insitute Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Peggy Osterkamp. Peggy is the author of the New Guide to weaving series, Weaving for Beginners – An Illustrated Guide, and has a prolific blog available to share tips, stories of her travels, and artistic discoveries. She has found great joy in sharing her love of handweaving with students near and far and has a wealth of knowledge to bestow upon them.  Personally, I have been following Peggy’s blog since I was in college and first learning how to weave. To this day I still find her artwork inspiring. The experiments with materials, structures Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Anne Low from Canada. Anne Low is a multi-disciplinary artist who uses sculpture, installation, textiles and printmaking to explore the relationship of historical contexts of contemporary functional objects and themes that occur, such as the domestic and the decorative. Her works highly focus on the physicality of an object and utilize her historic knowledge of weaving and various methodologies. She has been featured in many group exhibitions, held selected solo exhibitions, and was nominated for the Sobey Art Award in 2019 (Canada’s largest award for young Canadian artists). Her work is subtle and sublime, Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Lucy MacDonald of Arra Textiles from Scotland. Arra Textiles is named after Lucy’s great grandmother, Arra MacDonald, born and brought up on Orkney, she passed down her love of textiles to Lucy. After graduating with a degree in textile design at university, Lucy worked for a range of different companies before deciding to invest in a loom and start her own business.  Her work is inspired by the ever changing sea scapes that are near and far from her home and studio. The desire to travel always pulls her in directions of different coastlines Continue Reading…

We heard you, and this week we are talking about… ourselves! We were recently asked to give a presentation about what we do and we thought this would be a good opportunity to share it with you. We talk about how we were ramping up our business before the pandemic, how we pivoted, and how we are working on growing our business and our weaving skills today. 2020 was a doozy for all of us, but somehow we managed to not only survive, but our business started to thrive.  It was a fun presentation that we are using as our Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Bridgette Extraordinaire of Raanu Handwoven from Oregon. Raanu Handwoven is a closed loop production, meaning that Bridgette will reuse material waste created during the production process for additional products. She begins with mill end yarn, which is rescued from large manufacturing houses where they were destined for the landfill. That yarn is then woven by hand in the US without the use of electricity, utilizing mechanical Dobby looms to create beautiful patterns and textures. Each garment is woven to size, which significantly reduces the amount of scrap left on the cutting room floor. What Continue Reading…

This week we are speaking with Margot Becker from Hudson, New York. Margot Becker is an artist, weaver, and educator.  Margot Handwoven is her line of functional, versatile textiles that playfully explores the intersections of art and craft.  Each one of a kind piece is created by combining traditional patterning and techniques with intuitive design. All of her textiles are one of a kind and designed on loom to be worn and loved in your everyday. Margot Handwoven originated as part of an independent study of the process of creating textiles from start to finish, born from a deep desire Continue Reading…

This week we are speaking with William Storms from New York. William is a professional weaver in both the industrial and artistic realm. Through his industrial work he is working with Jacquard looms and designing intricate repeat designs that will be translated for use in public applications. His artistic work explores materials and hand manipulation to create dynamic pieces of art. One of his ongoing pieces with Artist Raul Martinez, is a rug that was woven with bullets that were collected within a respective country to weave a ballistic map. Each of the bullet casing’s headstamp reveals the country and Continue Reading…

The Bauhaus, an acclaimed school that embraced the principle of equality among artists and the arts alike, has continued to influence and impact American art long since it’s closure. The weaving workshop in particular was a place of developing aesthetic and supporting innovative teaching methods. Many weavers have “On Weaving” by Anni Albers sitting in their bookshelf.  But, is that the epitome of weaving advancement? Are there other weavers who have pushed the boundaries of design and theory? Our upcoming round table, “Beyond the Bauhaus”, we are talking with Evee Erb, Tegan Frisino, Lilly Marsh, and Justin Squizzero with Eric Continue Reading…

First, we want to thank you all so much for making our first year of the podcast so rewarding. We are looking forward to producing more episodes in the New Year. That being said, we have been working hard to make this podcast happen along with pivoting and growing our other business Comfortcloth Weaving. With the holidays upon us, we are going to take a little break from the podcast in order to rest up and button up some open projects. We’re not going to leave you hanging though!  We have some content that we think you’ll enjoy. We hope Continue Reading…