Working Weavers Studio Trail

The best place to see a weaver's work is often her or his own studio. Seven nationally-known weavers in western Massachusetts will open their studios to the public for the first time. Studio visitors will gain insight into the meticulous, thread-by-thread process of creating cloth. They’ll come to know the skill and commitment that is at the heart of handwoven cloth, and will experience first-hand the ambiance of the modern weaving studio, filled with color, texture, and movement. Visitors can share the excitement as new cloth rolls off looms and can take the opportunity to touch, ask questions about and purchase a range of items that include scarves, shawls, pillows, table linens, kitchen towels, and more. Cloth surrounds us – from the clothes we wear to the upholstery on our furniture, and from towels and bedding to rugs, awnings, and umbrellas. Yet because it is massproduced in distant factories this cloth has become virtually invisible to most of us. Contemporary weavers work to reverse that trend, seeking to make cloth, and the specialized tools and hand skills used to create it, visible again. In the process they make cloth that is typically distinctive, original and infused with the energy of makers.
Such cloth is prized by collectors and others who enjoy both the high quality and the unique, organic character of finely-made handwoven cloth. Weaving in a wide variety of styles, and demonstrating a multiplicity of goals and approaches.