By Vicki Kwarciany, Rigid Heddle Instructor Interest in rigid heddle weaving classes has exploded this year at Fine Line Creative Arts Center! Thanks to Schacht’s Tools for Schools grant, we can offer more seats in our classes and accommodate the increasing number of students. We even added classes to our planned schedule to ensure no one would have to wait until another semester to take the class. In addition to our regular classes, we introduced rigid heddle weaving for the first time at our Teacher Institute Day. Fifteen elementary school teachers received hands-on experience with pre ..read more

Christ the Divine Teacher School used the ten Easel Weaver looms for multiple projects in the past year. Martin again hosted Fiber Arts Club at CDT. There were 18 students ranging from grades three to five. In the fall, the fourth and fifth graders in Fiber Arts Club each wove a weft faced coaster on an Easel Weaver that was already warped with 8/2 cotton. They experimented with different textures, sizes, and colors of yarn. They also learned how alternating weft colors made vertical stripes that they could incorporate into their designs. Some students were drawn to thinner novelty yarns, whi ..read more

By Jacob Moore Well before I entered the world of weaving I had a career in the biological sciences. I spent a great deal of time thinking about ways to represent data visually, and while I no longer work in the sciences, my interest in data visualization has remained. So, when I first encountered the idea of a temperature blanket, I knew I would eventually create one, though it took me many years before I discovered the exact form my blanket would take. Most commonly created through knitting or crochet, temperature blankets contain a row or square for each day of the year, with the colo ..read more

By Anthony DiRenzo What a joy it has been to have Schacht Cricket Looms in my classroom! I teach a class called Erdkinder, a Montessori-specific class for adolescents which focuses on connection to nature, service to others, work of the hand, and mindfulness. With these looms, my students were able to learn about fibers arts and see the intersection of all of this course’s goals at once.  The project began with natural dyeing workshops. Students scoured 80 skeins of wool yarn and mordanted them with alum. Using cochineal and weld, students produces yellows, oranges, reds, purples, and ma ..read more

Newhall Elementary School Newhall Elementary School, who serves predominantly low-income families, will receive 10" Cricket Looms and 3" Hi-Lo Drop Spindles to launch a Fiber Arts Club. In this club, students will weave scarves from fleece to fabric.   Taos High School Taos High School will receive School Looms to strengthen their textiles art course. This class is particularly beneficial for students who struggle with their mental health, as it allows them to connect with their bodies and quiet their minds.   Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center The Cowee School Arts & Herit ..read more

By Cindy Lair In the previous installment “Cut Off” I mentioned CNC (computer numerical control) as a reason our cut off saw needed upgrading. The precision and accuracy must match to make parts efficiently. CNC machines share a fascinating history with weaving looms. Jacquard looms used numerical control, originally punch tape, to create intricate woven patterns in silk, notably, tapestry, brocade, and damask. Charles Babbage furthered the use of punch tape in his analytical engine, as did Ada Lovelace, eventually resulting in computers today. G-code replaced punch tape, which is a language ..read more

By Cindy Lair In the third installment of this series, we come to the process of cutting a board based on the information the board is exhibiting. This is a specific process of reading the surface of the board. The board could have a clear or flawed surface. It could also be straight or warped (having a bend) from slight to severe. It could also have wind, or twist. The board could be clear in color or have sap that has collected near a hole tapped for maple sugar. Cut off also requires knowing the length the part blank needs to be, quality required, the number needed, and how to judge each i ..read more

By Cindy Lair   Welcome to the second step in the process of making a part, as we continue to think about what it takes to manufacture a spinning wheel or loom. After ripping, we start to move through the moulding and cut off stages of production. This step is really the most critical moment for the wood. Our ripped wood is sitting on carts ready to be moulded. Ready means the wood is ripped to within one quarter inch of the finished dimension. Remember from my first article, that we process anywhere from several hundred board feet to several thousand board feet at a time. Once the board ..read more

By Cindy Lair   Have you ever thought about what it takes to manufacture a loom or spinning wheel? Here is an inside look at the manufacturing process over a series of posts. Everything starts with our suppliers. Building these relationships over the years has benefited Schacht, especially during the years when most woodworking was heading offshore or even more recently during Covid. I always joke about my “wood dealer” whom we have known for over 26 years. His family owns a small mill in western Michigan. This small mill has very sophisticated industrial equipment for sawing, drying, an ..read more

Join us for free events from October 2 to October 8. Oil your wheels, warp your looms, and rev your engines!  Sign up for free events online and in person (at our factory in Boulder and at Longmont Yarn Shoppe ..read more