Kawartha Weaving - Textile & Fibre Arts Studio

09/06/2025

The first time I tied a new warp to an old warp it was an epic fail (you might remember 🫣). I was rushing and I made up my own confidently wrong instructions. It was so bad. I couldn’t even open the shed because I didn’t make the new warp long enough and the knots interfered 😭.

While weaving samples for WEFT Magazine and in a burst of fierce bravery… I decided to give it another try. What could go wrong as I follow Madelyn van der Hoogt’s instructions in the article she wrote in the Warp issue?

Have you tried tying a new warp to an old warp? How did it go? (Asking for a friend 😬)

🤓 For those that want to know:

Loom: Leclerc F***y, 27” counter balance

Fibre: Brassard 2/8 cotton in natural and from my stash a looser spun 2/8 cotton also in natural

Structure: plain weave sett at 24 epi (crazy right?… it happened AND I could beat it square… and I’m a little sore 💪🩹)

07/24/2025

For those interested in the history of weaving in Canada 🇨🇦

Join us Thursday, July 24th for a fascinating journey into Québec’s rich textile history and the powerful role weaving has played in shaping communities—especially women’s roles—across generations.

https://weavearealpeace.org/warp-events/continuing-textile-traditions-weaving-and-social-changes-in-quebec/?occurrence=2025-07-24

🧵 Featured Speakers:
✨ Anne-Marie Poulin will spotlight Émélie Chamard, an early teacher at Québec’s textile arts school, and her contributions to domestic textile techniques, the development of the first modern Leclerc loom, and the legacy of the Cercle de Fermières du Québec, now celebrating its 110th anniversary.

✨ Mary Underwood will dive into the influence of Oscar Bériau, director of Québec’s first textile arts school, and share insights from her ongoing research into the school’s weaving program and the history of the Leclerc Loom Company.

⏯️ Can't make it live? Register anyway and receive a link to the recording!

06/11/2025

I had the pleasure of meeting with Felicia Lo, School of SweetGeorgia!!!

In this week’s episode, Felicia chats with Lisa Graves, co-founder and editor-in-chief of Weft Magazine. Together, they talk about how the magazine began, ho...

04/06/2025

It’s been a crazy week!! We survived 7 days without power and I’m so so so happy that it’s been fully restored!

To recap…

1. I moved my “office” downstairs and took over our dining room because my studio reached 6 degrees Celsius 🥶

2. Got caught up on weaving samples for classes

3. Purchased a battery so we could have lights 💡

4. Toasted bagels on the BBQ

and the most exciting of all …….

5. The first issue of WEFT Magazine was released in digital format!!!! 🤗 I am so over-the-moon proud of what we have accomplished.

03/31/2025

It’s been a pretty crazy few days here! We are all safe and very grateful to now have a little generator that we can rotate through hot water, heat, fridge and some outlets and lights. We will be days and days without power and internet. There are many much worse off than us. Hoping everyone in Kawarthas and surrounding areas are managing ok.

03/21/2025

A behind the scenes look at the recent PLY and WEFT Magazine’s photoshoots that took place right here!

01/07/2025

Is it spring yet????

Single topic issues allow us to deeply explore a weaving topic from every angle. Collecting issues of WEFT is like building your own comprehensive weaving library that you’ll refer to often.

12/01/2024

Exciting day!! Care issue has been released and I’m one of the authors!!!! So grateful for the opportunity to write about my textile adventures in Romania!

I hope you enjoy reading about it and all the other ways we can care for our bodies, minds and souls in our textile practices.

If you aren’t a subscriber, you can head over the Ply Magazine website and become one, or purchase this one issue individually.

11/05/2024

Can you guess this structure?

🤓 For Those That Want To Know…

…. You’ll just have to wait 😜

09/28/2024

Today I had the pleasure of showing (what seemed like hundreds😅) of grade 3’s, how fibre turns into yarn and then cloth! Such a fun age group. So inquisitive! One kid remarked “this looks SO fun” … yes my little kindred spirit, I feel the same way 🥹. Hoping we inspired some future spinners and weavers!

Visit me tomorrow at the Bobcaygeon fair between 10-1! See some weaving and spinning in action and maybe you’ll think it’s “SO fun” too!!

🤓 For those that want to know …

Loom: 8 shaft Harrisville, 27” width. “We” (mostly not me) lugged it downstairs, out of the studio and trucked it over to the fair.

Structure: Krokbragd (be nice I was just getting started 😅… and treadling 1,2,3 hilariously broke my brain. Apparently I can’t talk and treadle uneven numbers 😂. I’ll share more pics tomorrow!)

03/10/2024

Many of you might not know this about me… but I’ve spent the past 5 years volunteering as a member on the board of directors for the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners (OHS). Our webinar committee has worked hard to plan this 4 part webinar series and I hope you will have an opportunity to participate in it!

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Posted • ✨2024 WEBINAR SERIES ANNOUCEMENT✨

Wool: The Long & Fine of It - A 4 part Webinar Series

Explore wool, the long and fine of it, at the OHS Webinar Series. Each of these 1-hour webinars will explore the diversity of wool, raising fibre flocks, spinning the long and fine of it, wool processing at a commercial fibre mill, and weaving your spun yarn.

Register for one or more topics of interest, or for the full webinar series. Search your stash for fine and long wools to spin-a-long, or purchase the Webinar Fibre Pack (optional)

Visit www.ohs.on.ca/events to learn more and to register

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02/25/2024

Posted • This little beauty is at the printers!! I’m so pleased with it. It’s stunning. All of our authors and contributors were top notch and I got to work with new people that were so great! I love new-to-us writers and I love new-to-writing writers. If you’ve been thinking about writing about spinning, propose it to us, we love our authors! And if you been thinking about subscribing, do!

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I qualify for the “new-to-writing writer!! 🤣 Thanks PLY for the opportunity to write TWO articles in this issue!