Class Instructors
Mary Brown took her first basket weaving class in 1994 in a small basket shop. Lessons lasted a year, but she kept weaving at the shop until it closed a decade later. The napkin basket she made in that first lesson still sits on her kitchen table. She attended her first basket weaving convention in 2004, with four of her weaving friends, and never looked back. That was the first of many conventions she has attended all over the country. She began teaching in 2000 and has taught in Texas and the Oklahoma and Missouri state conventions. Mary loves experimenting with shape, color and non-traditional weaving materials. Twining is her favorite weaving technique and loves doing braided borders on her baskets. She still enjoys teaching and is looking forward to attending more weaving conventions after a two year break.
Gloria Chukman fell in love with yarn in her teens and since then has immersed herself in weaving, knitting, crochet, spinning and dyeing. She enjoys exploring connections between the various fiber arts and their tools, as well as applying practices learned during her career in the corporate world. Her pieces have focused mostly on colorwork, a never-ending source of inspiration and joy.
She became interested in freestyle work over 20 years ago when she learned about freeform knitting and crochet and first encountered Saori weaving. Today, with a resurgence of interest in individual expression through freestyle weaving, she is eager to share techniques and materials she has worked with over the years.
Blaine Davis has been weaving for over 40 years. He grew up in Maine, Idaho, and Wisconsin, but has lived in Houston for almost 50 years. He is also a printmaker and currently has his work shown at Archway Gallery here in Houston.
He does both basic cloth production and tapestry weaving. His tapestries usually involve a lot of color, the more the better. When teaching beginners he concentrates on getting the students to know how to warp the loom, make basic shapes, and understand some of the more advanced techniques. Blaine teaches the Introduction to Tapestry
Connie Childs Elliott, a native Minnesotan, learned to spin and weave in the 1970’s in Austin, TX. Her subsequent move to Southern California in 1980 initiated a 15-year stint as a professionals pinner, weaver, dyer, teacher, and demonstrator, during which time she worked at Knott’s Berry Farm and the Denwar Craft Studio.
Now back in Texas, Connie lives with her husband in the Heights area of Houston. She demonstrates for the Heritage Society and various living history venues in the area, keeps 3 looms going, spins on a variety of devices and dyes on the back porch when she can. She belongs to HGA, CHT and CHH guilds.
Connie is the guild’s Spin Doctor, she teaches classes in spinning and indigo dyeing.
Tracy Kaestner has been weaving for over 40 years and teaching weaving since 2002. Tracy also enjoys dyeing and has been sewing since she was 8. She enjoys introducing weaving to students and getting them hooked! Tracy teaches Floor loom classes and Sewing with Handwoven fabrics. Tracy is the Guild House Director and schedules the classes for CHH.
Molly Koehn is an artist and maker. If the craft involves repetive action in a grid-based strcucture, she’s probably into it.
She received an MFA with an emphasis in fibers from Arizona State University (2017), and her work continues to carry on the delicate, expressive qualities of her background and BFA in drawing from Fort Hays State University (2013).
Molly has been teaching since 2014, and her expertise range from natural dyes to fabric printing to broommaking. Most of all, she loves making, and she loves making with others.
Jon Porch is a tapestry weaver focused primarily on exploration with color. He likes all kinds of fiber arts but loves the design possibilities of tapestry. He is a member of the American Tapestry Association, Tapestry Weavers West, CHH’s Tapestry Focus Group, and several weaving organizations. His tapestries have appeared in numerous exhibits nation-wide. He loves to share tapestry weaving techniques with others!
Theresa Rogerson began weaving in 2007, adding to her other craft loves of knitting, crochet, spinning, and basketweaving. She frequently says that if she had learned to weave first, she might not have learned the other crafts. Theresa teaches weaving and knitting at a local yarn shop in addition to teaching the beginner floor loom and rigid heddle loom classes for CHH. She also demonstrates spinning and weaving to school groups at Stephen F Austin – Munson Historical Park in Brazoria County during special events.
In the past, Lynn Williams’ work has incorporated handweaving and spinning, but her current focus is on the making and use of silk fusion. She has taught workshops for guilds in Texas and Houston, and also at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft where she was an artist in residence. Lynn teaches our Learn to Spin classes.
Jessica Wilson teaches circular weaving.
DeeDee Woodbury joined CHH in 1982 and currently serves as the guild’s library director and historian. She has taught weaving and felt making over the years at CHT and locally with CHH. When she is not at one of her looms weaving, she enjoys felting. DeeDee makes whimsical mobiles with felt beads to complement needle felted figures. In recent work, DeeDee stitches collages with flat felt and found objects.
