JCCFS: How did you get started in weaving?

LS: I started weaving when I was an undergraduate at Yale University. There are 14 different dorms that you are randomly assigned to, and the one that I lived in had looms in the basement. There weren’t formal classes, but someone would come to assist students that were interested on Sunday. I didn’t learn how to dress a loom, but I knew I wanted to learn about weaving. 

I attended a weaving guild in Knoxville, TN for awhile and then took a deflected doubleweave workshop with Elisabeth Hill at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. That’s where I learned about the Haywood Community College Professional Crafts Program in Clyde, NC, that started in 1977. I attended there from 2017-2019 and studied with Amy Putansu. The program is incredibly designed and works to prepare artists to start their own businesses after graduating. From 2020-2023 I lived and worked at the Penland School of Craft, while completing their core fellowship program.

JCCFS: You have experience working with a range of media. What is meaningful to you about weaving, or what sets it apart from other media?

LS: Before I started weaving, I was really cautious around using color in my work. I think there’s something about how color blends structurally in weaving that keeps me coming back to it. I also love how setting up a complicated warp in terms of patterning can feel like a puzzle or math equation; I say this as someone who is very, very bad at math outside of a weaving context.

JCCFS: What is the first item you wove? What is your favorite item to make?

LS: The very first things I wove in 2011 I remember printing woodblock prints onto. I was primarily a printmaker then. Now I love to weave scarves and baby blankets. I think there’s something so special about having something handwoven close to your body.

JCCFS: What is something about weaving that a non-weaver might find surprising?

LS: Weaving can start to feel like dancing when you’re really caught up in the process! I love that it engages your whole body.

JCCFS: Do you have any work rituals? How do you set the mood in your studio for a long weaving session? 

LS: This depends on what stage of work I’m in. Planning and dressing the loom usually takes a lot of focus for me. But when I get to the weaving half I like to find a long playlist for the day.

JCCFS: What is the focus of your upcoming class at JCCFS?

LS: My upcoming class will be a survey of different ways to explore blocks! The course will introduce twill blocks to beginning weavers, doubleweave blocks to intermediate weavers, and how to turn any 4-shaft pattern into blocks for the more adventurous weaver. I really enjoy working with these structures because there’s a lot of planning initially but then when it comes to weaving you can work more intuitively.

JCCFS: Your class offers something for every skill level, from beginner to advanced. What can students expect to complete during your class?

LS: Students will get to pick a blocks structure that they’d like to explore and take home a bunch of samples from that project, with the added bonus of getting to see the other structures explored by their classmates! The focus will be on experimentation and adaptability of a project. After all the time it takes to dress a loom, I like for a warp to be flexible and to produce a lot of variation.

JCCFS: Are you working on any projects (weaving or otherwise) right now?

LS: Right now I’m in the midst of packing and moving to Philadelphia! Next week I’ll be working on moving into my new studio.