If you’ve ever wanted to create
beautiful work without needing a lot of shafts...
(or if you have a rigid heddle loom!)
Join us in
Discover Gradients!
a new FREE weave-along
Explore woven gradients, a simple way to make gorgeous work on just two shafts, with just two warp colors
August 13-September 3
Learn from Tien and Michele, two award-winning weavers who have taught over 20,000 weavers through their online and in-person classes.
I can’t remember ever having an instructor so responsive to the needs of the students. I have loved every minute of the weave-alongs and now have more ideas for designs than I know what to do with. What a gift!
- Linda Hayes
Learn to create three different kinds of gradient designs...
Linear gradients
Smooth color
changes
Curved gradients
Create the illusion
of depth
Fibonacci gradients
Bold, pleasing
stripes
We created this online weaving celebration for you to learn,
Enjoy yourself, and have FUN!
Here’s what you’ll walk away with after our three weeks together in Discover Gradients…
KNOWLEDGE
You’ll understand how to choose color gradients - how to keep your colors bright and avoid the dreaded MUDDY COLORS.
You’ll learn to design color gradients - how to get a dramatic or smoothly blended color pattern
You’ll discover the secrets to winding and beaming complex warp stripes - whether you warp front to back, back to front, or direct warp on a rigid heddle loom!
You’ll become a maestro at troubleshooting weft colors when something goes wrong at the loom!
COMPLETED PROJECT
Design and weave four beautiful, coordinating 13” x 13” napkins
Choose from NINE different warp gradient patterns - we give you LOTS of choices!
All designs are plain weave, so you can weave them on any type of loom - including rigid heddle looms!
We’ve kept yarn needs to a minimum - just 4 oz each of 4 colors, in your choice of 10/2, 8/2, OR 3/2 cotton - totally up to you!
INSPIRATION
Join a supportive community with lots of creative, enthusiastic, and like-minded weavers!
Find inspiration in the work of other participants, get your questions answered, enjoy “water-cooler conversation” with other weavers.
Many participants feel the interaction with other weavers is one of the best parts of the weave-along!
We promise to be your first line of support and provide you with the necessary tools to design your own beautiful color-gradient napkins Because let's face it… gradients are flat-out gorgeous!
Meet Your Party Hosts
AKA Your Weave-Along Teachers!
Hi! I’m Tien Chiu,
and I'm obsessed with color in weaving. I've dyed over 2,500 yarn samples, woven hundreds of handwoven swatches, and spent countless hours poring over color theory and weaving structure books in my quest to understand color in weaving.
And I've succeeded at it. I've won countless awards for my work, my handwoven wedding dress is in the permanent collection of The Henry Ford Museum, and my Kodachrome Jacket was featured on the cover of Handwoven as one of the winners of the Garment Challenge. I've written almost thirty articles for Handwoven, Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot, Complex Weavers Journal, and WeaveZine.
I've taught nearly 20,000 weavers in my online classes, and I'm looking forward to teaching YOU how to create beauty with color gradients!
I have looked forward to every lesson, every online presentation and question and answer session. I have learned so much! Tien is an amazing teacher and mentor. Her class is so well written, so well organized, and so challenging! I have never experienced anything quite like it.
Every weaver should be so lucky as to study under Tien.
- Nancy Bayless Piepenbring
And I’m Michele Belson,
As a weaving teacher and a founder/co-owner of Lunatic Fringe Yarns, I’ve helped thousands of weavers with their challenges since the early 90’s. I’m intimately familiar with the pitfalls and solutions to a ton of weaving issues.
I’ve taught classes in warping, color theory, pattern drafting, and rigid heddle weaving all over the country, from Florida to California. I’ve written articles for Weaver’s, Handwoven, Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot, WeaveZine, and Heddlecraft.
I’m passionate about teaching, and supporting every one of my students on their creative journey - whether beginners or experienced weavers, whether they weave on rigid heddle looms or 32+ shaft computer-driven dobby looms.
Michele Belson’s weaving powers are legendary!
When I began weaving I gathered every book on the subject I could find (both old and new) and sought out the best teacher I could find. Michele Belson came highly recommended, and I quickly learned why…
In spite of her impressive depth of knowledge and experience, she never went over my head. She patiently walked me through the basics with easy-to-remember tips and best practices, somehow always seeing where I was going wrong even when dealing with jumbles of tiny threads. I’d recommend her to anyone who wants to take their weaving to the next level.
-Adam Morrissey
The Discover Gradients Weave-Along Is Perfect For You If…
-You know the beauty that gradients bring to projects, and want to learn the fundamentals of it for yourself!
- You’ve attempted working with stripes in the past...with so-so results
- You’re unsure how to use color effectively and are excited to learn from, and pick the combined brains of, two expert weavers and teachers
If you have a loom with two shafts or more, with a weaving width of at least 15”...
(this includes rigid heddle weavers - you’re all welcome!)
...and have ever wanted to learn how to make beautiful gradients
This free weave-along is for you!
Here’s How Our Three Weeks Will Unfold Together:
Week Zero: (Upon Joining):
Discover how to pick colors to create beautiful gradients
Learn how to choose colors that won’t mix into mud (NO MORE SURPRISES!)
Order yarns for the project (or use your own - it’s entirely up to you!)
Week One (August 13-19):
Check out a gallery of three different types of color gradients - curved, linear, and Fibonacci.
Learn how to design the type of gradient YOU want, using the two most important aspects of color: Hue and value.
Pick one of the nine draft options we offer.
Design your own color gradient warp!
Week Two (August 20-26):
Master the art of choosing the PERFECT weft color for your gradient warp.
Learn how to wind and beam a warp with complex color stripes - whether you’re working on a rigid heddle loom or a shaft loom. Learn to direct warp, warp front to back, AND back to front!
Wind your gorgeous color gradient warp and put it onto the loom!
Week 3 (August 27-September 3):
Explore the ins and outs of sampling for color
Design your weft stripes
Troubleshooting tips galore - learn to revamp disappointing gradient projects into GORGEOUS ones!
Get tips for wet-finishing and hemming your project
Weave, finish, and admire your napkins!
“Awesome material and information, Tien! Your explanations are very good and I know I’ll be coming back to use the information hundreds of times. Have enjoyed your teaching style and praise you for your patience with millions of questions from us.”
- Brenda Kellar
Three-week Weave-along
August 13-September 3
Frequently asked questions
The lessons for the week are released on Friday mornings and can be accessed whenever you like.
The 90-minute Live Lectures take place via Zoom on Sundays, from noon-1:30pm Pacific Time, and the 90-minute Live Q&A sessions take place via Zoom on Wednesdays, from 4pm-5:30pm Pacific Time.
ALL SESSIONS ARE RECORDED AND PLACED IN THE ONLINE CLASSROOM for those who can’t attend, so if you are unable to attend, you can watch them later at your leisure. We include closed-captioning and full transcripts for all live sessions.
No! The Weave-Along is completely free during the three weeks of the Weave-Along plus the week of extended access afterwards.
Free access lasts for four weeks, from August 13 through September 10.
We pay a monthly per-student hosting fee, so we can’t afford to offer lifetime free access, but after September 10 you’ll have the option of purchasing inexpensive lifetime access.
You should be able to read a weaving draft, wind a warp and dress your loom, including threading and tying up the treadles, wind bobbins, and start, join, and end weft yarns. And weave, of course!
A table/floor loom with 2 or more shafts, or a rigid heddle loom, with a weaving width of at least 15 inches. If you are using other types of looms, you are welcome to join, but we won’t be talking about your kind of loom in the lessons or webinars.
YES! Yes, you can, and rigid heddle weavers are very welcome!
Nope! You can weave anything you like (or nothing at all). The lessons are geared towards designing and weaving the napkins, but you’ll learn a lot even if you don’t.
So feel free to join us just for the lessons, or to cheer everyone else on! We’ll be delighted to have you, however you choose to participate.
We’ll have designs and instructions for 10/2, 8/2, and 3/2 cotton yarns. Whichever weight you choose, you’ll need 4 oz each of at least 4 different colors (instructions for picking colors will be given when you register). Kits will be available for purchase, OR you are welcome to choose your own colors/weave from your stash - it’s totally up to you!
If you want to use different yarns, that’s fine, but if the yarns are a substantially different size, you’ll wind up with napkins that are bigger or smaller than the specified 13” x 13” napkin, and may need a wider loom. You’ll also be “off-roading” - we won’t be discussing your yarn or answering questions about yarns other than 10/2, 8/2, or 3/2 cotton in the lessons or webinars.
Nope! All you need to access the online classroom and design your scarf is a web browser. That’s it. No weaving software is needed.
If you want to ask questions “live” at the webinars, you’ll need to install and run the free Zoom app, but you can do that on practically any mobile device or computer. If you don’t want to ask questions “live,” you can watch the webinars in your web browser.
Yes! None of the critical Weave-Along elements are on Facebook - the course materials, Live Lectures, and Q&A sessions are on a different platform, and we also have an in-course community as a Facebook alternative. Our Facebook group is extremely active and a great place to hang out - sharing your trials and triumphs with other weavers is half the fun, after all! - but you can do that in the in-course community as well.
No complicated, shaft-hungry drafts here - just gorgeous color gradients and knowledge to help you complete an enjoyable, inspiring project!
We can’t wait to see you inside the weave-along!
Yours in weaving,
