Paper Weaving with Watercolors

With Molly Elkind This program is part of Handwork 2026, presented by Craft in America Paper weaving is a quick and fun way to play with color, image, and pattern—without a loom! Even if you’ve never seen a weaving draft and don’t know warp from weft, you’ll be weaving by the end of the workshop. A paper-woven surface is also great for adding collage and mixed media to, so come explore the possibilities! Paper weaving is even more fun when you work with papers you’ve designed yourself. So we’ll begin by using watercolors to do surface design on papers that we’ll later slice up for weaving. For inspiration we will view the diverse work of several artists working in this medium today. You may also bring your own previously-decorated or found papers. Through lecture and demonstration, you will learn how to choose papers for weaving, how to decorate them, how to cut strips, choose a weave structure, read a weaving draft, and how to do the actual weaving. You can also experiment with added other media to your weaving such as dried plants, threads or yarns, or other weaveable elements. We will emphasize choosing papers and weave structures that create maximum visual interest and interaction between image and weave. Finally, we will look at how to finish and mount your completed weaving. Molly will share several handouts and resources. Previous weaving experience is helpful but not required. Two-Day Workshop Day 1 - Thursday, October 29, 2026 Day 2 - Friday, October 30, 2026