Swedish delights

An afternoon in woven wonderland

Woven blanket backed with fleeces

Becky Ashenden brought a lot of textiles to accompany her presentation at a recent meeting of the New York Guild of Handweavers. Her Vävstuga Weaving School in Shelburne, Mass. is modeled after traditional Swedish weaving schools such as the Sätergläntan Institutet för Slöjd och Hantverk where she studied. 

Many were grouped by technique and were examples of projects woven in one of her many classes, such as the Drawloom Basics and Flax, Seed to Cloth groups shown below. 

Becky Ashenden with an example of her work

After providing an an introduction and overview, 
Ms. Ashenden shared techniques and textiles with the group. And everyone had a chance to touch and examine every single thing. 

Weaving everyday items dominates her weaving. What is better, she asks, than to enjoy beautiful woven textiles everyday? (I guess I hadn't really thought of it that way--and I just may change my attitude toward weaving towels.)

She shared tablecloths and towels and blankets and upholstery fabrics and rugs. And she shared the  three huge fleece and blanket rugs she had brought. Traditionally used as wraps for sleigh rides in Sweden's frigid winters, her beautifully woven blanket backs a fleece--actually, four fleeces. Spectacular!

Above, examples of class project foci. Below, two examples of woven designs