Peggy Church

Peggy Church Handweaver

(860) 455-0724
peggychurch@earthlink.net

115 Chaplin St.
Chaplin, CT 06235
Studio Map & Directions

Artist Statement

The cloth I weave, thread by thread, represents years of experience and a bit of my soul. There is something so primal about taking yarn and turning it into cloth that is useful, beautiful, or both. I begin by assessing the physical qualities of the yarn itself to decide how closely to sett it in the loom and what kind of weave structure will make the best cloth. Am I looking for a crisp table linen, a shawl or scarf that drapes perfectly, or a soft snuggly heirloom baby blanket? About a third of my time goes to planning the project. The warp yarn ends are measured, anywhere from 200 to 900 ends, depending on the project, and the loom is “dressed”. No, I do not have an elf to put each end through a heddle and then the reed. The weaving- throwing the shuttle- takes another third of the time. My excitement grows as I see the cloth begin to form. Will it be perfect or will I have to correct a threading error? Finally, when the warp is completely woven, I remove it from the loom. Finishing the cloth takes another third of the time. I submerge the cloth in warm soapy water, hang it to dry, and run it through my Ironrite ironing machine. For things like kitchen clothes I stabilize each end with machine stitching, then hand sew the hems. Scarves, throws and shawls often have twisted fringes to be made.

Peggy Church began spinning forty years ago when missing parts from a family spinning wheel were found in the attic. Spinning soon led to weaving.  She learned her craft by reading all she could about textile art, by taking classes and by trial and error.  Through her memberships in the Handweaver’s Guild of America, the Weavers’ Guild of Boston, the Handweavers’ Guild of Connecticut and others she continues to hone her skills.  She studied Weaving Education at the Fletcher Farm School in Ludlow, VT.

Peggy’s studio is in the historic district in Chaplin, CT.   Peggy generously shares her knowledge of spinning and weaving by teaching students, both in her studio and in school and community settings.  Visitors are welcome to visit her studio during the Artists Open Studios of Northeast CT and by appointment.  Peggy runs the monthly spinning bees at the Windham Textile History Museum in Willimantic, and also teaches weaving there.