25324 Zoom Class: Designing with Friends of Fibonacci
Class | Registration closed 9/18/2025
Registration Deadline: 9/18
Many designers, weavers included, know about and work with that seemingly no-fail number sequence that is part of the Fibonacci legacy. That sequence, however, is far from the only system from the realm of science and mathematics that offers a weaver a rich source of ideas about how many colors, threads, shafts, blocks, repeats, even ends per dent to use in their textiles. The really great news is that just as you may not know how to build a computer to use one with confidence, you don’t have to understand the golden mean, Pascal’s triangle or Alcuin’s Sequence in order to use the numbers they generate. And, though number geeks are not excluded from this class, if you can count as high as the number of shafts on your loom and do basic warp calculations, you are indeed expert enough to put class concepts to work for you. Most class examples will be couched in weaver’s terms, but quilters and other makers will find the ideas equally applicable to their work.
AGE: 16 and up
NOTE: Class will not meet on October 12th
Students will need a device that allows full participation in a zoom meeting and will need to download the Zoom App (Zoom 5.0) to their device and know the basics of how to use it. Students will need to take photos of their work in .jpg format and upload them to a site (such as Google Drive or One Drive) that the teacher sets up for that purpose.
NOTE: The instructor will notify students of a rehearsal time prior to the workshop for all to learn how to use Zoom effectively for the workshop and will send class notes electronically prior to the start of class.
Pencil, paper, colored pencils or markers, cardboard strips at least 2 inches by 6 inches, assorted yarns from your stash, double-sided tape and scissors; calculator and weaving software capable of sending .wif files optional
Joyce Robards
After a career of more than ten years in fine arts and art education, I “discovered” fiber arts while on a sabbatical leave earning my MST in textiles at RIT. Following graduation, participation in the active and knowledgeable Weavers’ Guild of Rochester and volunteer work for HGA gave me different, but equally valuable, perspectives on the craft of handweaving.
I began my professional weaving life on the local craft show circuit, but the joy of teaching continued to beckon. I now meld my drive to create and the irrepressible urge to work with fibers with teaching. I enjoy sharing both my professional knowledge and experience-honed skills and my unique perspectives on the fiber crafts in the classes, workshops and programs I offer. I am one of the “founding members” of the Weaving and Fiber Arts Center, and in addition to a regular schedule of weaving and other textile technique classes there, I present programs and workshops for fiber-related Guilds and conferences, and produce a limited line of handwovens for sale.