WGGB Weaving Ratings Program

Journeyman Weaver Requirements

Master Weaver Requirements

Objective

The Weaving Ratings Program is designed to give members a structured study guide and to set standards by which they can measure their progress as weaver and craftsman.

Program

There shall be three ratings: Apprentice, Journeyman and Master. The requirements for each rating must be met before a candidate may advance to the next rating. The Apprentice and Journeyman ratings may be taken in the same year, but the Master rating must be done in another year. Work submitted for one rating may not be submitted for a subsequent rating. If, however, all of a candidate's entries for one rating are not accepted by the judges, those pieces that are accepted may be resubmitted along with new pieces for another try at that rating. Computer work may not be submitted. Draw-down work must be done by hand. All work for the ratings must be done independently; samples from workshops or classes are not acceptable. Guidelines for judging are: mastery of technique, suitability of fiber to the technique, effectiveness of color, good design, skill in finishing, selvedges, even beating, and completeness of work. The final authority will be The Primary Structure of Fabrics by Irene Emery.

Organization

The President of the Guild shall appoint a Ratings Program Chairman, who will select a committee. Their duties shall be as follows:

  1. To set the schedule for submission of articles and judging
  2. To select judges with the approval of the majority of the Board
  3. To see that the items submitted meet the stated specifications, are correctly marked and are forwarded to the judges. Judging shall take place once a year with recognition being made at the May meeting.

 

Schedule

Each year applications for participation in the program will be accepted by the Ratings Chairman until the September Guild meeting. The application fee is $20.00 per rating. This fee is nonrefundable. The first Guild meeting in October will be the deadline for submitting work so that the judging can take place in October/November. Certificates will be awarded at the May meeting.

Presentation of Written Work and Woven Articles

  1. All written work must be placed in a notebook, neatly typed or written in ink. A Table of Contents and an inventory of all woven work is to be included. At the beginning of the notebook, the candidate must explain the draft conventions and state the type(s) of loom being used.
  2. Each candidate will be given a number which is to be used on the notebook and on the tag attached to each sample or article.
  3. No names are to appear on the work.
  4. Notebook pages and article tags are to be labeled to correspond to the number and/or letter of the requirement.
  5. Contact the Ratings Chairman for information to be included on the record sheet for each sample. The Ratings Chairman will also provide a list of definitions.
  6. All woven samples must be at least 7"x11" unless specified, and must be properly finished. Larger articles are acceptable if two selvedges are visible.
  7. All visible stitching must be done by hand.
  8. There must be no knots in either warp or weft.
  9. Pillows are to be left unstuffed, zippers are not required.
  10. Wall hangings must include their hanging device.
  11. Where disagreement in definitions occur, choose a source and provide a rationale for using this source.
  12. Draw-downs and drafts are to be done on graph paper (8 or 10 squares to the inch). Drafts are to be written in ink and draw-downs should be completed using colored pencils.
 

Apprentice Weaver Requirements

Samples for the Apprentice Weaver Rating cannot be used to fulfill more than one requirement. A total of 12 woven samples should be submitted.
  1. Written: To be written at home and submitted with the woven work to the Ratings Chairman by the first Guild meeting in October.
    1. Showing your work, determine the weight of yarn required to weave on your loom 2 yards of 2/2 twill fabric set at 15 epi using yarn that has 2100 yds/lb. The fabric should measure 36" wide. Assume shrinkage will be 15%.
    2. Choose a pattern suitable for 2 colors. Make a draw-down indicating color in both the threading and treadling.
    3. Make a draw-down of plain weave,twill and two structural variations or derivatives of each, not a color and weave effect.
    4. Name the four principle natural fibers, and describe their characteristics and uses.
    5. Describe the procedure for determining the approximate sett for balanced plain weave, balanced twill and satin.
    6. List a suitable size yarn and the sett for:
      1. *Light weight silk dress
      2. Wool skirt fabric
      3. Upholstery fabric
      4. Fine linen
      5. Rug
    7. Define in sentence form: hue, value, chroma, primary color, secondary color and tertiary color.*
  2. Color Wheel: Present a 12 hue color wheel of your own making using yarn or fabric. Explain why this requirement is useful to a weaver and how you would use a color wheel in your work. Base your wheel on the red, blue and yellow system.
  3. Woven Samples: Submit 1 well woven sample or article using each warp listed below. Stress even beating, even selvedges, proper finishing, pleasing effect and function.
    1. Wool threaded to twill
    2. Cotton threaded to overshot, pattern weft may be wool. Include a draw-down.
    3. Linen threaded in your own choice of pattern
    4. Any fiber using color as the primary design element
    5. Any threading in which structure is the primary design element
  4. Woven and Finished Samples: Using Harrisville Shetland or another yarn which has 2000 yards/lb, prepare a 15 inch wide warp with sufficient length to weave the following samples. Thread straight draw. Sley one sample at 8 epi, weave 6 inches plain weave and 6 inches twill. Resley at 12 epi, weave 6 inches plain weave and 6 inches twill. Resley at 16 epi, weave 6 inches plain weave and 6 inches twill. Finish fabric by a 4 minute machine washing with a gentle cycle, warm water and mild soap. Line dry and press. Evaluate your samples in relationship to possible uses. This equals 6 samples.
  5. Submit a 1 yard length of a balanced plain weave in the fiber and width of your choice. Stress even beating, even selvedges and proper finishing.
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Journeyman Weaver Requirements

  1. Written: To be written at home and submitted with the woven samples or articles to the Ratings Chairman.
    1. Name and describe 3 basic classes of weaves.
    2. Name and describe 4 different structures of block weaves.
    3. Draw a profile draft for 8 harnesses. Develop into a long threading draft.
    4. Name and describe the functional differences of 3 major types of floor looms.
    5. *Present a short explanation of the following color harmonies: monochromatic, analogous, complementary, split complementary and triad.
    6. Name and describe at least 5 different basic elements of design.
  2. Woven Samples: Any sample or article in this section may be submitted under more than one requirement number if it satisfies all requirements for that number. Each requirement must have its own record sheet and the record sheet and the inventory must clearly state which requirements are being satisfied. (Example: 2a could also satisfy 2d3)
    1. Submit a 2 yard length of wool fabric with a recommended finished width of 26" to 28".
    2. Submit a pair of identical linen articles with a minimum size of 12"x12".
    3. Design and weave one article with a loom controlled pattern border all around, using the same pattern on all four sides.
    4. Submit one sample or article in each of any 9 of the following weaves; four are to be woven on more than four harnesses.
      1. Warp faced - no weft showing
      2. Weft faced - no warp showing
      3. Point twill or extended point twill
      4. Bronson-lace or spot
      5. Summer and Winter
      6. Crackle
      7. Honeycomb
      8. M's and O's
      9. Shadow
      10. Damask or false damask
      11. Huck or huck lace
      12. Beiderwand
      13. Weaver controlled lace weaves (show at least 2)
      14. Embroidery weaves such as laid in, brocade, loopweave (show at least 2).
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Master Weaver Requirements

  1. Written: To be written at home and submitted with the woven samples or articles to the Ratings Chairman.
    1. Describe inkle weaving, card weaving, sprang, twining, netting and plaiting.
    2. Select a well known weaver and describe his/her work and the significance of his/her contribution to the craft of handweaving.
    3. Analyze a piece of commercial fabric (selected by the Ratings Program Chairman), give threading, treadling, and tie-up. Also make a draw-down.
  2. *Color Interaction: Using any medium, give examples of how colors affect each other.
    1. Value Change: Place a square of medium value on a very light value background and another square of the same color on a very dark background, using one hue. Compare and explain what happens visually to each square against each background.
    2. Take a square of a secondary color and place it on three different primary backgrounds. Explain what happens to the color of the secondary in terms of brighter, duller, lighter, darker, warmer and cooler.
  3. Color and Weave Effects:
    1. Define color and weave effects.
    2. Weave a sample gamp showing patterns based on interlacement of dark and light warp and weft (e.g. log cabin, check, houndstooth, etc.). Thread five variations side by side, a minimum of 4 inches each. Weave as drawn in, squaring each pattern. Give complete color and weave draft for one of the treadlings, showing the effect on all threadings.
  4. Design and weave samples of 6 original textiles using a different size yarn for each sample. Three of these samples are to be woven on more than four harnesses. The six samples are to be chosen from the following:
    1. All cotton
    2. All wool
    3. All silk
    4. All singles yarn
    5. All plied yarn
    6. Novelty yarn
    7. All synthetic yarn
    8. A combination of yarns
  5. Special Techniques: Design and weave on 4 harnesses a rug of at least 6 square feet using a proper rug finishing technique. Show at least three of the following techniques: pick and pick, meet and separate, cross stripes, spots, soumak and loops based on Ghiordes knots.
  6. Multiple Layers: design and weave fabric for 3 articles using:
    1. Double width fabric in wool, any color or texture. Finished width should be at least 40 inches wide by 1 yard in length.
    2. A pick-up technique
    3. Loom controlled stitched double cloth (layers attached at regular intervals)
  7. Tapestry: Design and weave a flat woven tapestry in wool on a linen warp. The design is to be developed using curves, diagonals, hatching and straight lines (the latter producing slits to be properly closed when necessary). Minimum size is 144 square inches. The tapestry is to be submitted with its cartoon or design.
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*Indicates that this requirement is also a requirement for the HGA Certificate of Excellence.

To register for the program or to get more information, please contact Jane Daniels.

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This site last updated September 10, 2006
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