ReWeaving Hope Workshop with Took Storm

Class Details:

Tapestry symbolism has been seen throughout cultures around the world, and with good reason. The act of warping and weaving on a loom can be an act full of personal significance.

At the ReWeaving Hope Workshop, Took Storm, a genderqueer, disabled weaver who draws weaving inspiration from having pieced the scraps of their life back together, guides participants through the process of selecting yarn for their tapestry as ways of mapping where they’ve been, where they’re going, and the path that they’re taking to get there.

Participants are encouraged to reflect on what yarn feels like where they’ve been, what colors and textures feel like where they’re from, and what yarn that feels like hope, safety, security, and where they’re going.

During warping, participants are reminded that these threads are where they’ve been, the building blocks of what’s brought them to their life now, but that it’s not their only path. They’re putting them down, and growing and weaving their own path beyond them.

During weaving participants are asked, where are you going? Who are you with? What paths and trials are you going to take to get there? How will it feel, how does it feel to be safe? To be loved? To be secure?

At the end participants walk away with a personalized tapestry map of where they’ve been, where they’re going, and a feeling of accomplishment at how far they’ve come.

Yarn will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring yarn that has a personal meaning to them. Participants are also encouraged to wear comfortable clothes and to bring their own yarn, compression gloves, and finger splints. Be prepared for repetitive motion with the fingers.

Artist Bio:

Took Storm is a genderqueer weaver who draws inspiration from nature, his found family, and the twisty turns of life that led them to weaving. Said twisty turns include the late discovery of a disabling genetic collagen disorder, and piecing the scraps of his life back together with the support of his found family. Took is aided in his weaving by Penelope Calico, and Hades Himbo, who serve as medical alert and emotional support cats (Penelope will calico-complain if Took’s heartrate or breathing gets wonky, while Hades will slowly insert his massive Maine Coon-mix bulk between Took and the loom when Took needs to take a break). These two are jokingly referred to as the HR and OSHA of Hawksong Weaving.

Took works exclusively with thrift store or secondhand yarn (no, not taking apart sweaters or blankets, just utilizing the odd balls of yarn that get donated or gifted) in a way that allows tattered and worn yarn to shine. This process serves to remind himself and others that just because you’ve been worn down by life and pierced back together a few times, doesn’t mean you don’t have value, and that it’s okay to be gentle with yourself while piecing things back together. Took enjoys teaching the adaptive weaving methods he works with, creating weaving content on Youtube and Tiktok, and weaving commission memorial scarves and blankets for family members of fiber artists who have passed on.

Note: Participants will be added to the Mill District Local Art Gallery email list. You are welcome to unsubscribe at any time.

Note: Photos and video images will be captured during the event. Please tell Local Art Gallery staff working the event if you do not wish to have your image included. Thank you.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Mill District Local Art Gallery, 91 Cowls Road, Amherst, United States