Guest Post - Tanya

From time to time I offer students a chance to write a guest post.  Tanya took me up on my offer to share her experience with the Olds program:

“What could I possibly tell people about the Olds Master Weaver Level 1 class that is not already outlined very clearly in the course materials?” This question has been on my mind since Laura so kindly offered me space in her blog to write about my experience.  I could write about how amazing it was to learn from LAURA FRY!   I could tell people about how the homework is exactly as simple as is outlined in the manual and how long it took me to complete (84 hours if anyone is interested).  It would be fun to tell all the things I did wrong and how I fell in love with a new to me edge finish (double twining).  I could probably write a book about all the things I learned.  The longer I thought about it (over a month)  the more I realized that what I really wanted to talk about  was the way my learning happened both in class and in the homework.

 I am a teacher by vocation and by inclination - I teach elementary music, continuing education weaving classes, piano lessons and children’s church classes.  I am also the oldest daughter in a family of four.  You can imagine the incredible potential for not only bossiness but “stick your nose into everyone’s business” edness that those statements imply. On the very first day of class I said to myself “You have spent 800.00 and driven 650 miles to learn from LAURA FRY - not to teach, not to expound your opinions, not to show off what you know - to learn from LAURA FRY!”  That became my mantra.  Don’t get me wrong, I helped when I was asked and participated where I should but I really, really tried hard to be a learner and get whatever information I could from the expert in the room.  When Laura presented her way to wind the warp I tried it.  When she demonstrated craziness with holding 4 threads and threading heddles with a hook - tried it.  

When she only tied one choke tie on the warp  and I figured there was no way in the seven levels of Hades that that would end in anything but disaster - yep, I tried it.  Some things she taught came easy, some shocked me in their simplicity, many were physically awkward and many times I had to remind myself of why I was there - to learn from LAURA FRY!  I was not always successful (there was the disaster when someone asked about overshot and I explained it exactly backwards) but at the end of the week I was full to the brim with things I had learned from LAURA FRY!

I began the homework within days of getting home. As I read through the assignments I made some deliberate choices about what I was interested in learning.  A classmate had stated he didn’t think the homework could possibly take 100 hours - I decided to keep track.  Laura explained over and over that her processes were developed in the context of becoming as efficient as possible “micro seconds people”.  I wanted to know if switching from my method of dressing the loom to hers would cut down on my time so not only did I write down my own process for the assignment, I timed it.  I then warped the loom as close to her way as I could and timed it.

I used color in the swatch assignment because I was interested to see what happened.  I researched end finishes from tapestry weaving books to see if there was something beyond hem stitch and plied fringe.  For my final project I based the plaid I used on the winter coat a second grader wore at Christmas. 

 I molded each assignment to not only complete the requirements but to learn what I wanted to learn from it.  As I boxed it all up to send off I felt like I had had a rich learning experience tailored to my own interests.

The Master Weaver Level 1 class has elevated my weaving process to a very different level. No longer do I see myself as a person who weaves but rather as a learner who is immersed in the craft of weaving.  Thanks Laura!"

While emailing back and forth with Tanya over her post I asked if I could include the numbers she sent re: time spent dressing the loom.  She said yes, but that her efficiency continues to improve so she is even faster now than when she did the original time study.

She used exactly the same parameters for her study a warp of 58 ends, same materials, same length.

Previous method:  124 minutes

New method:  95 minutes

Efficiency is not to be fast as you can, just to be the fastest person around, but to be more productive and get to the 'fun' part - the weaving - with less stress to the body.  

Everyone has to find the best practice for themselves because change one thing and everything can change.