Professional Weaver Podcast

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. This week, Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Anne Fernweh of Witch Craeft from Vermont. In her bio, Anne quotes Alexander Langlands by saying “To be craefty is all about resourceful living and about going back to the basics: a mindful life achieved through beautiful simplicity.” Her work envelops this idea, making each piece personal, thoughtful, and powerful in its grace. While she was earning her Master’s Degree in Dress and Textile histories in Scotland, the seeds for Witch Craeft were sewn. The business grew out of her desire to blend her love of textiles with her earth based spirituality, graduate studies Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Jovencio de la Paz from Oregon. Jovencio is an artist, writer, and educator. His work explores the intersection of textile processes such as weaving, dye, and stitchwork as they relate to broader concerns of language, histories of colonization, migrancy, ancient technology, and speculative futures. Interested in the ways transient or ephemeral experiences are embodied in material, de la Paz looks to how knowledge and experiences are transmitted through society in space and time, whether semiotically by language or haptically by made things. He is currently Assistant Professor and Curricular Head of Fibers at the Continue Reading…

This week we are talking with Angie Parker of Angie Parker Textiles in Bristol, England. In 2014, she established her business by creating distinctive and intricate rugs and textile art. Her speciality is in using traditional weaving techniques, such as krokbragd and giving them a fresh outlook in modern colors and proportions. Her distinctive style was developed while she pursued a career in costume design. While working, she would continue to weave on small scale collections. Through these collections, she was able to combine her instinctive weaving and daring approach to color with time honored techniques, bridging the gap between Continue Reading…

This week we talk with Jessie Mordine Young from New York City. Jessie is a textile curator, teacher and maker, primarily focusing on weaving and tufting.  In some of her most recent bodies of  work, Jessie responds to her time spent in rural landscapes. She spent time living in Ireland, a small village in Iceland and in the Adirondacks. Her time in secluded places left her feeling energized and inspired. After having months to engage in deep thought on her practice, sincere observance, and connection to her surroundings, a new series of woven work that reflects her meditative experience has Continue Reading…

This week we talk with Jackie Jarit Sobel, the Director of the craft show producer Artrider. Artrider Productions Inc. has been nationally acclaimed for producing innovative events in the Northeast since 1982 and produces shows and festivals that maintain the highest standards and reflect an unwavering commitment to excellence. Their events have been ranked among the top nationwide. Artrider has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to the craft and arts communities, raising thousands of dollars for CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund + Artists’ Emergency Resources), the Guilford Art Center, the Westport Young Woman’s League and more than $3 million for the Continue Reading…

This week we will be talking with April Zellinger of Zelllinger Wool Company from Frankenmuth, Michigan. The Zellinger Wool Company, founded in 1910, has been taking natural fibers that are renewable, biodegradable and making it into a product that will be used in homes across America. They are both a processing fiber mill, taking in a large variety of fiber types to produce roving, batting, combed top, and yarn. They also have the capabilities to produce final products such as socks, gloves, and hats.  We hope you enjoy our conversation as we talk about the history of the mill, their spinning Continue Reading…

This week we talk with Erika Hewston, a sculptural and wearable weaver from Pennsylvania. Though Erika has skills as a quilt maker and repairer, she is primarily a weaver of functional wearable items and luscious textured wall hangings. All of her work focuses on the interaction of vibrant color to create striking statement pieces. Using a variety of materials for her wall hangings, she invites the viewer to explore the depth of color created. And with her wearables she focuses on the drape and texture to let the wearer encompass the rich colors and textures gracefully with next to skin softness. Continue Reading…

This week we will be talking with Evee Erb from North Carolina. Erb is a nationally award-winning American Artist who graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2016 with a BFA in Ceramics. During her time at MICA she also studied illustration and textile design. After studying ceramic sculpture in Florence, Italy, and receiving her degree, she returned to her hometown in Durham, North Caroling, where she has worked at the North Carolina Museum of Art, taught workshops at a variety of art centers, served on curatorial jury panels, and given lessons and art talks at various institutions.  Continue Reading…

This week we talk with Brienne Rosner, the Gallery Director of the Peters Valley School of Craft, located in Layton, New Jersey. Peters Valley School of Craft, founded in 1970, is nestled amid the field, forests and streams of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The historic buildings have been adapted to serve as a gathering place for a thriving community of artists and environmentalists, thinks and changers of the world. Peters Valley is considered a thought leader in the field of fine craft and one of the top five institutions of its kind in the United States.  Peters Continue Reading…