Look at these Hats….Sheila O’Hara’s 'Tropical Fishing Hat' Maxi Class

Sheila O’Hara is our Keynote Speaker for Northern Wefts 2011. She comes from Lower Lake, California which is located north of San Francisco and pretty close to Chico California where the AVL looms are made. Maybe this explains her great interest in AVL and Jacquard weaving.

The keynote address 'Strands of Time' will take place at 7:30 pm on June 24, 2011 at Finlandia University in Hancock Michigan; See the Midwest Weavers website for more details about her speech.

At the conference Northern Wefts 2011 June 23-25 2011 Sheila will be teaching a 3 day preconference Workshop June 20-23 ‘Multiple Warp Weaving Eight-Shaft Scarf'. On June 25, 2011 she will be teaching a Maxi class ‘Tropical Hats’ , and on June 26, 2011 a Mini class ‘Hand Jacquard Weaving’. A class about the new computer age technology in weaving. This session will cover the exciting new ideas and designs that are being developed by contemporary textile artists.

There will also be a Reception for her ‘Strands of Time’ Exhibit between 4- 5 pm on Thursday June 24 at the Copper Country Community Arts Center on Quincy Street in Hancock. This is a short walking distance form Finlandia's Dorm.

The newest addition to Sheila's studio is a second hand AVL jacquard loom with 672 hooks. Her interest in Jacquard weaving is evident in her Art. I have been told Jacquard weaving is very popular on college campuses at this time. See my post about Jacquard weaving at Finlandia University back in June 2010.

Then yesterday I received these photos for Sheila’s Maxi Class MX504 ‘Tropical Fishing Hats’ which is offered on Friday June 24, 2011 at Northern Wefts weaving conference in Hancock Michigan. I wish I had seen these photos before our registration booklet went to press. I thought we needed to add Fishing to her ‘Tropical Hat’ title to make it fit into the north woods theme as I was thinking of the hats we made out of newspaper when we were kids. These are not fishing hats at all, they are elegant fashion hats.

If you want to relax and have some fun at Northern Wefts this is the class for you. You will learn Plaiting with mini blinds, palm fronds (note: you will not find any of those up here on Lake Superior) or anything that is stiff yet pliable.

Join in the fun and create a hat for yourself and learn how to Plait with Sheila in June 2011.

MX504 Tropical Fishing Hats Friday June 24, 2011 Northern Wefts Midwest Weavers conference at Finlandia University in Hancock Michigan.