Sessions and Leaders
With something of interest for everyone from the beginner to the expert, choose from more than 100 Sessions taught by innovative Fiber Art Leaders. Sessions vary from 90 minute seminars to three day workshops and include topics on weaving, spinning, dyeing, basket making, felting, sewing, professional development and more.
Sessions
Sessions include instruction in a variety of fiber techniques, ranging from beginner to advanced levels. An HGA Individual, Household, Student, or Professional Artist Membership is required to register and take a Convergence® Session. Membership may be purchased online or by calling (678) 730-0010. Participants who purchase the Convergence® Value Package (CVP) save 25% on their Sessions. Those who have donated $300 or more since January 1, 2025, qualify for Advanced Priority Registration, and those who have donated $100 or more since January 1, 2025, qualify for Priority Registration.
Download the Convergence Registration Book for a complete description of Sessions (Coming Soon).
Download low resolution book (slower internet speeds) (Coming Soon)
Session Fees
| with CVP | without CVP | |
| 3-Day Workshops | $459 | $613 |
| 2-Day Workshops | $306 | $409 |
| 1-Day Workshops | $153 | $205 |
| 3-Hour Super Seminars | $76 | $103 |
| 90-Minute Seminars | $38 | $52 |
Registration Dates
October 13, 2025 - Advanced Priority Registration
October 27, 2025 - Priority Registration
November 10, 2025 - General Registration
Convergence 2026 Sessions
Click the class name for more information. We update the website regularly as sessions fill up. For the latest availability, call us at (678) 730-0010.
3-Day Workshops (Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
2-Day Workshops (Wednesday & Thursday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 2W-W003 Wear your Weaving: Sew a Simple Jacket with Handwoven Fabric
- 2W-W004 Weaving Cloth for Nuno Felting
- 2W-W005 Wet Felting + Needle Felting Blue Heron Wool Painting
- 2W-W006 Ply-split braiding: mats and baskets
- 2W-W007 Rigid Heddle Weaving + Woven Shibori
- 2W-W008 Introduction to Wet Felting: Slippers
- 2W-W009 Spin Your Own Yarn for Weaving: Drop Spindle Workshop
- 2W-W010 Designing Four Shaft Boundweave
1-Day Workshops, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 1W-W011 Finger Manipulated Lace Weaves
- 1W-W012 Intro to Kumihimo Braiding
- 1W-W013 Blend and Spin Your ULTIMATE Sock Yarn
- 1W-W014 Handwoven Fabric as Amazing Journals
- 1W-W015 Tablet Weaving Basics
- 1W-W016 Lacy Waves Transparency
- 1W-W017 Joyful Double Weave
3-Hour Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
3-Hour Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Click the class name for more information. We update the website regularly as sessions fill up. For the latest availability, call us at (678) 730-0010.
3-Day Workshops (Thursday, Friday, Saturday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
2-Day Workshops (Thursday & Friday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
1-Day Workshops, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 1W-R024 Beaded Kumihimo Immersion
- 1W-R025 Garneting For Textured Effects in Spinning and Weaving
- 1W-R026 The Magic of Illumination Paste
- 1W-R027 Name Drafts, 8 Shafts, and Parallel Threadings
- 1W-R028 Sulawesi Tablet Weaving
3-Hour Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- SS-RA029 Direct Warping on a Sectional Beam
- SS-RA030 Hitomezashi Sashiko Structures
- SS-RA031 Origami Wrapped Journal
- SS-RA032 Double Weave Drafting
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
- S-RA1033 Inspiration and Garment Design with Handwoven Fabrics
- S-RA1034 The Art History of Fiber Arts
- S-RA1035 Tai Chi for Weavers
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM,
3-Hour Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- SS-RP038 The Business Side of Fiber Arts
- SS-RP039 Creating Patterns for Simple Styles Using Body Proportions
- SS-RP040 Weaving with T-shirts (including Making T-shirt Yarn 3 ways)
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
- S-RP3041 Deflection Detection: How to Bend Threads
- S-RP3042 Velvet Powerloom Makes Cloth for Decoy Tanks
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Click the class name for more information. We update the website regularly as sessions fill up. For the latest availability, call us at (678) 730-0010.
3-Day Workshops (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
2-Day Workshops (Friday & Saturday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 2W-F047 Dye-licious— Colors to Feast On
- 2W-F048 Tapestry with Texture
- 2W-F049 L'Amour de Maman; Acadian Weaving
1-Day Workshops, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 1W-F050 Edge Finishing+ Sewing Seams for Hand-Woven Garments
- 1W-F051 Introduction to Hand Brooms with Plaiting
- 1W-F052 One, Two, Three Twill on the Rigid Heddle Loom
- 1W-F053 Color Theory and Parallel Threadings
- 1W-F054 All Day Dye - 2 in 1
- 1W-F055 Instant Silk Dyeing with Colorhue
- 1W-F056 Complex Doubleweave, 4 to 16 shafts
- 1W-F057 Beginning Inkle Weaving
- 1W-F058 Hat on a Ball!
3-Hour Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- SS-FA059 Intro to Temari Balls
- SS-FA060 Best Practices in Fractal Spinning
- SS-FA061 Ply-split braiding – get started!
- SS-FA062 Getting Unstuck With Tablet Weaving
- SS-FA063 Woven Realities: Creating Digital Art from Your Weaving with AI and Glitch Techniques
- SS-FA064 Ikat Shifting: Eight Techniques
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
3-Hour Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- SS-FP067 Crafting Content: A Creative’s Guide to Social Media
- SS-FP068 Fancy Mini Beanpot
- SS-FP069 Braiding with Leather, Beads, & Rings
- SS-FP070 Cross-armed ('Turkish') Spindles: Cops and Draws
- SS-FP071 Get Started Mending Handwovens
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Click the class name for more information. We update the website regularly as sessions fill up. For the latest availability, call us at (678) 730-0010.
2-Day Workshops (Saturday & Sunday), 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 2W-S076 Cabbage Kale Kohlrabi
- 2W-S077 Sprang Lace
- 2W-S078 Ikat Warp Workshop
- 2W-S079 Introduction to Tapestry and Dye
- 2W-S080 Deflected Double Weave: Connections, Layers & Pockets
1-Day Workshops, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 1W-S081 Double Weave with Two Heddles for Rigid Heddle Loom
- 1W-S082 Blending Boards: Going Against the Grain
- 1W-S083 Techniques to Create Dimensional Weaving
- 1W-S084 Ply-split braiding - Low-tech solutions
- 1W-S085 Split-Shed Weaving: Creating imagery with color-blending
- 1W-S086 Pin Loom Weaving A to Z
3-Hour Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- SS-SA087 Sew a Mini Scarf - The Perfect Yarn Stash Buster
- SS-SA088 Beading & History with the Yellow Pocahontas Black-Creole Masking Indians of New Orleans
- SS-SA089 Upcycling Sweater Yarn; Eco-friendly and Economical
- SS-SA090 Color Wheels for Predicting Color in Fiber
- SS-SA091 Passion for Plain Weave
- SS-SA092 Magic with Ribbon: Dragon Boat Decorations
- SS-SA093 Woolen Spinning
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
- S-SA1094 Finish and Exhibit that Piece!
- S-SA1095 Planning Handwoven Wearables - Balancing Structure and Design
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
- S-SA2096 Better Smart Phone Photography for Fiber Artists
- S-SA2097 Amazing Hacks for Warping Front to Back
3-Hour Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- SS-SP098 Beginning Sewing with Handwoven Fabric, Tips and Tricks
- SS-SP099 Sheep & Wool School: The Primitives
- SS-SP100 Loomed Beadwork Basics and Beyond
- SS-SP101 Inkle Your Way: How to Design Custom Inkle Bands
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
- S-SP3102 Road Trip: Intro to Digital Print Design
- S-SP3103 Crafting Clarity: Writing Art Statements
- S-SP3104 Bejeweled Yarns
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Click the class name for more information. We update the website regularly as sessions fill up. For the latest availability, call us at (678) 730-0010.
1-Day Workshops, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- 1W-U107 Gain Confidence to Sew a Well-Fitting Handwoven Garment
- 1W-U108 Beginning Tenneriffe Lace - Little Woven Circles
- 1W-U109 Monk’s Belt: A Simple and Delightful Weave
- 1W-U110 Needle Felt A Sheep Using A Wire Armature
- 1W-U111 Ply-split braiding – Braid that camel!
- 1W-U112 Warp Painting With Natural Dyes
- 1W-U113 A Spinner's Breed Study
- 1W-U114 Bead Weaving Sampler Variations: Right Angle Weave, Even Count Peyote, Basic Herringbone
- 1W-U115 Sashiko Stitching on Sunprints
- 1W-U116 Inkle Pick-up on Horizontal Stripes
3-Hour Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- SS-UA117 Visible Mending with Speedweve Looms and Embroidery
- SS-UA118 Whistle While You Warp
- SS-UA119 Connecting Through Craft: Engaging Your Audience Online
- SS-UA120 Bow Loom Weaving
- SS-UA121 Beyond Plain Weave: Pick-up Stick Patterns on the Rigid-heddle loom
- SS-UA122 Cobweb spinning
- SS-UA123 Norman Kennedy's Ethnic Spinning Slides
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
- S-UA1124 Chilkat Warp Wrapping
- S-UA1125 Just Gamp It!
- S-UA1126 The New Transparency: Innovative Designs for Transparency Weaving
90-Minute Seminars (Morning), 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
3-Hour Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
- SS-UP129 Intro to Creative Tapestry Weaving
- SS-UP130 Color Choices for Pattern Weaving
- SS-UP131 Infinite Energy: Designing Stripes and Plaids
- SS-UP132 Continuous Strand Weaving on a Triangle Loom
- SS-UP133 From Studio to Screen: Teaching Fiber Arts Virtually
- SS-UP134 Viking Knitting: Trichinopoly on a Dowel
- SS-UP135 L'Amour de Maman
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
- S-UP3136 Ravenstail and Chilkat Weaving: Fiber Arts of Northwest Coastal People
- S-UP3137 Weaving Influencers of the 1950's
90-Minute Seminars (Afternoon), 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Convergence 2026 Leaders
Click on the Leader's name to read their bio, see their Convergence sessions and to visit their website.
Dawn received a Master of Fine Arts from Montana State University in 2000. She earned HGA’s Award which honors outstanding exhibited works of fiber art in 2018, HGA's Certificate of Excellence Level 1 (2020) & Level 2, Master Weaver (2022), and won first place in HGA’s Wearable Art Exhibition at Convergence in 2024. Dawn is the current president of the Montana Association of Weavers and Spinners (MAWS) and enjoys sharing her knowledge through teaching and conducting workshops in fine arts, weaving, and spinning.
Andrea is a textile artist who blends scientific thinking with artistic expression. After transitioning from Marine Biology to textile design, she earned her degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Her international textile studies have exposed her to diverse creative approaches, enriching her work with a wide range of techniques and ideas. Through her YouTube channel, Andrea shares her artistic journey, weaving tutorials, and design insights with a growing community of makers.
Patti Barker is an award-winning feltwear designer and teacher. Patti's early fascination with fabric and fashion stemmed from her mother, a professional seamstress. Her felt-making journey began in 2010 with a study of skin—skin as a protective covering-and the way it records history through scars. Her work has evolved into creating wearable art ensembles, where she is intrigued by the way wearable art transforms its wearer. Patti has a BA degree in studio art with a concentration in fibers at WWU.
Anne has lived in West Virginia her entire life and has been a basket maker and teacher for 44 years. Production weaving in the first 20 years helped her develop her teaching skills. She recently wrote a book for makers entitled "Ribbed Basketry, Traditional to Contemporary". She has taught for basketry guilds across the USA and traveled internationally to Germany and Poland to learn more of this amazing craft. She is on the board of NBO and has been an active member of Over the Mountain Studio Tour.
Sandy Cahill is the owner of “Be Weave Me,” a textile art business, and has been a lifelong working textile artist. Working daily in her Parkville, MO studio, Sandy creates original design Art-To-Wear garments, shawls, and scarves. She showcases her Handwoven Textile Art in Kansas City-area art galleries and Juried Art Shows. Teaching is one of Sandy’s great joys, as she loves connecting with students to share her knowledge of textiles and sewing.
Phyllis is a retired clothing designer and graphic designer whose career highlights include creating custom bridal designs, pattern making, and designing a wide range of materials, including slides, signs, brochures, and catalogs, from 8 to 400 pages in length. Her primary expertise lies in pattern making and sewing garments, but she also creates original hand-knit and hand-woven pieces, as well as quilts, mosaics, jewelry, and more. She has taken and edited thousands of product photographs for work and personal use.
- S-SA2096 Better Smart Phone Photography for Fiber Artists
- 1W-U107 Gain Confidence to Sew a Well-Fitting Handwoven Garment
Dell has been involved in various fiber arts since her grandmother taught her embroidery when she was 6. She spins, weaves, knits, sews, quilts, tats, and makes several other forms of lace. She also has a stash of yarn and other fiber arts supplies that will outlive her! In the past, Dell has taught beginning and novice weaving classes at the Chattahoochee Handweaver's Guild, but had to give that up when she became an IT Consultant.
Kristin Crane is a weaver, designer, and dyer living in Providence, RI. She graduated from Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science with a degree in textile design and began her career designing jacquard fabrics for the residential home furnishings market. Today, she is Director of Marketing for Design Pool, an online pattern library, and has designed patterns and written articles for Gist Yarn. She weaves on a Macomber loom, Mirrix tapestry looms, and on the go with a tiny pin loom.
Emerson Croft is a craftsperson and educator based out of Berea, KY. They have a B.A. from Berea College, where they studied biology and sociology. This background in natural and social sciences informs their personal work, which centers around themes of community, human nature, and humor. They have been the Weaving Manager at Berea College Student Craft since 2021, where they supervise a production studio staffed by undergraduate college students.
Kira Dulaney has been teaching fiber arts classes since 2002 at nationwide fiber festivals as well as guilds and yarn shops. Kira’s teaching focus is on providing valuable information in a stress-free environment and supporting students throughout the learning process while keeping it engaging and fun. She is also the designer behind Kira K Designs, a line of original knitting and crochet patterns and kits featuring clean lines and intriguing details that are both interesting to make and easy to wear.,
Hunter L. V. Elliott received a BFA in Sculpture and Printmaking from Kent State University in 2014. Hunter currently teaches broom making and other craft techniques at Berea College Student Craft in Berea, KY where he serves as the Director of Fellowships.
Margery has been a member and master artisan in weaving with the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen since 1991. Although retired from teaching special education, she continues to teach and share her business and weaving knowledge. Her woven items, hand-dyed company fiber, and patterns are sold through her business, Opalessence Fiber Studio.
Gretchen introduced rigid heddle weaving into the programming at Lion Brand Yarn Studio, where she taught knitting and weaving and ran the education programming for 5 years. She continues to teach at local yarn shops in the NY/NJ area. She loves teaching new weavers and inspiring experienced weavers to explore the possibilities of color play, texture, and structure available to rigid heddle weavers without all the planning necessary on larger looms.
Geri Forkner creates felted and woven works of art from her studio in Tennessee. She teaches fiber arts internationally, was awarded a Fellowship at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, and her award-winning art is in the collections of museums. She was the driving force behind the off-site exhibits at the Handweavers Guild of America’s Convergence in Knoxville, TN, in 2020. As a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, Geri cherishes the traditional skills and crafts while utilizing fibers in innovative ways.
Chelsea fell in love with the textures, colors, yarns, and patterns of weaving 10 years ago. She enjoys experimenting with different yarns, patterns, and dyeing techniques to create beautiful fabric, which she then sews into wearable art. As a mother of 6 wonderful children she does most of her weaving and sewing during naps and after bedtime and feels the calm that comes from creating woven fabric.
Adrienne Gaskell is a celebrated jewelry artist who has transformed the ancient art of kumihimo braiding by incorporating gemstones, pearls, and beads into modern jewelry designs. Her innovative work has been featured in Lark Books and various prominent magazines, earning accolades in numerous competitions. As the co-founder and former president of the American Kumihimo Society, Adrienne leads workshops in the U.S. and Japan, sharing her expertise and love of this craft.
Award-winning textile artist Ksm Lx'sg̱a̱n, Ruth Hallows weaves in the Chilkat and Ravenstail traditions of Northwest Coastal People. She employs the Tlingit and Haida protocols she inherited from her mentor weavers and seeks to recover Tsimshian ways of being through continued research in institutional and nontraditional archives and shares the skills and training she has gathered in workshops, presentations, and lectures. She maintains a daily practice of Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving.
Jennie Hawkey, owner of Hopewell Weaving, has taught weaving for over 30 years. With a passion for education, she instructs both adults and children, offering courses in person and online. Her mission is to pass on the art and craft of weaving.
In 1986, Irene began working in fiber arts creating mohair teddy bears. Since 2002, Irene has been an artist specializing in needle felting, transforming fibers into captivating sculptures and vibrant artwork. Alongside creating her own art pieces, she also teaches needle felting, sharing her expertise and inspiring others to explore this intricate craft. With a dedication to blending creativity and precision, her mixed media pieces celebrate nature, whimsy, and the art of storytelling.,
Debbie Held is a freelance writer and author, a contented real-life spinster, and an international fiber arts educator. She writes recurring spinning-related content for Spin Off magazine and its blog, PLY, Little Looms, SweetGeorgia Yarns, and more, and she’s an online spinning instructor for the School of SweetGeorgia. Debbie’s new book, “The Spinner’s Blending Board Bible," explores new and innovative ways to utilize this humble fiber-prep tool to its fullest potential.
Sue Helmken's career as a weaver and dyer spans 40 years. She has been a juried member of galleries throughout the southeast. Her teaching background includes private and semi-private lessons, small group lessons and workshops for guilds, Yarnfest, and Convergence. She enjoys combining weaving and dyeing techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces.
Textile designer and weaver Ellen Hess designs woven textiles for domestic and European textile firms. She teaches weaving and CAD at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and has taught at the Newark Museum Arts Workshop, The Visual Arts Center of NJ, the Montclair Art Museum, the Brookfield Craft Center, Peter’s Valley Craft Education Center, and national/regional fiber conferences, including Convergence, MAFA, and Stitches East. Ellen offers workshops around the country.
David Heustess is an artist and arts educator in Nashville, TN, and his work incorporates clay, fiber arts, and beadwork. After many years of working as a modern dancer/teacher, David began pursuing his interest in pottery and other art mediums. He attended the Appalachian Center for Crafts, and in 1995, he earned a BFA degree with studio concentrations in clay and fiber arts. Currently, David directs a gallery space and a community arts education program at Vanderbilt University.
Cecilia Ho of Greenville, SC, was born into a family of fashion and interior designers in Hong Kong. Since 2013, Cecilia relocated to South Carolina from Canada, and has taught thousands of students through one-on-one private & group felting workshops. Currently, Cecilia is a South Carolina-verified teaching artist running felting fiber arts integration programs for K-12th-grade students. Cecilia also acts as a fiber art instructor, running adult & senior workshops year-round across SC & NC.
Growing up in her family's Creole restaurant, located in the culturally rich Tremé neighborhood, laid the foundation for Dianne “Gumbo Marie” Honoré's work as an award-winning Historic Interpreter, Creole culture activist, registered teaching artist, and event producer. She founded the Black Storyville Baby Dolls™, the Amazons Benevolent Society™, and Unheard Voices of Louisiana™. Annually on Mardi Gras Day, she masks as Big Queen of the Yellow Pocahontas Hunters Tribe for which she meticulously creates one-of-a-kind "suits" from thousands of beads and feathers. She has curated numerous history-related music and food events, tours, and exhibits over several decades, including the My Color, My People and Black Storyville tours, Creole food tours for Culinary Backstreets, and the Golden Crown exhibit and symposium celebrating the 150-year legacy of Big Chief Darryl Montana. In addition to appearances on the Harry Connick, Jr show, Flip my Food, BET, and Good Morning America she hosted a live television show focused on New Orleans history and current events. She developed an "exhibit-store" called "Gumbo Marie" where rotating exhibits were curated on Louisiana history, classes were held, and locally crafted products were sold to support the exhibit space. Annually, she produces "Baking for Breast Cancer" in conjunction with The Amazons Benevolent Society™, who raise funds for local cancer fighters. She also teaches beginner and advanced beading classes to senior adults at the Louisiana State Museum's Cabildo.
Carol James has been exploring low-tech textile methods for 30 years. A very patient teacher, she has taught classes across North America and Europe. While travelling, she examined historic examples of sprang. She has successfully reproduced several items, including George Washington’s silk sprang sash. She has also created garments deemed worthy of HGA’s Convergence fashion show. She is the author of numerous articles and eight books, including Sprang Unsprung and sprang lace pattern books.
Pam James started weaving over 20 years ago and has been using repurposed yarn almost exclusively the entire time. She is a passionate weaver who has been known to weave everything, from clothing to art pieces, using anything from VCR tape to 'crap off the street'. In addition to weaving for herself, she has started weaving commissioned pieces on the condition that the recipient donate to the charity of their choice.
Beth Ross Johnson is a weaver, writer, and workshop leader living in Black Mountain, NC. She learned initially from students of Norman Kennedy, and later studied with him for many workshops. She holds an MFA from Georgia State University and has undertaken two extensive stays in Japan to study kasuri (ikat) and sakiori (rag weaving) with master weavers there. Recent explorations have focused on European ikat traditions, and she is co-authoring a book on sashiko-ori (woven sashiko).
Kira Keck is an Artist-Weaver with an intense love of color and pattern. Kira translates their ideas into functional and conceptual objects, questioning divisions of art/craft/design. Kira earned a BFA in Fiber in 2016 from the Maryland Institute College of Art and an MFA in Fiber in 2022 from Cranbrook Academy of Art. They currently live and work in Pontiac, MI, with their romantic partner/artistic collaborator Jane and a tiny dog.
A weaver for 25 years, Denise Kovnat has taught virtually and at conferences and guilds across the United States, Canada, and Australia. She focuses on parallel threadings, collapse techniques, painted warps, and deflected doubleweave. In 2022, she published a book on collapse techniques, Weaving Outside the Box: 12 Projects for Creating Dimensional Cloth. She is most proud of serving on the founding team for the Weaving and Fiber Arts Center, which opened in Rochester, NY, in 2002.
Penny is a weaver, spinner, teacher, historian, manager, learner, creator and general lover of all things fiber. With past careers as an engineer, a mom, a museum educator and a museum director, combined with her hobby as a historical reenactor, her worlds interweave in the creation of textiles and the study of historic textile tools. She teaches weaving and spinning at multiple venues near her home in Massachusetts and on Zoom.
Susan Lazear is the owner and Creative Director of Cochenille Design Studio. There she designs pattern-making and stitch design software for textile and fashion enthusiasts. She teaches educational webinars and develops other related how-to books and products. Susan is an Emeritus Professor of Fashion at Mesa College in San Diego, where she taught various textile and design courses, including patternmaking, computer design, and textiles and related fashion courses. She has workshops globally.
Helen Leaf is a UK ply-splitter, exploring colour, pattern and structure, and passionate about tradition. She has taught and exhibited internationally. When not ply-splitting, she’s in the forest with ancient trees.,
Tina Linville grew up in the Pacific Northwest and received her BFA in Sculpture from the University of Washington and her MFA in Fibers from California State University, Long Beach. Her fiber-based sculptures, installations, and collaborative projects have been featured in numerous international, national, and regional exhibitions. Linville heads the fiber concentration in the Art and Art History Department of Baylor University and lives and works in Waco, Texas.
Connie’s work has been exhibited in 30 states. She has received several artist grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission. Her work is represented in museum, corporate, academic, and private collections and has been widely published. Her online article “Contemporary Interpretation of an Unusual Navajo Weaving Technique” (University of Nebraska, Lincoln, digital commons) has been downloaded over 11,000 times. Connie is represented by Blue Spiral 1 Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina.
Heather Macali is an artist, craftsperson, & educator based in Detroit, MI. With an MFA in Textiles from the UW-Madison, she currently teaches at Wayne State University, specializing in weaving, dyeing, textile design, & spinning. She has exhibited her work nationally and internationally. Her body of work, Structured Color, was recently shown outside of Chicago. This past fall she participated in 4 local exhibitions, co-curated 'Fiber Flux', & led multiple workshops in the fiber arts field.
Nancy Macali taught Family Consumer Science for over 35 years and is now the owner of Ohmi Fibers LLC. Her passion for fibers began in childhood, sparked by her grandmother, leading to advanced studies in weaving, spinning, and dyeing. After retiring, she launched her own fiber business and, alongside her daughter, travels the Midwest offering over 20 classes for fiber enthusiasts. Nancy’s greatest joy is inspiring students, many of whom continue to pursue and share their love of fiber arts.
Amy Ross Manko travels the country (and now the world) teaching, researching, and writing about her favorite topic: rare breed sheep! You may know her from her feature series in PLY Magazine, “Sheep on the Edge”, her articles in Spin Off, or her breed profiles in the U.K’s KnitNow magazine, or her "Sheep & Wool School" podcast on YouTube. When she’s not on the road, spreading the word of critically endangered livestock, she’s managing her historic farm in Southwestern PA with her son Drew.
Patricia Martin runs a weaving and dye studio. Whispering Vista Studios is a place for individual and group classes. Patricia holds an MFA in Fiber, COE (level 1) in Dyeing, and a BS in Color and Print. Patricia teaches weaving, dyeing, and color year-round. The excitement of watching the new weaver understand the language of weaving motivates her. The other part of her time in the studio is used to create one-of-a-kind works for the art world.
Barrie Mason is a full-time studio artist and teacher working in a variety of fiber-related mediums, including handmade paper, bookbinding, weaving, felting, and marbling. Her bookmaking experience spans twenty years. She is the organizer of KC Bookies, a local gathering of bookmakers in the greater Kansas City area. She regularly teaches bookmaking classes, and her Etsy shop featuring handmade books under the name Studio Barrie will be open soon. She works in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.
My love for fiber arts began when I was 4 years old, in Waldorf school, when I learned to sew little felt pillows stuffed with wool. Over the years, my repertoire has expanded from homegrown hand-spun nettle yarn to linen and silk scarves hand-painted with natural dyes. Forever a student and enthusiastic teacher, I love sharing what I’ve learned with my community at the Jansen Art Center in a way that deepens knowledge while spreading joy.
Erin R. Miller is an artist, designer, and educator. Her work explores the intimacy and fragility of the human relationship with cloth through a variety of textile techniques. She is currently the Director of Weaving in the historic Student Craft department at Berea College, where her passion for intentional and conceptually driven methods of design informs the production-based curriculum of the program.
With over 40 years of experience in weaving and textiles, Kathy Monaghan is a dedicated fiber artist & popular instructor. The author of You Can Weave! Projects for Young Weavers, she has taught weaving at every level for over 35 years. She loves sharing techniques and inspiration with students, especially those who are beginners. Kathy excels at breaking complex tasks into easy-to-understand steps to ensure beginners’ success and never tires of seeing the joy in students when they master new skills.
Robin Monogue has been creating fiber arts since learning to sew as a Girl Scout. Through the Society for Creative Anachronism, a medieval and Renaissance re-creation group, Robin first discovered tablet weaving, inkle weaving, and book binding, and developed her skills in sewing and pattern drafting. Robin has been weaving on floor looms for twelve years, and has had several articles published in Handwoven magazine.
Barbara Setsu Pickett, Associate Professor Emerita, Art Department, University of Oregon, researches velvet weaving at ateliers in Italy, France, England, Spain, Japan, China, Turkey, India, and Uzbekistan with support from the NEA, Fulbright Commission, Institute of Turkish Studies, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and Rockefeller Foundation/Bellalgio. She studied ikat velvet with masters in Uzbekistan and at the International Folk Art Market in Santa Fe. She teaches Velvet Ikat workshops. With her son Michael, Barbara creates the highly textured silk scarves of Mihara Shibori Studio. She’s taught dyeing workshops nationwide. She studied the shibori techniques in Arimatsu and Kyoto and with dye masters like Yoshiko Wada and John Marshall. She is an Associate Professor Emerita, Art Department, University of Oregon, where she headed the Fibers program for 33 years.
Becka Rahn is a teaching artist from Minneapolis, MN, working with fabric and paper. She designs fabrics and art books from cut paper illustrations using recycled materials and hand embroidery. Passionate about making art more accessible, she breaks down complex ideas into simple steps, empowering artists to conquer technology barriers. Whether she’s teaching, designing, or crafting, she brings a spark of creativity—and plenty of puns—to everything she makes.
Amanda Robinette explores recycling, frugality, and the joy of creative destruction through rag weaving. Teaching and practicing Tai Chi is her other passion. She is the author of Weaving Western Sakiori and the developer of the Tai Chi for Weavers workshop and DVD.
Marilyn Romatka’s focus is on living folk art crafts. She teaches a wide variety, from painting techniques to weaving, the common thread being that the techniques are all deeply rooted in cultures from around the world. You might say the techniques she teaches have all survived the ‘test of time’. She likes to say she has the best job in the world; she travels to various countries gathering folk art techniques, then returns to the US to teach enthusiastic students.
Gretchen Romey-Tanzer has been a professional weaver, fiber artist, and teacher for 45 years. Her work has been recognized for its excellence by National and State arts and craft institutions and organizations. She received recognition for Excellence in Weaving from the American Craft Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Her work has been featured in regional museum shows and national craft shows. Her handwoven pieces are in the collections of art museums in Boston, MA; Denver, CO; and Racine, WI.
Alejandra (Alex) Sanchez is a textile artist & shepherd focusing on the conservation of heritage sheep breeds & the preservation of ancient textile practices. Alex was born in Mexico & sought textile arts as a way to feel rooted to her ancestry & homeland. Her work in textiles encourages folks to connect with the land and its animals, and to view their wool-craft as a form of stewardship & a piece of living history. Alex teaches classes on spinning, natural dyeing, & heritage breed studies.
The process of creating textiles brings Stacy joy. Of all the fiber arts she’s done, tablet weaving has captured her heart with the complex possibilities that arise from very simple tools. She has been a teacher in one form or another for most of her life, and she loves seeing a student's face light up when a new concept clicks. She aspires in her teaching to make tablet weaving comprehensible and fun. She has taught at the ANWG Conference, Red Alder, and the Seattle Weavers’ Guild.
Angela Schneider is a weaver, spinner, and practitioner of a wide array of fiber arts. She is Long Thread Media’s project editor; her own designs have appeared in Handwoven and Easy Weaving with Little Looms magazines. With a background in balancing art, programming, and engineering, and holding a Master Spinner Certificate from Olds College, she relishes delving into the details of a textile. She is a patient and encouraging teacher who delights in helping students learn.
Jenny Schu graduated from the University of Michigan with a BFA focused on Fibers; her work can currently be seen in galleries around the Midwest. Jenny has exhibited nationally through numerous guilds and galleries; most recently, accepting a Second Place Award for "Is There A Thing To Which Brings Us Less Joy Yet We Devote More Time" at Michigan League of Handweavers Biennial Exhibit 2024. For the past 15 years, Jenny has presented and taught workshops through various Fiber Arts Guilds.
Deborah Silver is an award-winning artist with a BFA in Fiber. Her work employs the split-shed technique, transforming traditional weave structures into a signature method of handweaving. She teaches split-shed weaving workshops, with a focus on embracing one’s individual creative vision. She authored “The Technique of Split-Shed Weaving,” a book illustrating pictorial weaving on 4-shaft looms. Her recent art is inspired by American women’s history and by memorials found in old cemeteries.
Janney Simpson has been a weaver since 1980. In CT, she taught weaving at Wesleyan Potters. Janney is a past President, Apprentice, Weaver of Distinction, and Lifetime Member of the Handweavers’ Guild of CT. In MI, she served as VP of the Michigan League of Handweavers. Additional professional memberships include Complex Weavers, Handweavers Guild of America, Charlevoix Weavers Guild, Cross Borders, and Cross Country Weavers. She has presented workshops and lectures on Deflected Double Weave and Sakiori.
Rebecca's weaving career began in Massachusetts, but she has lived in San Diego since 1996. Following a series of workshops with tapestry master Archie Brennan in 1999, Rebecca wove tapestries for the next 20 years. In 2018, her interest shifted to transparency weaving. Rebecca's work has been included in juried exhibitions throughout the U.S. Her upcoming book, “Transparency Weaving”, will be published by Schiffer Publishing in 2026. Rebecca is a member of California Fibers, a juried group of professional fiber artists.
Rachel Snack is a weaver, educator, and textile artist. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art in Fiber & Material Studies from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Master of Science in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. Rachel is the founder of Weaver House, a textile studio, yarn shop, and weaving school, dedicated to preserving craft tradition through hand-making and weaving education.
Sydney Sogol is a weaver and dyer whose mission is to create bold color and pattern interactions through original designs. She creates one-of-a-kind and limited edition pieces inspired by her years of studying art, ornithology, and marine biology. Each piece pays homage to that creature’s natural beauty and unique story. To achieve this, she hand-paints and dyes unique colorways that mimic the gorgeous colors and balance found in nature. Sogol runs a sustainability-focused studio in NC.
Mickey has been weaving and spinning for 25 years and received an HGA COE Level II in 2023, with a focus on mohair weaving. She wrote the book Innovative Weaving: A Guide for Study Groups and a book about 1950s handwoven swatch periodicals is scheduled for release in summer 2026.
Margaret Stump has been weaving on pin looms for over 40 years. (Closer to 50, but she would prefer not to admit it.) She is the author of three books on pin loom weaving. Over the past several years, she has contributed over 40 creative projects and articles in national magazines, including Easy Weaving with Little Looms, Handwoven, Spin Off, and Yarn AU. She enjoys sharing this portable form of weaving with others and loves the idea that weavers, like spinners, can sit in a circle and create.
Astrid Tauber is a weaver, spinner, and garment maker who creates everything from boots to gowns using her handwoven fabrics. Each project is an opportunity to learn, whether through finer threads, new structures, or unexpected design elements. When asked about her most challenging piece, the answer is usually her current project—she constantly pushes her skills, adding intricate details and exploring new ideas to bring each vision to life.
Artistically, Thomas started with an MFA in music education, dance, and theater. Being a crafter since childhood, he eventually found his happy space and path in the fiber arts. As a teacher, his focus is to break down the complex into simplicity and basics.
Jeane Vogel is an award-winning, fiber and photographic artist who produces work in tapestry, shirbori dyeing, sashiko stitching, embroidery, woven cloth, and historic photographic techniques. Her work has been recognized, exhibited, and collected throughout North America and Europe, and is in the permanent collections of the Jewish Museum of Brooklyn, the Union of Reform Judaism, Central Reform Congregation, Nicolet College Museum of Art, and numerous private and corporate collections.
Entranced by the beauty of yarns in Navajo textiles from the 1800s (so why the MS in Botany?), Ruth moved to Australia in the mid-1980s & finally learned to spin. Introduced to Beth Beede’s “hat on a ball” technique in 1992, Ruth got sidetracked by felting and left her employment at a medical school research lab in 2000 to felt full-time. She went on to sell her work through both wholesale and retail channels. Sharing her passion through teaching has always been a thrill. Her Merino wool batting is locally sourced.
Melissa Weaver Dunning is a hand-weaver, spinner, and knitter with over 45 years of experience working on antique and modern equipment to recreate 18th and 19th century home produced textiles. She began her textile study with Scottish master weaver Norman Kennedy in 1980, and carries on this rich tradition in her own teaching. Melissa is an avid weaver of tartan and linen, a compulsive knitter, and a lover of wool who enjoys sharing her passion for weaving and spinning with students.
Marcia Weiss is the Interim Dean of the School of Design & Engineering and Professor of Textile Design at Thomas Jefferson University. She brings to teaching decades of industry experience, including 19 years with Burlington Industries, which culminated in the role of Vice President of Design. Inspired by her grandmothers' quilts, Marcia's love of layered compositions was formed in childhood. Her current work celebrates the joy of intersecting patterns through double cloth ikats.
Alanna Wilcox is a fiber artist and dye color expert with a passion for educating fiber enthusiasts at all levels. Holding a Master Spinner Certificate and bringing over 20 years of professional experience in education, she skillfully guides learners through the complexities of the fiber arts. Author of A New Spin on Color, Alanna offers both in-person and online workshops that are designed to inspire creativity and mastery in spinning and dyeing.
Jennifer B. Williams is a band weaver who finds endless joy in her inkle loom, using it to explore global weaving traditions. She interprets diverse techniques, pushing the boundaries of inkle band design. Passionate about sharing her craft, she teaches at guilds, conferences, and beyond—sometimes even on airplanes! Her work is featured in Handwoven Magazine’s Easy Weaving with Little Looms, and she shares projects on her website and Instagram.
Susan Wright has been weaving for twenty-five years and completed the Master Weaver Program at the Hill Institute in Northampton, MA in 2008 and attained the Master Weaver Certification at Hill Institute in 2010. Her weaving has won several awards at the New England Weavers Seminar including a Judges Choice award in 2017 for her Boundweave Footstool. She has taught several workshops for guilds in Massachusetts and is known for her colorful boundweave wallhangings and footstools.
Nebraska artist Mary Zicafoose is a master at weft ikat, a complex resist-dye weaving process. Her work in ikat tapestry has been represented in the International Triennial of Tapestry, Lodz, Poland; Museo de Textil, Oaxaca, Mexico; China National Silk Museum, Hangzhou and the collections of two dozen United States Embassy’s abroad. A three-time USA Artist Fellowship nominee, Zicafoose is co-director emerita of the American Tapestry Alliance. She has an extensive lifetime teaching resume.
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