Subscription: Beginning Hybrid Navajo Weaving Techniques

Description

The Subscription to Beginning Hybrid Navajo Weaving Techniques Learn allows you to learn from skilled instructors on a flexible schedule.   You’ll learn plain and stripe weaving and joining techniques. We’ll talk about design and will help you solve problems as they arise.  

 A five-week subscription should allow you enough time to finish your first weaving and warp a second. Store staff members are available to help with questions in between classes.   

This class uses a flexible format and schedule. You can attend in person, via Zoom, or a combination of the two. We have extensive experience teaching Navajo techniques virtually.

It’s important that you have a reliable internet connection, enough space in your home for you and your loom, and a device with a good webcam so we can see what you’re doing. 

Hybrid Format and Flexible Scheduling

This class is taught on a subscription basis. Sign up for as many sessions as you want (limit of 10), and attend when you can.  When you register, we will schedule an onboarding session with you to ensure you have access to the classroom and have what you need to start the class. You’ll also receive a digital download of our book.

The book will show you what you need to get started. The book includes plans for a Navajo-style loom, but we have looms that can be shipped easily and require minimal assembly, with some options even less expensive. Think a picture frame or canvas stretcher bars.  

Beginning Navajo Weaving Instructors:

Gloria Begay

Here’s Gloria with one of her latest creations! Her maternal clan is Mountain Cove, and her paternal clan is Towering House. She is the daughter of the famous weaver Nellie Joe. Nellie schooled her daughters in her exacting techniques of fine weaving and design. Gloria’s Chief Blanket and Burntwater designs are famous. She experiments with design, and she loves natural dyes.

Gloria is very encouraging, and her students love her. Her rugs and weavings are in collections all over the world. She constantly increases her weaving expertise and loves learning about new yarns and dyes.  

Gloria is fluent in Navajo and English and teaches students in both languages.   

Jennie Slick

Jennie Slick is on the left in this picture. She is born to the Coyote Pass people and born for the Bitter Water People. She resides in the Querino Canyon area near Sanders, Arizona.  

Jennie has been teaching for over 20 years. She has taught all over the United States. Jennie loves sharing her weaving knowledge because she says, “You’re not supposed to be stingy with it.”   

Jennie is a very patient teacher, so her students return for more classes to increase their knowledge. She is fluent in Navajo and can teach in either Navajo or English.

What to Expect in Beginning Navajo Weaving Techniques

You can subscribe to the number of classes that you believe you’ll need, and you can stay at the beginner level until you are ready to progress. There’s no set schedule.

You’ll get a note every Wednesday with our schedule for the week, and you can decide when you want to attend.  Yup, you can attend the Cannes Film Festival, SXSW, your niece’s bat mitzvah, your cousin’s graduation, and plan your trip to Antarctica around learning to weave. We’re just that flexible. 

A Sample Beginner Syllabus

Below, you’ll see an outline of a typical beginning student progression. Over the course of five to six weeks, you should be able to complete a first piece and warp a second. We don’t have a structured timeline, though. You can attend class in any scheduled week, or schedule a session based on the instructor’s availability. 

Week 1:  You’ll learn how the loom is warped, and you’ll mount the warp on the loom. If possible, you’ll do a little weaving on that first day. You’re probably going to be tired by the end of the day! But don’t worry; we’ll be around to help you with questions during the week!

Week 2:  You’ll learn how to manipulate the tools and how to do plain weave, and we’ll show you some interesting aspects of stripe weaves. Let’s start talking about design. We’ll pester you if you put your fork down all the time.   We’ll look at the shop’s rugs and talk about the history of weaving.  

Week 3:  Let’s add some design! You’ll weave block patterns and learn to develop designs. Gloria and Jennie will allow you to go as far as you want with design, but you must work somewhat independently during the week. They’ll keep it simple enough to understand and challenging enough to be interesting.  

Week 4:  Continue working on your pattern. We will solve any problems developing! We’ll talk about diagonal lines and maybe give them a try. It would be best if you were past the halfway point, so we’ll begin discussing finishing.  

Week 5:  We’ll continue discussing finishing techniques and planning your next weaving adventure. We will show you how to spin the edging cord for your next project.  

Week 6: We will be available to help and answer questions. 

Materials Needed

• Navajo loom or a sturdy frame loom that will accommodate Navajo-style weaving or a frame that you can pound four nails into
• Optional: Four nails and a hammer for frames that do not have pre-drilled holes
• Zip ties (11″ and 14″ work best)
• 4 3/4″ or 1″ dowels, 18″ long or wide enough to go across your warping frame
• A ball of Navajo warp wound tightly, about the size of a golf ball. (2″)
• 6 feet of 2 or 3-ply edging cord 
• One ball of cotton twine
• One sacking needle 3″ to 4″ long 
• Optional: Neosporin and band-aids (sacking needles are sharp)
• Nylon mason line or satin rattail cord for heddles
• 2-3 skeins of Brown Sheep Top of the Lamb, Lamb’s Pride, or other worsted-weight wool singles yarn in contrasting colors
• 3/4″ weaving batten  
• Weaving comb

Registration, Cancellation, and Refund Policies

Payment is required to attend class. Students attending in-person classes must be in good health.

System Requirements

We use Zoom for our virtual classroom. Please check the requirements here to make sure that you’ll be able to participate.