Hill Institute’s Weaving Program
The weaving program is open to weavers who know how to wind a warp, dress a loom and read a standard weaving draft, and who possess basic weaving skills. The program consists of four years of class work in which students acquire a multitude of knowledge and skills, followed by two years of independent work. Some students attend the weaving program for a short time, others complete the four years of class work but not the final two years of independent work, and still there are others who complete the certificate requirements and become master weavers.

Wednesday and Saturday Sections
These sections run for the length of the school year. Classes normally start mid to late September and run through approximately the middle of May (except for holidays and school vacations). The total number of classes in a school year is typically 30 (approx. 150 hours per school year). The Wednesday section meets from 10:00 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., with twenty minutes for lunch. The Saturday section meets from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuition is currently $375, plus the cost of materials.

Monday Night Section
This section is similar to the other two sections except that the class meeting time is shorter. Class meets from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m., totaling approximately 105 hours per school year. Tuition is currently $260, plus the cost of materials.

Homework Requirements
Students in all sections complete the same projects. Certain projects are assigned as homework. The homework assignments are a requirement of the program, and students are expected to use their own looms and yarns to complete the homework. For the Monday night section, there are seven required homework assignments* over the course of four years, one for each winter and summer. For the Wednesday and Saturday sections, there are four assignments, one for each school year. (* There are two parts to some of these assignments.)

If a student falls behind on the number of class projects typically woven in a year, it is expected that the student will weave some of the projects at home in order to catch up.

General Information
Students are expected to make up any missed class time by attending one of the other sections for the number of hours missed. All time should be made up by the last class of that school year.

Tuition is made in two installments: 50% due at the start of the school year (on or before the first day of class) and 50% due at the start of the second half of the school year (Week 16).

The Letter of Achievement and the Master Weaver Certificate
Students who successfully complete the four years of formal study and all of the corresponding class work* are awarded the Hill Institute Letter of Achievement and are eligible to work towards the Hill Institute Master Weaver Certificate. This involves completing a series of projects independently within a two-year period and having the body of work approved by a committee.

* Some projects change from year to year and additional ones may be added. Students who complete the projects early are still required to attend class for four years.

For more information, please contact Chris Hammel, Director of Weaving, at (413) 527-8394.

revised (8/09)