Join Handwoven for a Hands-on Weaving Retreat!

Deb Essen lives, weaves, and runs her business, dje handwovens, in the Bitterroot Valley, nestled in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. Deb has achieved the Certificate of Excellence in Handweaving Level 1 through the Handweaver’s Guild of America and was inducted into the Montana Circle of American Masters in Folk and Traditional Art. Her book, Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps, was re-released as a revised edition in 2022, with more projects and weave structures, by Schiffer Publishing. She has recorded five weaving videos, all available through Long Thread Media, and has written multiple feature articles for Handwoven and Little Looms magazines. Deb is passionate about teaching about the wonders of weaving and teaches across the country.

Susan E. Horton is the editor of Handwoven. She has been dabbling in the fiber arts throughout her life, including sewing, macrame, knitting, and crocheting. She knew she had found her fiber home when she started weaving more than 25 years ago. Susan is just as content weaving on a pin loom, rigid-heddle, or inkle loom, as a computer dobby multi-shaft loom. She is a weaving guild member, member of HGA, and Complex Weavers, and has taught rigid-heddle and shaft-loom weaving.

Sara Goldenberg White has been teaching weaving along the Front Range for over a decade. Her passion for weaving and teaching started during her graduate study at Colorado State University. She teaches a variety of fiber techniques but sharing her love of weaving with others is one of her greatest joys. Sara co-authored Simple Woven Garments 20+ Projects to Weave and Wear with Jane Patrick. Other projects Sara has woven can be found in The Weaver's Idea Book, Woven Scarves 26 Inspired Ideas for the Rigid Heddle Loom, Easy Weaving with Little Looms, and Handwoven. Sara has released two rigid-heddle weaving videos with Long Thread Media, and has also started creating unique and fun weaving kits that can be found at SGWTextileArt.com. Sara has a lively fine arts practice and has exhibited her work at museums and galleries throughout the country. Sara enjoys the balance of creating her own work and sharing her love of weaving in the classroom, she looks forward to seeing you there!

Sarah Neubert is a fiber artist who lives on the high plains of Northern Colorado. Her weaving practice is a search for healing and presence; through fiber, she explores the complexities of human experience and the rhythms of the natural world. She loves natural, sustainable materials and unusual textures and thinks of her work as a conversation between herself and the fiber. Sarah lives with her partner, Nick, two kids, a dog, two cats, and a gecko. When she’s not weaving, you can find her cleaning up the mess she made while weaving.

Anne Merrow learned to weave while editing a book on rigid-heddle, tablet, and inkle weaving and has been hooked on small looms ever since. She developed Little Looms magazine in 2016, and several of her designs have appeared in its pages. A spinner and knitter, she edited Spin Off magazine from 2014–2019. In 2019, she founded Long Thread Media with Linda Ligon and John Bolton and serves as Editorial Director.

Bobbie Irwin has been weaving for 50 years and teaching for guilds, conferences, shops, and craft schools since 1985 in 40 states, Canada, and Australia. A former Contributing Editor and columnist for Handwoven, she’s had dozens of articles published in textile and craft-business magazines in three countries. She is the author of four textile books, including her most recent, Weaving Iridescence. Incorporating her science background into fiber explorations, Bobbie delights in textile research and playing “what-if?” games on her looms in Montrose, Colorado. She enjoys exploring and sharing little-known and creative variations of traditional weaving techniques.

Christina Garton is the editor of Easy Weaving with Little Looms. She started her career as an educational coordinator for an agricultural museum. Christina got hooked on fiber arts after watching spinning, weaving, and sewing demonstrations and teaching numerous fiber-related kids’ classes. With her previous experience editing her college newspaper, the move to Handwoven and then Little Looms was a perfect fit.

John Mullarkey is passionate about teaching tablet weaving and exploring new ways to make the art form more contemporary. Tablet weaving is a primitive technique that creates simple weave structures but offers great variation in patterning. John loves to push tablet weaving beyond its customary limits to create original and surprising interpretations of traditional structures and designs. He is a nationally recognized teacher, valued for the patience, clarity, and organization he brings to his classes. After beginning to teach in 2009, John left a software development career to focus on weaving and teaching full-time.

Gabi van Tassell is a fiber enthusiast, maker, teacher, designer, and writer. After a few decades in corporate research, high-tech product development, and homeschooling three children, she now dedicates her time to small-loom weaving. Exploring new pin loom shapes is her current interest. Gabi developed and made the patented TURTLE hexagon pin looms and other small looms to go along. She enjoys introducing crafters to this world of new possibilities with extensive instructions, practical inspiration, and numerous project suggestions. Gabi’s home base is in the Texas Hill Country, where she lives with her husband and an always-evolving collection of rescue pets.

Kate Larson (she/her) is the editor of Spin Off and loves using fiber arts as a bridge between her passions for art and agriculture. She keeps a flock of Border Leicester sheep and teaches handspinning and knitting throughout the United States. Kate is the author of The Practical Spinner's Guide: Wool (Interweave, 2015), many articles and patterns, and several videos, including How to Spin on a Charkha (Long Thread Media, 2022).

Angela Schneider is both a techie and an artist—but above all, she’s a teacher. As Long Thread Media’s project editor, she checks and double-checks project instructions in an impressive range of fiber arts. Her designs have regularly appeared in Handwoven and Little Looms magazines, and she has created everything from delicate jewelry to massive weaving installations in public spaces. With a background balancing programming, engineering, and art, plus a Master Spinner Certificate from Olds College, she relishes getting down in the details to understand a textile. One of her greatest joys is teaching and watching someone’s eyes light up with understanding.

The Yarn Barn of Kansas has been supplying Knitters, Weavers, Spinners, and all fiber crafters and artists with yarn, patterns, equipment, and accessories since 1971. Whether you are around the corner from us in downtown Lawrence Kansas, or around the country, the Yarn Barn truly is your "local yarn store" with an experienced staff to answer all your questions. Call us today at 800-468-0035 or visit our website at www.yarnbarn-ks.com to shop, learn, and explore.

Treenway Silks is where spinners find the silk they love. Select from the largest variety of silk spinning fibers, silk yarn, and silk threads & ribbons at www.TreenwaySilks.com. You'll discover a rainbow of colors, thoughtfully hand-dyed in Colorado. Love natural? Treenway's array of wild silks provide choices beyond white. If you love silk, you'll love Treenway Silks where superior quality and customer service are guaranteed.

Bluebonnet Crafters, LLC, is the home of “Pin Looms ‘n Things” ™, including the patented hexagon and patent pending jewel shaped TURTLE pin looms.

Owner Gabi van Tassell offers a variety of comfortable-to-work-with pin looms for all levels of expertise, with plenty of pattern ideas and project support, along with little loom weaving essentials like replacement needles, a variety of weaving tools, and little looms related magazines and patterns.

Visit turtleloom.com for news and project ideas.

Long Thread Media serves content for the handspinning, handweaving, and traditional needlework communities online, in person, and in print. The company was founded by Linda Ligon, Anne Merrow, and John Bolton to publish Handwoven, Little Looms, PieceWork, and Spin Off, as well as offer information, education, and community to crafters in those fields. Learn more.