My mom, the original weaver in our family, has told me many times about the first time she went to Convergence (a fiber art conference put on by the Handweavers Guild of America). It was the early 90s and she was a relatively new weaver, excited to connect with others like her. When she speaks of this event her eyes light up. In the days before even Internet chat rooms had taken off, the chance to meet other weavers was something she couldn't pass up.
A couple of weeks ago, only a few years younger than my mom was then, I hopped on a plane and flew to Colorado for The Weaving Kind's Makerie Retreat. It was billed as the first ever modern weaving retreat and I was thrilled to be going as Mirrix's representative.
My mom, the original weaver in our family, has told me many times about the first time she went to Convergence (a fiber art conference put on by the Handweavers Guild of America). It was the early 90s and she was a relatively new weaver, excited to connect with others like her. When she speaks of this event her eyes light up. In the days before even Internet chat rooms had taken off, the chance to meet other weavers was something she couldn't pass up.
A couple of weeks ago, only a few years younger than my mom was then, I hopped on a plane and flew to Colorado for The Weaving Kind's Makerie Retreat. It was billed as the first ever modern weaving retreat and I was thrilled to be going as Mirrix's representative.
As I'm sure you all know, weaving has had a resurgence lately and more and more weavers, many of them young, are picking up looms. It was my hope to connect with some of this new generation of weavers.
When I arrived I was immediately charmed by the location of the retreat. The Colorado Chautauqua is a retreat site with gorgeous old buildings and little cabins set right under the Flatiron Mountains in Boulder. It was a pretty magical spot.
In fact, the whole event was pretty magical. From the weaving comb name tags to the "Weaving is Life" goody bags, everything was beautifully curated.
The highlight of the retreat for me was helping out in Erin Riley's tapestry classes. I was admittedly starstruck meeting her and it was really fun to get to watch her teach and to talk tapestry. The classes she taught were on eccentric wefts and color blending, and it was great to watch all the "a-ha" moments of the students.
Among other well-known weavers at the event were Natalie Novak (who taught a Southwest Weaving class that looked amazing) and Maryanne Moodie. Maryanne gave a talk at the beginning of the retreat about the creative process, which really got me thinking about my own creative process.
Among other amazing weavers, I got to meet Annerys of The Woven Craft, one of Mirrix's Brand Ambassadors, which was really neat. It is so much fun to be able to make virtual connections real!
Thank you to Sarah of The Weaving Kind and everyone who made this event so much fun!
