Navajo Weaving Techniques Boot Camp in Steamboat Springs

Description

Join our first  Boot Camp Class in Navajo Weaving Techniques in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado.  Yup, we’re bringing our popular four-day intensive format to the Steamboat Creates Historic Depot Art Center.   Class starts on Monday, November 4, and lasts four intense days, ending on Thursday evening. 

Yes, we know that the class includes Election Day, so vote early and come weave!  Look at it this way: we don’t allow electioneering in our classes, and by November 4, we’re guessing that you might appreciate that.  The dates were selected because of our schedule, facility availability, and off-season prices for lodging in the area.  Also, none of us are running for office.  

Our class will meet from 9 AM to 9 PM, and the tuition includes a catered mid-day meal and copious snacks.  The Boot Camp format encompasses weavers of all levels and has a 5/1 teacher/student ratio.  This means that you’ll get the attention you need to progress.  Your tuition of $675 also includes the use of a loom and tools, yarns needed for your project, and a digital copy of our textbook.  

Instructors: Jennie Slick and Gloria Begay

We’re going to fill this room with weavers!

What you can learn in Boot Camp Classes in Navajo Weaving Techniques

The Basics: 

• Loom warping
• Basic weaving
• Basic joins
• Problem-solving
• Finishing

Advanced topics available: 

• Side selvage cord use
• Designing for weavability
• Computer-based design options
• Combining joins 
• Twill techniques
• Wedge weave
• Raised outline

There are no prerequisites for beginners.  We will tailor more advanced topics to your individual needs.    

Essential Details about Navajo Weaving Techniques Boot Camp in Steamboat Springs

• Tuition for the class is $675 and includes the use of a loom and tools for the course duration.  
• You may also bring your loom subject to space limitations.
• You will warp the loom on the first day of class.  We will supply the yarns and other equipment that you’ll need, and you’ll get a digital copy of our textbook. 
• That’s right.  You can try this for four days and only invest your tuition. 
• We’ll let you buy all the equipment you want, but you don’t have to. 
• We can’t guarantee that you’ll love weaving the Navajo way, but we can guarantee that you’ll never look at a Navajo rug the same way again.  

Accommodations: It is your responsibility to make lodging reservations. Steamboat Springs is a resort community with plenty of options.  Our on-site coordinator will help locate a good fit for you.  Let us know on your registration if you’d like some guidance.  

Your Navajo Weaving Techniques Boot Camp Instructors

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 come back for more classes to increase their knowledge. She is fluent in Navajo and can teach in either Navajo or English.

Gloria Begay

Gloria is at the left in the picture.  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 all of her daughters in her exacting techniques of weaving and design.  Gloria’s Chief Blanket and Burntwater designs are outstanding.  She experiments with design, and she loves natural dyes.  

Gloria is very encouraging, and so her students love her.  Her rugs and weavings are in collections all over the world.  She continually increases her weaving expertise and loves learning about new yarns and dyes.  Gloria strives to be a better weaver, so the chances are that you will be, too!

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

Registration, Cancellation, and Refund Policies

A deposit is required to hold a seat in any class.  You must pay your tuition in full before your class begins.  If you cannot attend the session that you have registered for, you may move to another session at no additional cost by paying any difference in tuition if there is space available.   Registration deposits are non-refundable unless we cancel the class, but you can transfer to another class with open space at no charge.  

If we cancel a class due to low enrollment, you’ll receive a full refund of all the fees you’ve paid, or you can transfer to another session with space.  We will make this determination as soon as possible and inform you immediately should we need to do it.   You can’t anticipate conditions like weather, employment, and medical emergencies, so we highly recommend that you purchase trip insurance to cover the portions of your itinerary that may not be refundable.