For centuries, weaving has been a feat of labor and a work of art. It’s an Appalachian tradition deeply rooted in the history of the Folk School. Continue the custom by making heirlooms of your own, from scarves and table runners to bed covers or yardage for garments.
Weaving Classes
Explore The Studio
Weaving Studio in the Louise Pitman Fiber Arts Building
The Weaving Studio has a spacious, well-lit home in a part of the Pitman Fiber Arts Building. Numerous looms, warping boards, a yarn closet, a well-stocked supply closet, washing machine and dryer, and a reading library provide the perfect environment most weavers never want to leave. Occasionally, other types of classes will be assigned to this space when there’s no weaving class, especially ones that benefit from the large expanse of tables and workspace in the front of the studio.
News & Stories: What's Happening in Weaving
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August 21, 2024
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July 23, 2024
Browse our 2025 classes digitally...
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June 28, 2024
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June 21, 2024
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May 16, 2024
Geri Forkner and Tone Haugen-Cogburn...
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April 3, 2024
When Janet Davis first made...
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March 5, 2024
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December 6, 2023
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November 9, 2023
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July 24, 2023
Browse our August 2023–June 2024...
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February 14, 2023
Minsā in Huck Lace Lars...
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February 14, 2023
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August 29, 2022
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July 25, 2022
Building on your feedback, we're...
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July 22, 2022
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March 30, 2021
We would like to extend a warm welcome to Allie Dudley, our new Resident Artist in Weaving, Rugs, Thread Art, Lace, and Beading! Allie is a fiber artist and teacher who works primarily with weaving and embroidery, whose tapestries and other works have been included in several international fiber shows.
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December 3, 2020
My experience at the Folk School left my heart renewed. The mentorship program was a unique opportunity, and in a year of cancellations, it was a breath of fresh air. I applied to it because I wanted the luxury of being a student: studying history, taking an in-depth look at a few topics, and being able to weave for a month with other weavers. I am at a stage in my career where it feels best to apply to everything I am qualified for and to run with any opportunities given. I ended up falling in love with the Appalachian mountains again and learning so much about what I thought I already knew.
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September 6, 2019
Rag rug weaving embraces the folk art tradition of using everyday, readily available materials to build aesthetically beautiful, yet functional art: textiles made from the things we have, can forage, or acquire. With the craze du jour surrounding KonMari, now is a good time to think about new options for all those clothes you may be putting into the “Thank you, goodbye” pile. Rag rug weaving might be your perfect option!
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November 8, 2018
Having grown up just 12 miles down the road from Brasstown, many of Tommye Scanlin’s earliest Folk School memories date back to her youth. In the mid-1960s, she and her boyfriend would often catch a glimpse of campus on their way to the drive-in movie theater in Peachtree. Since those drive-in, drive by days, Tommye’s Folk School story has come full circle…
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October 16, 2018
In our recent letter from Folk School Director Jerry Jackson, Weavers’ Work Week was featured in Janet Davis’ story (if you missed it, read the letter online here). I thought this would be a great time to talk to Pam Howard, the Folk School’s Resident Weaver, about this special week. Weavers’ Work Week is an annual tradition at the Folk School where skilled weavers are invited to come for a week and volunteer their time to do projects around campus and make improvements in the studio. Let’s learn more from Pam…
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October 4, 2018
When Janet Davis recently volunteered for Weavers’ Work Week, it was just her second visit to campus since her beloved husband, Jim, passed away in November 2017.
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August 28, 2016
Donna Glee Williams, is a writer of fantasies for the teenager in all of us, as well as being a seminar leader, dream worker, and creative coach. She has recently published two novels and her work has been featured in anthologies, literary magazines, academic journals, spoken-word podcasts, and more. Without further ado, let’s get to know Donna Glee!
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October 23, 2014
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January 27, 2013
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January 2, 2013
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September 5, 2012
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May 12, 2010
Last week has been a wonderful exploration into weaving history for me! My dear friend and “weaving Mom,” Barbara Miller and I traveled to Berea College in Kentucky. We spent several long days looking through archives on early weaving programs at settlement schools in the Appalachian region.
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January 30, 2010
You meet the most interesting people here. Over the years, I’ve learned from and enjoyed talking to some of the world’s great characters right here in Brasstown. Shortly after I became the Director of the Folk School, I asked some of my musical and crafts friends to tell me great people we should try to get to teach at the Folk School. A trusted musical advisor, Beth Ross Johnson, said “Get the great ballad singer Norman Kennedy.” My weaving advisor (spouse Nanette) said, “Get the great weaver Norman Kennedy.” These two turned out to be the very same ponytailed Scotsman. So for the last eighteen years or so, he has made visits to Brasstown which are always memorable for us here, jazzing up weavers and spinners, slamming tweed on the table to the beat of the ancient waulking music, where the singing and the weaving come together, as the song propels the cloth sunwise around the table while all the hands of the people lift it up and slam it down and pass it on to the next waulker. In this way, the wool is preshrunk, softened, bonded and unified. The people likewise, except they are not preshrunk.
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Weaving, Rugs, Needlework & Thread Art, Lace, Beading, Quilting, Sewing, Basketry, Brooms, Chair Seats, Gourds, Leather Coordinator
Allie Dudley
Allie is a textile artist working primarily in weaving and stitching. After completing a degree in Cinema & Media Studies at the University of Chicago, they turned towards textiles, taking a historical angle, and focusing on traditional tapestries, Appalachian coverlets, and antique stitching samplers. Allie’s weavings have been included in international shows, including the Irene Davies Emerging Artist Award Finalist Exhibition at the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and they are a member of the South Arts 2021 Emerging Traditional Artists Program cohort. Allie now lives in Brasstown with their goats.
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