Instructor: Elisha King

Saturday July 13th, 9am - 4pm

Level: First time weavers welcomed!

In the summer of 2022 I had the opportunity to teach alongside Elisha (and many other incredible crafts peoples) at the Thompson Island Cultural Camp in Akwesasne. During Elisha’s workshop, we learned her method of finger weaving to create straps for our baskets and bags. This July Elisha is bringing this incredible class to Trumansburg!

In the morning portion of this class, you will design your pattern, choosing from a variety of cotton yarn, and then prepare your warp. The afternoon will be spent weaving and learning specialized techniques from Elisha.

This is an amazing “off loom” experience, where the skills you learn can easily be translated to your home. We will be weaving a 1.5” wide strap that you can then use for a multitude of projects, and apply this knowledge for larger, wider bands!

About Elisha:

Elisha is a textile artist, specializing in traditional Indigenous finger weaving. She learned to weave when she was 16, from Wampanoag women she worked with. Elisha is Kanien'kéha (Mohawk), a nation part of the Rotinohsión:ni Confederacy, and over the years she has studied Rotinonhsión:ni weaving. She learned more about natural dyes and fiber materials from Sarah Gotowka, owner of Luna Fiber Studios, and focused on plants that would have been used in her peoples’ traditional territories. Elisha is also a language learner and has recently completed a two year immersion program. She tries to combine her weaving practices with her language learning and is focusing on learning to teach weaving and natural dye work in Kanien’kéha. At this time, she is the only person in her community of Akwesasne that she knows of that weaves and she has begun to partner up with community programs to offer classes to share her knowledge with others.

In July 2023 she entered into the Akwesasne Juried Art Market for the first time and was awarded 1^st prize in the Quilts and Wovens category. The belt she made for the art market was also the first belt she made using natural dye materials that were locally harvested. The experience was eye opening and showed her that people value this art form and many people are interested in learning the process. 

This class will be indoors at our studio, 27 West Main St. This class size is limited to 6 students.

*Cancellation Policy:

Luna Fiber Studio unfortunately does not issue refunds. We of course understand that life dishes out unforeseen situations at inopportune times, however our class space is extremely limited and classes usually book up months in advance. When you purchase a class with us, you are reserving your spot with our small business and committing to showing up!

In the case of extreme weather conditions or illness of the instructor, class may be canceled and the fee you paid will turn into Studio Credit, where you will be able to use it towards any other service or product offered at Luna.