Sharing love of fiber

Tabby, kilim slits, rya knots, and
shaping techniques

Teaching as an art form 

Although the subjects have varied over the years, the rewards of sharing knowledge never cease to give me joy. Thanks to The ARTery, a new arts-focused business that has just opened in Medford village, I am now looking forward to sharing my love of threads.

One of my classes will focus on weaving a small wall hanging. Participants will learn basic tapestry techniques and leave with a unique 'wall art' ready to hang.

The classes, which are project-oriented, target those with interest, but with little to no knowledge or experience. As it's a near certainty that prospective students don't have equipment, the challenge is to get people interested with an inexpensive cost of entry.

In this case, the goal was to find an inexpensive table/lap loom. And The ARTery owner, Karen Walker, did just that! But before I taught with it, I wanted to work with it--find what it would do and what are its limitations. I ordered one from Target. 

Two types of dovetails with roving for dimension

The only real issue with it is that it needs glued together for stability. Another potential downside is that beginning weavers may be confused with two sets of visible threads as the loom is constructed to be warped around the loom length. (I'll take some cardboard to insert in the middle of the loom to cut down on distraction for new weavers.)

Glued up and ready to play

And play, I did. I had a ball! My goal was to develop projects that were easy to do and could be completed in two sessions--but varied enough to give people ideas. The yarns had to be forgiving and the techniques restricted to just a few simple processes. In addition to tabby, I wove examples with interlocking dovetail joins, kilim slits, rya knots, shaping and fringes.

The ARTery's grand opening is Saturday. The weavings are there now and I do look forward to teaching there!

Simple two-color tabby techniques

Variegated yarn effects

7 habits of highly successful instructors

Thinking about my occasional disappointing experiences with instructors teaching fiber art skills got me thinking about what I expect from teacher. Please note that these thoughts relate only to paid coursework, not to study groups and other unpaid venues.

Instructors first. From my perspective as a student, the best teachers share their passion. They are experts who love to share through teaching others. Although it is impossible to quantify and itemize what exactly makes a good teacher, this is my short list of best practices.

Excellent instructors:

1.    arrive early enough to greet arriving students and start at the scheduled start time;

2.    are well-organized with a lesson plan, but also plan for the unexpected;

3.    demonstrate knowledge by freely sharing any and all relevant information 

·      Unreserved sharing opens windows to new ideas. This applies to just about every aspect of life;

4.    adhere to the course description and fulfill promises made

·      For example, if the description states that each student will get a pattern, they do,

·      Sometimes, a teacher adds value and enhances the perception of 'time-well-spent.' This might be a free give-away, unexpected handout, etc. It isn't necessary, but it adds fun to the event;

5.    effectively manage group dynamics

·      acknowledge and interact with all students equally. 

·      actively manage those who compete for center stage;

6.    downplay sales during the scheduled course time 

·      if offering anything for sale, complete the transactions after the class ends;

7.    stay a short time after the scheduled end of class to tie up loose ends (other than sales).

For the most part, the instructor takes overall responsibility for a successful class. After all, students pay to be there, but students have responsibilities, too. After recently observing two classmates vie for knitting and personal one-upmanship throughout an entire afternoon, I was reminded of the importance of self awareness and courteous behavior. So it's only fair to consider students' responsibilities from a teacher's perspective:

Now class attendees

Whether there are two or twenty (hopefully, not more), most adages are related to courtesy. While sharing can be a wonderful source of ideas and inspiration, some students come to preen. I find attendees who come to show off their knowledge and accomplishments especially tiresome.


Do's and don'ts for students:

1. do arrive on time;

2. do come prepared with supplies and equipment, when requested;

3. do give the teacher some space before the class begins unless otherwise indicated;

4. do follow directions;

5. do remember that the class is a business for the teacher. If he or she wanted to donate time, they would volunteer;

6. don't expect the instructor's undivided attention unless this is a one-on-one class; 

7. don't use the class as a forum to impress others. Resist the urge to dominate the class by sharing your proficiency and/or many projects.

Class notes

When I sign on for a fiber-related course, I don't expect a miraculous encounter. Over the years, I've poked around in lots of corners of the fiber world and have built up a pretty broad foundation of skills. I don't expect everything to be shiny and new in any given three-hour class.

I do expect to be inspired, learn a new way of thinking or acquire a new skill. Any one thing that will an generate an 'Aha!' moment is enough to satisfy my yearning to learn.

There was a materials fee for this

Which brings me to the image at right.

I've kept this piece of paper and string for several years now and every now and again, I uncover it amidst my 'stuff.' Really, it's trash and has no other value than as a stark reminder of the fine line between trust and disgust.

This colored piece of paper and cotton string still make me angry. I paid a $5 materials fee for this person's five-line course outline and a piece of cotton string. I thought it was outrageous at the time, and for most of the class thought there must be something more. After all, string and yarn were on the materials list to bring to the Rhinebeck class.

Alas, that was all there was. I didn't want to create a scene, so I fumed silently. The coursework was fine, but I will never recommend or sign up for another class with this person--and all because of a few dollars charged for nothing.

Instructors are people and they are unique, but the good teachers stand out. (Anyone who worries about how effective he or she is probably has nothing to worry about.) The fiber community shares its experiences, both good and bad, and for the most part, it is a forgiving lot. But when an instructor's reputation gets tagged with non-professional behavior--think repeated last-minute cancellations, little-to-poor preparation, larger-than-life-ego, disorganized, or rudeness, the tarnish is hard to remove.

The classroom is not a place for those who withhold their knowledge, ideas and techniques. For those who do not want to share, please don't teach. Students know.

For me, teaching is an honor. I love to share my skills and my passion with like-minded people who are interested. And in return, I almost always get more back than I give.