In the midst crazy workdays, do you ever miss school, college, or class? It’s ironic how I would count down the seconds on the clock until class was over and now I miss learning something new everyday. I was in a huge creative rut and didn’t really know how to solve it- enter weaving.
This past Sunday I had that “ah-ha!” moment (FINALLY) after taking my first weaving class at Makers Mess with Kellee Creative. If you’ve yet to get your hands on a loom + yarn- you will definitely be headed towards the craft store after you read this post!
Working with my hands is one of my favorite things to do! Painting, building things- you name it and I’ve probably tried it. Except for one thing- weaving. You may be inclined to scoff, but it’s a beautiful art that is hard, way harder and more time consuming that you could ever think. I mean- it took us FOUR hours just to make one small weaving. I can’t imagine the time it takes to make a larger piece (eeek!)
BEGINNINGS
What captured me immediately (besides Kellee’s AMAZING blue hair!) was her good-natured energy and wealth of knowledge about her craft. She taught us SO well and was really honest with each and every one of us about the world of weaving.
“I’ve been weaving for several years and officially teaching for one year now,” she mentioned, “I love seeing how everyone learns the same techniques during the class, but each weaving is completely unique and reflects each individuals personality.”
After we sat down with wine + snacks in hand, she wasted no time briefing us on our tools and materials, explaining what each unique piece was for. My favorite? The gold glitter fork- it became the most essential tool to make my weaving. You’ll just have to take the class to figure out why ?
We used everyday items that we could easily pick up locally to create our looms so that we could continue to better our new weaving skills after the class and Kellee was extremely patient + helpful throughout every step of the way. She encouraged us to video the most complex of weaving techniques so we could “watch” her each time we tried to make our own piece after the class.
For me- these four hours of using my fingers to weave a patterns, shapes and even learn that there really are special weaving techniques with some really rad names (like the soumak) helped me dig myself out of a creative rut. There was that sensation of learning something new and actually getting somewhere!
COMMUNITY
Not only that, but the women at my table all helped each other. That was the epiphany: Yes, Kellee taught the class and gave us the tools + info, but we all helped each other throughout the class and I have two new friends who I plan to grab coffee with sometime! I’m already stalking Kellee’s schedule to see when I can take the next class and learn even more from her! With creativity, came community.
Now that I know the difference between fringe and tassels (Yes, they’re definitely different) I’m proud of my little weaving and have already hit the craft store to stock up on yarn. Experiencing these classes are sometimes just what we need to jump start our creativity and give us that refresh we desperately needed. Whether you’re just looking to be busy with your hands or curate the perfect weaving to post on your Instagram (guilty)- I highly suggest taking weaving out for a spin! ?
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About Kellee Creative
Kellee Creative is a weaving and tapestry company based in Los Angeles. Each one-of-a-kind piece is handmade in her home studio in Silver Lake. In addition to creating, a passion of Kellee’s is sharing her craft and teaching others.
To learn more about Makers Mess, Kellee, and this class, click here!
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