As someone who identifies as a painter and printmaker, taking a class in fiber arts is outside of my comfort zone. Am I going to mess this up? Why is this process so delicate?
Fortunately, our instructor, Dahlia Popovits, was patient and encouraging. Of the six of us in class, three had weaving experience, while the other three (myself included) did not. Whether it was our first time or tenth time at the loom, Dahlia guided us with a steady hand.
Dahlia discovered weaving decades ago by chance. Though she attended art school in New York, weaving wasn’t part of her practice until she took a class at the Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill one summer. “I haven’t looked back since,” she told us. Today, she runs a handwoven clothing shop in the SoWa Arts + Design District in Boston.
During class we learned the basics of how a loom works. Dahlia introduced us to the shuttle—the tool that carries fabric strips across the loom through the warp, the vertical threads held under tension. Each pass of the shuttle lays down the weft, the horizontal threads that slowly build the cloth. After every pass, we used the beater to press the rows snugly together.
We began by weaving sturdy hems with yarn before moving on to the fun part: selecting fabrics and ripping them into strips. Tearing fabric shouldn’t be as satisfying as it is, but the room quickly agreed that it absolutely is.
What surprised me most was how forgiving weaving can be. The strips didn’t need to match perfectly because once they passed through the warp, they blended into something new. After plenty of trial and error on my part, the rhythm of weaving started to feel almost natural.
What struck me most about this class was our shared willingness to hand ourselves over to the process, regardless of age or experience. While a few classmates were already talking about buying their own tabletop looms, I was simply relieved to see my weaving improve by the end of the day.
For anyone curious about trying this fascinating art, classes are open to beginners and experienced weavers alike at Weston Art & Innovation Center.