Weaving courses in the UK

I am currently researching spinning courses of two or more days so that I can publish details in YarnMaker, it's going to be a new part of the "Events for your diary" section. However, for the time being it will be only spinning, not weaving or dyeing and only courses of more than 2 days as there is not space for all the short courses and tutors to be listed.

Weaving courses I can list here - and there are some excellent tutors and superb opportunities. These are just a few...

If I had not gone into publishing, I would have been very keen to study with Janet Phillips and especially interested in her Weaving Master Class.

Stacey Harvey Brown offers a wide range of classes at her studio in Staffordshire, and she has a wonderful collection of looms there including a restored Jacquard loom.

Alison Daykin has an established business weaving for interior design and teaches a regular evening class in Leek for new weavers, it's worth contacting her if you are interested in other types of course as she is setting up a new studio for her own weaving and teaching.

I know these three tutors through us all being members of the Online Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers, which runs a few online weaving classes each year, in 2013 there will be one on rigid heddle weaving and another on network drafting. In the past I have enjoyed courses with this guild including lace weaving, twills and double-weave. In 2012 there was a deflected double weave course, which unfortunately I didn't have time to participate in, but I did enjoy reading the teaching notes and seeing the photos of work.

For people interested in basic weaving, there are some fun courses for new weavers each year run by Janet Phillips at the Threshing Barn, near Leek. I met someone who had attended a rigid heddle class at The Threshing Barn, bought a loom and went on to set up a business making wall hangings. Don't underestimate the possibilities of simple looms!

There are a number of interesting courses offered in London at the Handweavers Studio and Gallery, some weekly and some short courses catering for all kinds of weaving.

Hiliary Charlesworth of The Loom Exchange who is writing a series on beginning tapestry weaving for YarnMaker runs various courses including tapestry and peg loom weaving.

There is also a list of tapestry weaving tutors on the British Tapestry Group website.

One of my weaving friends very much enjoyed a course with Snail Trail Handweavers a few years ago with a beautiful blanket woven double width on the loom of her own handspun yarns to show at the end of it.

And... not forgetting (as readers of YarnMaker will already be aware!) 2013 sees an Association of Guilds Summer School, in Wales, at which there are various week long courses including weaving. You don't have to be a guild member to attend, but guild members get a discount.