Open Rep Weaving with Monica Hállen at Vävstuga

September 2023 

After 2 years of planning and preparation, I finally made the trip to Shelburne, Massachusetts to attend a special topics weaving course at an incredible weaving school: Vävstuga. "The creation of Vävstuga is inspired by the many weaving schools throughout Sweden and the dedicated and talented people who have made them happen." Founder Becky Ashenden welcomes students to multiple weaving courses throughout the year, all focused on traditional, Swedish weaving techniques. 

Welcome to the amazing weaving barn!

Driving through apple orchards, harvest farm stands, autumn foliage, and mossy stone bridges, I arrived in idyllic rural New England on a misty September evening. Feeling transported back in time due to the original farm and homestead architecture, I was shown to my private cabin before meeting the other weaving students at our welcome dinner. 

The beautiful home where we shared meals, browsed the library, and attended class. 

Over the next 5 days, 12 of us worked together to "dress" the Swedish looms (threading the heddles, tying up the peddles, and fixing any errors), cut rag material, and weave 4 patterns selected by Swedish instructor Monica Hállen.

Workshop instructor Monica Hallen. Threading heddles to prepare the loom. 

Monica shared with us the tradition of rag rug weaving from Sweden and worldwide, the importance of saving all scraps of clothing and textiles to cut "rags" for weaving, and introduced us to the concept of rag weaving in "open rep"- a technique that utilizes a large ratio of warp threads to weft to create design in the weaving. 

Workshop assistant Sara Jeanne helping to cut rag for weaving, our baskets ready to fill. 

12 looms were set up to weave 4 patterns, so 3 students could work on a pattern in their style before rotating to the next set of looms. Each day we were treated to a cozy breakfast, a Nordic lunch of cold cuts, pickled herring, rye bread and salad, 3 PM Fika (Swedish coffee and sweets break), and dinner - featuring locally grown produce and home-cooked food! Many evenings the sound of the shuttle flying, the beater bar beating, and the looms creaking could be heard well into the night, as weavers (including myself) worked late to finish our projects from that day before moving on to the next loom the following day. 

eat, weave, sleep, repeat 

The cozy breakfast nook where we shared coffee and breakfast pre-class each day.

Much too soon, our week together came to an end, but, all in all, I wove 3 placemats, 1 large rag rug, 1 pillow cover, and, 1 table runner. I learned so much from the instructor, Väv staff, teaching assistants, and the other students, and have the Ontario Arts Council to thank for supporting this experience! I imagine incorporating these new-to-me weaving techniques in future works for exhibition, and plan to dye recycled fibres with regionally-foraged colours to begin this new body of work. 

Weaving with rag. A rag inlay sample ready to become a pillow cover. 

I want to return to Vävstuga one day, and I recommend checking them out if you are interested in immersing yourself in the history, atmosphere, and Swedish Weaving experience!