Tapestry Techniques & Uses with Rebecca Mezoff (MAY 1–5)
*OPTIONAL BOARDING HOUSE ROOM RESERVATION (THIS HOLDS YOUR SPOT, ROOM FEES + TAX DUE AT THE END OF YOUR STAY)
MAY 1-5 (MON - FRI., 9 AM–4 PM)
Learn to think like a tapestry weaver! Join renowned tapestry instructor Rebecca Mezoff to explore a wide range of tapestry techniques. You’ll have the opportunity to practice each one as well as play with how to use these techniques in your tapestries. Depicting forms, color, and visual effects in a gridded medium takes some skill and a few visual tricks. Rebecca shows you how to seamlessly translate tapestry techniques into design ideas. For those students newer to tapestry weaving, you’ll be provided with exercises to explore the intersection between technique and design. For more advanced students, you’ll be encouraged to take your own designs and play with how best to use techniques to achieve your expressive goals. As a class, you’ll learn from each other’s work and also look at some examples of contemporary tapestry for inspiration!
Skill Level: Advanced beginner to intermediate tapestry weavers. Students must come to class with a warped tapestry loom. Please see below for a complete list of supplies.
Materials needed:
- Mirrix-type looms suggested for this workshop.
- Warped tapestry loom. A table-top loom works well but any sort of loom you’re used to weaving tapestry on is probably fine. Please contact Rebecca with questions. Recommended warp is cotton seine twine appropriate for your sett. For advanced beginners, I recommend a sett of 8 epi warped at 6-12 inches wide with 12/6 or 12/9 cotton seine twine.
- Weaving tools (tapestry bobbins, tapestry fork, scissors, tapestry needle, measuring tape or ruler)
- Notebook for notes and whatever you might like to use for designing. Blank paper and a few colored pencils are sufficient.
Single Rooms, $70 Per Night
Please note, the boarding house is for class participants only.
With spectacular views of town from its third-story perch, our boarding house offers bright, airy accommodations just a few minutes’ walk from the studio, shop, and general store with cafe. Year after year, returning students remark upon the peaceful camaraderie they enjoy winding down after class in the spacious common areas, and the fun conviviality of cooking family-style dinners in the kitchen. In addition to a living room, dining area, and full kitchen, the boarding house has six bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
Built in 1853, Cheshire Mills Boarding House provided lodging for workers at the mill for over 100 years. Today, Harrisville Designs is dedicated to maintaining an economical nightly rate to help ensure the cost of lodging is affordable during workshops and classes throughout the season.
Harrisville Designs is happy to provide towels, sheets, and pillowcases for an extra $20 per stay (please order ahead). However, students are more than welcome to bring their own linens. Pillows and blankets are provided. Reservations can be made while signing up for class. We do apologize, it’s an old building. There is no elevator and two flights of stairs. Please pack accordingly.
Alternative Housing & Dining
Harrisville is a small village (pop. 1200) with a post office and general store/cafe across the street from the studio and Boarding House. Harrisville is a short drive from Peterborough (15 minutes away) and Keene (20-25 minutes away); both offer a nice variety of hotels, shops, and restaurants.
Additional accommodations in Harrisville are available at Aldworth Manor and the Harrisville Inn. Peterborough accommodations are available at Cranberry Meadow Farm, the Jack Daniels Motor Inn, and the Little River Bed and Breakfast. Options in Keene include the Carriage Barn Inn, the Best Western Plus, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, the Holiday Inn Express, the Courtyard by Marriott, and Days Inn. We also suggest searching Airbnb and Vrbo.
Location
About Our Workshops
Nestled in the heart of a historic textile village, workshops at Harrisville Designs take place in the Bethuel Harris Mill. Built in the 1830s as a spinning mill for locally raised wool and located at the end of the canal, it originally operated on water power. Today, it’s home to our first-floor retail store and spacious second-floor workshop studio. Year after year students are greeted by sunlit windows, fresh air, and tranquil views of the mill pond and preserved industrial brick buildings.
Workshops vary in skill levels and lengths. Enrollment is limited to ensure each student is immersed in the atmosphere of a working studio rather than a classroom. Most scheduled classes meet from 9 am to 4 pm; however, the studio is open to students 24 hours a day while their class is in session. Looms are provided in the weaving classes, and woolen yarn and other materials are included in the tuition, unless otherwise noted in the materials lists online. While taking a class, students receive a 10% discount on all items in our store, including looms! (Excludes sale and consignment items)
Withdrawal/Refund Policy
Please note our 2023 cancellation and refund policy includes a non-refundable $100.00 registration fee per workshop. In the case must withdraw, you have 8 weeks prior to class for a full tuition refund, less the registration fee. After this date all payments are non-refundable, no exceptions. Thank you for your understanding!
COVID-19 Protocols
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we reserve the right to cancel a class at any time for safety reasons. We strongly encourage all teachers and students are up-to-date on all CDC recommended COVID-19 vaccines and boosters, as eligible. Masks may be required at teacher discretion. Policy subject to change.
Have a question about a HD workshop or class order? Call 603-827-3996.