Due to Covid 19

ALL in person meetings have been CANCELED

until further Notice!!

We will be doing Zoom meetings for Members through the end of 2020

Weavers of Orlando (WoO), an active non-profit organization, promotes and encourages interest in the fiber arts such as weaving, spinning, basketry, dyeing, felting, and beading through monthly programs.
When:  The 3rd Saturday of each month (see monthly schedule below)

• 9:30  – 10:30 Social Hour

• 10:30 – 11:00 Meeting

• 11:00 – 11:45ish  Show and Tell

• 11:45 – 12:00 Break

• 12:00 – 1:00ish Program

• 1:00 – 2:00 Project Hour

Please Note : Starting in April enjoy fellowship with other members as you work on that project, get questions answered, or design your next weaving piece.

Where:  We will be meeting at:

LEESBURG CENTER OF THE ARTS

429 West Magnolia Street

Leesburg, FL 34748

Program schedule for the first half of 2021

January 16, 2021

Ellen Turner will be presenting a program called Game of Bands, in which she will explore the many ways of producing narrow bands, tapes, ribbons and braids. We will take a look at historical methods as well as contemporary examples of inkle weaving, tablet weaving and braiding.

Programs 2020

September 19, 2020 – Zoom 

Berna Lowenstein will explain and demonstrate how to use a Schacht warping paddle to warp 4 or more yarns at a time on a warping board.   Since the October workshop requires warping 4 threads at the same time, this program will help demystify using a warping paddle, and give secret tricks to keep the yarns from twisting around each other.  Berna will present a slide show following by a live demonstration showing the warping paddle in action. 

Berna Lowenstein has been knitting since she was five years old, and has been a rabid fiber artist ever since.  She is an award winning spinner and weaver for over 30 years.  She also loves inkle weaving, kumihimo, tablet weaving, dyeing and hoarding books.  

October 17, 2020 – Zoom

Color Fundamentals for Fiber Artists by Linda Hartshorn

Color is enriches our lives and is of primary importance to the fiber art we create. Color is not only fundamental but FUN! A Power Point slideshow will guide us through the basics of color and show inspiring examples in fiber art. Using what we have learned, we will make yarn wraps in a fun, hands-on exercise.

Provided for students: cards for wrapping and some yarns.

Materials for students to bring:  scissors, tape, and a few colorful pictures from a magazine or elsewhere for inspiration. Please also bring bits and balls of yarn leftover from your projects to share with the group.

November 21, 2020 – Zoom

Mercedes DiNatale:  Turning Handwoven Yardage into Tote Bags
Everyone fell in love with the beautiful bags that Mercedes had for sale at last year’s Christmas sale in Mt. Dora. Now she’s going to teach us how to make our own. 

Bio:  Mercedes DiNatale interest in weaving was sparked at a craft fair in North Carolina, where a Weaver let her sit at a loom and weave. Learning plain weave on rigid heddle then joining Weavers of Orlando in 2018 where a Harrisville Loom found a new home. Mercedes enjoys learning weave structures, experimenting with different yarns, color combinations and finding ways to use woven fabrics. 

December 12, 2020 – Zoom

Constance Blackmon Lee:  Traditional Backstrap Weaving by the Boruca Natives of Costa Rica will be presented. We will explore the history of the Borucans as cultural artisans perserving their traditional mask-making and textile techniques for hundreds of years. This presentation will be an up close and personal account of what it is like to eat, sleep and weave with this indigenous people, while expericing village life high up in the Telamanca Mountains of Costa Rica. Textiles will be on display. 

CONSTANCE BLACKMON LEE, Costume Designer, Fiber Artist, Certified in Permaculture Design. For as long as I can remember, I have had a love affair with fiber, particularly the whole cloth. I have been sewing for more than 50 years, and costuming for 22 years. I’ve worked in film, network television, commercials, theater, live entertainment productions and for Disney World Creative Costumes. After living two decades in Los Angeles, and retiring from the IBM Corporation, I returned home to Orlando Florida. Then, I joined a local quilting guild and produced a few award-winning quilts. Mostly, I made quilts to just give them away. So of course, that meant buying more fabric to add to my stash. Presently, my artistic expression encompasses art weaving, quilting and doll making. And most recently, I am learning to spin (stumbling along!).However, my most interesting lesson thus far, was at a recent “fleece washing” i.e., how to remove poop out of sheep’s fleece. I think I went home with more poop on me than the sheep. But most of all, my passions have been fueled and largely supported by like-minded women I have met along this journey. And for that, I am GRATEFUL!