Heddlecraft

12/07/2025

The Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) has announced their call for entry for Small Expressions 2026. The deadline is April 6, 2026.

For more information, go to

Calls for Entry We invite anyone working with fiber or using traditional fiber art techniques to enter our exhibitions. HGA Individual, Family and Professional Artist Members receive a discounted entry fee. Complimentary entry is available to Students enrolled in accredited educational institutions....

12/06/2025

Call for Artists: Deadline - February 6, 2026

The Yesier Art Center's FANTASTIC FIBERS 2026 is an international competitive exhibition that seeks to showcase a wide range of outstanding works related to the fiber medium. One of Yeiser Art Center's most engaging and innovative international exhibits, Fantastic Fibers is an inspirational "must see" for fine artists, quilters and textile art enthusiasts around the globe.

For more information, go to - https://theyeiser.org/fantastic-fibers

12/05/2025

Hello, my weaving friends! It's Friday! Plus, it's also the first Friday in December . . . so, let's have a Freebie Friday!

I have shared this before, but it's so fabulous that I must share it again!

First, if you are unaware of it, a marvelous resource is available to weavers for free! It’s the Griswold Digital Archive (actually, the entire name is On-Line Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Topics). The reason we call it the ‘Griswold Digital Archive’ is in honor of Ralph Griswold who saw the potential for archiving documents and making them available. For those of you who have been around weaving for more than 20 years, you will likely remember how difficult it was to source many publications. Ralph’s effort opened up the world for us!

Copyright of the resources had either expired or authors/copyright holders gave permission to Ralph Griswold to make them available with the understanding the materials were available and may be used “freely for individual projects, but republication is prohibited."

The Griswold Archive is where links for a number Freebie Fridays shared in the past will take you. You can access the Griswold Archive through the University of Arizona - https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/index.html

There is also a copy of the archive Ralph Griswold gave Kris Bruland permission to host on Handweaving.net - https://handweaving.net/documents

What you may not know is the availability of periodicals published by Robin and Russ Handweavers. I was born and grew up in Portland, OR. I lived there for nearly 30 years. One of the best things about being a weaver in Portland, OR back then was it was about an hour from Robin and Russ Handweavers in McMinnville, OR.

If you were into weaving, you knew about Robin and Russ. It was an incredible adventure to go, see Russ and everyone else there, and explore what they had for sale. I never left empty-handed. What I remember best was, through his connections, Russ Groff obtained some of the best mill ends I’ve seen! And you learned very quickly that you had to act fast because they wouldn’t last long.

Where these stories come together are two periodicals published by Robin and Russ are available through the Griswold Digital Archive. One is “Warp and Weft” – a monthly (or near-monthly) publication and “Drafts and Designs”

“Warp and Weft” started in November 1947 and was edited by Mary F. Bottlemy. It started out as a typewritten newsletter and included a woven sample. Single copies were $0.10. A 10-issue subscription was $1.00. Editing was then taken over in June 1948 by Gladys Rogers Brophil (who also provided individual advanced weaving instruction . . . and charged $40 for 10 lessons, which also included the loom and materials). I can only imagine how challenging it would be to publish a periodical where the threading, tie-up, and treadling had to be produced with a typewriter!

In early 1955, “Warp and Weft” was acquired by Robin and Russ and edited by Russ Groff. By this time, a 10-issue subscription was a whopping $2.50 and back issues were available for $0.25/ea. Russ published “Warp and Weft” well into the 1980’s . . . by which time, a subscription was up to $12.00.

In contrast, “Drafts and Designs”, was started by Russ Groff in September 1958. Its subtitle is “A Guide for Weaves of 5 to 12 Harnesses”. “Drafts and Designs” was two pages long and included the instructions for a sample . . . nearly all of which look as fresh and contemporary today.

Warp and Weft – there are 300+ issues . . . the collection is not 100%, but it will definitely keep you busy for a very long time.

https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/warpweft.html

Drafts and Designs – there are 20+ volumes of samples . . . each volume is a collection of samples.

https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/dad.html

Ralph Griswold and Russ Groff are no longer around, but we still benefit from what they created and contributed to the weaving community. The samples shown here go back over 50, 60, or years. I’m grateful my time in weaving crossed paths with them. What a legacy they left and how lucky we are.

Enjoy!

12/04/2025

PANTONE® has announced their 2026 Color of the Year . . . and personally I'm rather surprised.

Their color is 'Cloud Dancer' . . . what they describe as "a lofty white that serves as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection. A billowy white imbued with serenity, PANTONE 11-4201 Cloud Dancer encourages true relaxation and focus, allowing the mind to wander and creativity to breathe, making room for innovation."

White???!!! Billowy white? Lofty white? I have to think about this one.

12/04/2025

Call for Artists: Deadline - February 2, 2026

The Virginia Quilt Museum invites artists to interpret the theme “No Boundaries” in an original piece of fiber-based artwork. Boundaries can keep things in or keep things out. They may be physical, geographical, or even emotional. This exhibition asks artists to explore the creation of art with “No Boundaries.” Artwork will be considered in any media but MUST contain a minimum of 25% fiber components or fiber techniques.

For more information, go to - https://www.vaquiltmuseum.org/events/no-boundaries-fiber-exhibition

11/28/2025

It's Friday . . . but, not just any Friday . . . It's 'Black Friday' . . . that idea can generate a huge range of responses from "Woohoo! Let's go shopping!" to "Let's remain clear of the craziness and stay home." I plan to go to the studio and weave some black yarn!

In honor of 'Black Friday' . . . avoid the crowds and read some interesting information and facts about black

25 Dark Facts about the Color Black - https://facts.net/color-black-facts/

20 Shady Facts About The Color Black - https://www.thefactsite.com/color-black-facts/

The Color Psychology of Black - https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-

99 Shades of Black Color With Names, HEX, RGB, & CMYK - https://www.colorsexplained.com/shades-of-black-color-names/

Have a great Black Friday! Enjoy!

Is black a color, or is it simply the absence of all light? The color black stands apart, embodying mystery, elegance, power, and even mourning across cultures.

11/27/2025

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States when we are encouraged to give thanks. Therefore, in celebration of Thanksgiving, I would like to thank everyone who supports Heddlecraft throughout the year! More issues are coming!

So . . . from this weaving nut to other weaving nuts . . . here's an acorn pattern.

The wif files are available on Handweaving.net.
* 14-treadle version is #74154.
* 9-treadle skeleton tie-up version is #74155.

11/26/2025

Today is National Cake Day! So if you like cake . . . whether it's a bundt cake, sheet cake, or some other cake confection . . . you should be in for a treat!

Here's a cake draft . . . calorie free too! The wif file is available on Handweaving.net. It's #74151.

You can have your cake and weave it too! Woohoo!

11/25/2025

Call for Fiber & Textile Artists: Deadline - December 8, 2025

Join Fiber Art Now’s celebration of color. Artists are invited to present their most creative and colorful art. All submissions must include a fiber material or textile technique. The print exhibition will be juried by the Fiber Art Now creative team and juried selections will be featured in the spring 2026 issue of Fiber Art Now, and be eligible for an on-site exhibition.

For more information, go to https://www.artworkarchive.com/call-for-entry/vivid-2025

11/23/2025

Today is National Fibonacci Day! Fibonacci Day honors Leonardo Bonacci (aka Leonardo of Pisa). He is considered the most talented Western mathematician of the Middle Ages and is famous for introducing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system to Europe through his book "Liber Abaci" and for discovering the Fibonacci sequence. (BTW - His tomb is in Pisa, Italy mere steps from the Leaning Tower of Pisa).

The date 11/23 corresponds to the first numbers of the Fibonacci sequence – 1 1 2 3.

The Fibonacci sequence was originally derived from a problem about rabbit populations in Liber Abaci. This pattern of counting means that each number is the sum of the previous two. (0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13, etc.) The sequence is tied to the golden ratio (1.618) and the golden triangle and appears frequently in nature. Fibonacci also appears in art, architecture, and more. Math and science classes refer to the Fibonacci sequence as “nature’s secret code” or “nature’s universal rule.”

Fibonacci is a great method for designing. I use it frequently for designing stripes. The dishtowel on the cover of Handwoven used Fibonacci by making 1 = 11 warp ends. Therefore, the orange (1) is 11 warp ends, the red (2) is 22 warp ends, and the blue (3) is 33 warp ends . . . and yes, the numbers are out of order, but Fibonacci was used to create variation in proportion.

The table runner also used Fibonacci. In this case, 1 = 4 warp ends. The sequence started at one side and alternated the two yarns as follows:
- 1 = 4 warp ends of blue
- 2 = 8 warp ends of variegated
- 3 = 12 warp ends of blue
- 5 = 20 warp ends of variegated
- 8 = 32 warp ends of blue
- 13 = 52 warp ends of variegated (center stripe)
- 8 = 32 warp ends of blue
- 5 = 20 warp ends of variegated
- 3 = 12 warp ends of blue
- 1 = 4 warp ends of blue

Happy National Fibonacci Day to all!

11/21/2025

FRIDAY!!! Oh, boy! It's Friday! I am as excited as my puppies first thing in the morning. Do you know what else it is? It's National Gingerbread Cookie Day and also National RedMitten Day! I can just feel the holidays coming on strong! Let's celebrate with a Freebie Friday! Woohoo!

All looms have limitations. The most frequent limitation we hear discussed is about the number of shafts a loom has available . . . no matter how many we have, every once in a while all of us seem to want a few more. But, just as challenging is the possibility for looms to run out of treadles.

For a modest four-shaft loom, there are a total of 14 possible ways to tie up a treadle. I have yet to see a four-shaft loom with 14 treadles (although, I know of one in LaConner, WA that has 12). If a treadling sequence for a particular pattern requires more treadles than the loom has, it’s easy to do a 'direct' tie-up. This means treadle 1 is tied to shaft 1, treadle 2 is tied to shaft 2, and so forth and so on. While weaving you may need to step on one or more treadles. This is pretty easy on a four-shaft loom since the left foot can over treadles one and two and the right treadle can cover treadles three and four.

A direct tie-up makes everything manageable on a four shaft loom; however, things get a little more complicated when more than four shafts are involved. It becomes easier to run out of treadles when one considers that there are over 250 possibilities (254 to be exact) for tying up a treadle on an eight-shaft loom . . . over 65,000 possibilities for a 16-shaft loom . . . and by the time we move on to 24 shafts, there are nearly 17 million possibilities. Looms, rooms, and hips are definitely not wide enough. So, what’s a weaver to do?

Another approach that may be possible is to tie up the treadles as a “skeleton” tie-up. This is similar to a direct tie-up because weaving may require more than one treadle to be stepped on for a single weft pick . . . however, a skeleton tie-up differs from a direct tie-up since more than one shaft may be tied to a treadle.

This is where one of my latest favorite weaving resources comes in handy to help make the process easier and faster . . . Tim’s Rudimentary Treadle Reducer. This is a FREE online tool available to aid weavers in figuring out whether a skeleton tie-up is possible and if so, dissecting the original tie-up into fewer treadles.

First you enter the number of shafts and treadles for the original draft and the number of available treadles on the loom. Next, enter the tie-up for the original draft.

Within seconds, it will give you one of two results. 1) It will inform you a skeleton tie-up is not possible. 2). If it is, it will provide an alternative skeleton tie-up. It will also provide the reduced treadle equivalent for the skeleton tie-up.

Unfortunately, not all drafts can be reduced into fewer treadles and woven with a skeleton tie-up. However, this free online tool can help you determine that quickly.

So the next time you have a draft with a pattern that requires more treadles than your loom has . . . don't give up on it too quickly. Give Tim's Rudimentary Treadle Reducer a try!

In the meantime, I would like to publicly thank Tim McLarnan, Tremewan Professor of Mathematics who developed Tim’s Rudimentary Treadle Reducer. It has saved me a great deal of time and numerous moments of aggravation.

Enjoy!

You can access Tim's Rudimentary Treadle Reducer at the following - https://cs.earlham.edu/~timm/treadle/index.php

11/20/2025

Heads up! Today is the last day of Schiffer Publishing's 40% off sitewide sale (use HOLIDAY40 in the promo code at checkout)

This savings could be just what you need to purchase a weaving book you've been considering. The following are just a few of my favorite weaving books that Schiffer publishes:

Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps: Overshot, Velvet, Shibori, and More, by Deb Essen (she also has a new book coming out soon, Profile Drafting for Handweavers: Designs, Projects, and Expert Tips for Turning Your Ideas into Weave Structures )

Weaving with Wire : Creating Woven Metal Fabric, by Christine Miller

The Enigma of Shadow Weave Illuminated : Understanding Classic Drafts for Inspired Weaving Today, by Rebecca Winter
. . and many more!