Crystal Lake resident to Teach Weaving Class

Fiber and textiles have been a passion of Beth Duncan’s since she made her first sweater at age 10, and then knitted a jute hammock for her father, when just 12 years-old. While in high school, she learned to weave, and after many intervening years, she is now the newest weaving instructor at Fine Line Creative Arts Center.

Mostly self-taught, Duncan attended community college then the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, before moving to Ohio with her husband. Duncan’s family relocated to Crystal Lake 30 years ago, where she eventually dusted off her dormant desire to weave.

“In 2009, I brought my 8-harness Leclerc loom out of storage, and have been weaving steadily since, while taking oodles of classes and workshops,” Duncan said. “I was a partner in a retail shop for 17 years. It was wonderful, but it was not my passion. I was lucky to fall back into weaving and realize that this is what I love. I will never run out of things to learn or experiment with.”

With a lifetime creating fiber art under her belt, Duncan is well prepared to teach. Her next class, “Echo Weave, A Starting Point,” will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon, April 4 and 18 pm at Fine Line Creative Arts Center, 37 W 570 Bolcum Rd. in St. Charles.

The class will focus on several ways to achieve echo.

“Learning to weave can seem daunting at the start; there is a lot of prep work before the actual weaving begins,” Duncan said. “As with all things worth learning, take your time and practice.

”(It’s) not supposed to be overwhelming, it is an opportunity to find your own direction and learn what you want to.”

Duncan joined Fine Line’s faculty in 2014. Prior to becoming an official faculty member, she assisted with Fine Line’s annual “Weaving for the Visually Impaired” workshop for the past 4 years. Since becoming a faculty member, she has taught a Crackle Weave class, and has more planned for later this year, including “Overshot,” in which students will use color in an unexpected ways.

This weaving instructor is also a perpetual student.

“My weaving is mostly for myself, as I enjoy learning and understanding weaving structures, fibers and working with color,” Duncan said. “My favorite pieces are presently coming off my Megado loom (a 32-shaft computerized loom).”

Fine Line Creative Arts Center includes studio classrooms where fine art classes for adults are taught, and where workshops are presented by visiting guest artists from around the globe. The Kavanagh Gallery houses local, national and international art shows throughout the year, and the Dempsey Gallery overs a rotating exhibit of members’ works of art. Both galleries are open and free to the public Mondays through Saturdays.

For more information, visit: www.fineline.org, or call: 630-584-9443.

The above story was submitted by Fine Line Creative Arts Center