I'm diving into the COE.. is anyone else here on that journey?

marie

 

Comments

Sun, 06/09/2013 - 03:49

sarahnopp (not verified)

I am not, but my guild is hosting the judging this year, which is sure to be fascinating!

Sun, 06/09/2013 - 15:10

Artistry

Hi, Ingamarie

Sent a pm, I participated in the program about 17 years ago and earned both levels,  specialization in Multicolored 3 Block 5 Shaft Damask. I thought the program was very worthwhile. I took 4 years to do the first level ( 3 small children kept the pace slow!) and 2 years for the specialization.

Sarahknopp, our Guild hosted the Spinning COE and I was one of the scribes. It was so fascinating. It was great to see it from the " other side". It was tiring though, we worked long hours, as it should be, the participants worked long hours to submit their work!

Sun, 06/09/2013 - 15:35

Joanne Hall

Hi Marie,

I was chair of the program way back when it was new.  Not only has it survived since it started in the 70s, but it is a great way to study weaving techniques. 

Joanne

Sun, 06/09/2013 - 20:37

ingamarie

I love to hear these stories!  It's a bit daunting, but I'm really looking forward to the task.

 

marie

Sun, 06/09/2013 - 21:02

Artistry

I know when first looking at the requirements it can be overwhelming! But just break it down into it's sections, and once you start working on it, you'll be amazed how much you're learning right from the start. I kept a calendar. Each week writing my goal for the week and then reaching it. Helped me stay organized and could see my progress. I can't agree with JoAnn more, It is a great way to study weaving techniques in Level l. There are other good Certicate programs out there too, not saying this is the only one! It's about the journey and what you learn along the way. That's the important part. I know of two people in our Guild who have been slowly working on the requirements. If they're on Weavolution, I'll tell them about this thread and maybe you guys can hook up!
Sun, 06/09/2013 - 22:15

ingamarie

We started a study group here, and some of the others are wanting to get it done in a year. I'm not so sure I want to go that fast, as you say it's more about the journey than the goal. OTOH I really like the idea of diving in and making a very intense effort.  We made a schedule of about 4 samples a month.  

What I struggle with most is how vague some of the requirments are in Parts 1 and 2.. it's not clear from the instructions if a definition is a half a page or a sentence. I asked the mentor and she said half a page, but still I wish the requirements were better explained.  I'm also wondering about the color wheel and color blanket and how precise the hues need to be. I have tons of yarn, but none of it is in pure hues and I dont want to be ditched points because I used something that was a shade or a tint.  I think I'll be getting embroidery floss for the wheel, but that won't work for the blanket.  I don't really want to go with the Lunatic Fringe kits because they're kits and then I'm concerned I'll get docked points for using someone else's kit!

m

 

 

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 00:23

Artistry

Marie, You're right, my feeling is not to go with a kit, someone else has done the work. For the wheel I choose the route of embroidery yarns, wool, there's every color hue imaginable, it's quite a challenge to pick out exactly the right one for your color wheel. The store owner thought i was nuts when i appeared ,color wheel in hand, declaring i didn't want any help and spent so long in her store pulling yarns and taking them over to the window to look at them because i didn't trust her over head lighting! Yes, your hues need to be spot on. I found some of the directions confusing too. I got on the phone with the mentor many a time, do not be shy! Proactive is good! At the end I was doing a sample a week, the paper work from the week before, and designing for the next week and ordering yarns, all in the same week. But by then I was very confident in what I was doing. Remember, when you do the color and proportion/ design part, they want to see you apply what you've learned . I see no point in rushing it. When I give talks about the COE I often tell people to work on it for a while before even registering to see if you like it. The point is really to come up with a body of work that is your very best, in it's originality, finishing, craftsmanship, creativity, a body of work that you could not have done any better! If you can do that in a year , more power to you! Although I really got pressured at the end of Level l, I enjoyed most of the moderate pace and looking at the many possibilities of the structures.
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 01:45

ingamarie

Well the deadline to register isn't until February, but then I'll have a pretty good idea of if I can / want to finish by August.  

Good advice.

marie

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 01:53

sarahnopp (not verified)

I see I didn't specify in my earlier post, but the COE my guild is hosting is the one in Spinning, not handweaving. (I thought I ought to clarify, in case anyone from a guild hosting a COE in weaving saw my post and wondered what was up.)

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 04:16

Artistry

Good Luck Marie! Sounds like a plan!
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 12:15

Artistry

BRAINSTORM! .....Marie! I got up this a.m. And realized that HGA has a rental kit of the Weaving COE, 60 slides, of , I believe, Barbara Walker's work for Level l. I think it's Barbara's, at any rate I've seen it , and it's very very good. It will give you an idea of the caliber of work which is expected. Plus it's really fun to look at. The requirements haven't changed that much, except the addition of Summer and Winter, mostly refined since this was done. But I wouldn't look at the work and interpret your instructions from what she has done nessasarily unless they match up exactly. Plus she might have done something that looks great but was a misinterpretation and had gotten points taken off. So what I am suggesting more is to rent it to see as a overview, some one's body of work that successfully passed. You will find it very interesting to see what she did for her various requirements and realize how you have to step up your game so to speak. The kit rents for about $25.00 from HGA. Hope this helps! Cathie
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 13:49

Erica

I have started sampling for one or both of these and have enjoyed the experience so far. With Weavolution and a toddler, I have not set myself any firm deadlines, but am using it as a course of study for my weaving journey. It have been very useful thus far.

Good luck to everyone.

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 14:42

Artistry

Erica, like you , I started with young children, mine were older then yours the youngest being 3, but that's still pretty young. Waiting for nap times, or for them to go to bed at night and trying to treadle softly is quite the challenge but doable! I know people who have gone through the program and especially level l and not turned it in, they do it for self study, research and to improve their skills. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact sometimes it's a wonderful way to go. I'd be very curious about the Uk requirements! Always like to see what the different certicates deem important.
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 18:46

Kade1301

are on the web site - http://www.wsd.org.uk/ca.htm - you can have a look anytime, and for free! (Be warned, though, that there will be new syllabi for weaving and spinning by September) I haven't looked at the COE requirements for handweaving, because those for handspinning are so overwhelming - actually, I felt them to be not doable for people from outside the U.S. Starting with the fact that we don't have U.S. stationary (no folders, paper formats are different), and at the time I didn't have precision scales to produce skeins that weigh exactly 28.35 g (sic!). 

The presentation for the COA needs only to be neat and easy to use for the examiners - you are free to do what you think will work. Apparantly the weaving is considered more important than the paperwork (there's still notes to do for the samples, but no need to re-write definitions that appear in any decent book on the subject.)

Mon, 06/10/2013 - 20:00

Artistry

Thank you Kade1301 for the link! I will definately check it out. Yup, there is a some writing in the COE , but ultimately it's the weaving that speaks .
Mon, 06/10/2013 - 20:03

Blazingheart

I am sure someone will find this funny, but I am right near the end of my law degree, taking the required Professional Responsibility class, which is mostly based on legal ethics, os I read COE to be Code of Ethics and spent a day or two quite puzzled as to how weaving required one...
Sun, 07/21/2013 - 22:21

ingamarie

The slide show was brilliant. It really helped to see that.

So -- the colors have me stumped-- both in part 1, and in the color gamp.  I know I can go and buy the Lunatic Fringe colors-- and those are supposed to be accurate on the Munzell color wheel.. but I hesitate. Partly because the color wheel is to be done with the 12 color wheel colors, partly because I'd like to  use yarns that I may actually weave with and partly because I want it to show that I didn't just go out and buy the colors from LF.  But it's very hard to find accurate spectral hues in DMC floss (for the 12 color wheel) or in my usual Bocken's yarns (for the gamp). Do you have a sence of how persnickety they are? The mentor, Judie Eatough says to be careful about tints and tones, but just how careful? It's all such a judgement call that I can't quite sort how to proceed. And looking at the color exercises in the HGA slides, I'd say some of the hues are definitely not pure. But that could be the photograpy as well.  Any advice?  marie

Sun, 07/21/2013 - 23:00

laurafry

I used the cotton from Brassard for my colour gamp for the GCW levels. Just do the best you can citing your yarn supplier. Cheers Laura
Mon, 07/22/2013 - 01:17

Artistry

IngaMarie, Yes, the examiners are fussy! I had 1 point taken off for my yellow green because it was a slight tint. I used Patternayan for the wheel you can be exact there because they have every color imanginable. It was truly my mistake. I used Harrisville wool ( I believe, I'm away and not near my notes ) for the blanket/ gamp which was fine. I really think that going with a pre decided color choice such as lunatic fringe ( although I love the company!) is a real mistake. They will know no effort went into selecting the colors and that defeats the purpose! I think this is truly one of the hardest excercises you have to do. It's all about training your eye. You may have to get let's say 8/2 cotton from serval different companies. I think UKI has a large range of cotton colors. So does Halcyon. Also for your wheel remember that floss has a sheen, what have the other color excercises taught you about what sheen does to color? Is it the best choice? The slides are great but we don't get to see the comments that the examiners made about each sample and excercise. She may have well had points taken off for not having pure hues, we don't know. I would play it safe and do the very best you can do in all aspects. Just so you know my examiners for the first level were Madelyn van de Hooght and Barbara Walker. I would expect the same level of experience at the next examination.
Mon, 07/22/2013 - 01:19

Artistry

Me again, I forgot to say, Good Luck and you can do this!
Mon, 07/22/2013 - 01:27

ingamarie

I was afraid of that :)  What did you use as a color reference? I have a little color wheel from Hobby Lobby-- it looks accurate enough, but it's hard to tell. I also have Itten's book, but it's about 20  years old and I don't know how much the colors have aged.  The colors are almost the same in the two, but not quite.   Compounding the problem is that I'll probably have to mail order most yarns, which means I'm guessing on the colors.  Although I can maybe find the Patternayan in an embroidery / needlework shop, maybe. I'll look.

Good point about the slides...

 

 

Mon, 07/22/2013 - 02:19

Artistry

I believe I used Itten's book as well as an artists wheel ( found at art stores, it's shiny) . Itten's book had a matt wheel and that helped me when looking at wools. I think the newer version of Key to Weaving has a color wheel that is Matt but you would have to look at it to see how accurate it is. I went to an embroiderery/ crewel shop to get the little skeins of Patternayan. I took both wheels with me and held the yarns and wheels by the window for natural daylight , to see the true color. I would invest in a good wheel from the art store. You'll use it through this whole process. It can be shiny, I think the Matt ones can be found in books and are great for wool but not necessary. You can do wool with the art store ones just fine,it's just me being me! I had to mail order all my yarns. So I understand how hard it is using color cards! I usually ended up ordering several extra colors because I couldn't really tell, if it was the right color? Halcyon is good because you can order mini cones, less expensive. Also, if you can't find Patternayan , I understand that Appleton is a good line too. I think any embroidery shop is going to have a huge selection.
Mon, 07/22/2013 - 03:14

ingamarie

My little wheel from Hobby Lobby is the same brand as my old faded one from an art store, but I'm going to take it to a real art store and see if they match :)  Thanks for the help!

Mon, 07/22/2013 - 03:19

Artistry

Oh, good idea! Love that Hobby Lobby, was there yesterday getting Soda Ash for some last minute dyeing :)
Tue, 11/12/2013 - 18:04

Sherry Lynn

I was so excited to find this blog about the COE in HANDWEAVING from HGA. I have a ton of questions, many of which have been addressed here, thankfully! Like Ingamarie, I struggle with some of the instructions, but Judie E. has been invaluable. And Cathie, your expertise and input is gold! Thank you. I am winding down this years commitments and clearing my calendar to get serious and on a structured schedule for completion in 2016. I have a gamp from LF that I purchased 4 years back that is still in the box, so all of your input was great! I will not even be tempted, as I understand the reasoning in NOT using a color kit. Really would defeat the purpose. I have a color wheel from Halcyon that is wonderful, but it is not basic. I will be close to a hobby lobby over thanksgiving week and will definitely look for a new wheel. I don't see any posts since July, so please let me know what has been happening? How is it going, Ingamarie? P.s. I will definitely check into the rental. Are the slides mostly of the woven samples? Sherry
Wed, 11/13/2013 - 21:35

Artistry

Hi Sherry, If the slide rental is the one I'm familiar with it is from an older handbook, so does not have a few of the requirements included in it that have been added ie: Summer and Winter. However it might have been updated. The one I saw had all the woven samples in it . I just can't remember about the color wheel or other color excercises or proportion excercises.Sorry. I know Ingamarie has seen it so maybe she has seen this post and will get on. Your Halcyon color Wheel may be fine. You just want as true to the colors as you can get. Having the complement, triad markers are helpful, especially for the color excercises. Also I like having the wheels that show what happens when you add other colors to each other. Always happy to talk COE, enjoy the learning , Cathie
Wed, 11/13/2013 - 22:20

Sherry Lynn

Cathie,

Thanks for your reply! Sometimes I feel like an "island" concerning the COE. As I do not know anyone personally who has completed the COE. However, I found this thread and another thread you have contributed to, and Robyn Spady, and now am more relaxed and realize that my initial plans of submitting for evaluation in 2016 can be pushed back to 2018 if needed, as it is definitely about the journey. 

I hope Ingamarie will see this note and fill in the gaps about what is included in the rental, or I can call Interweave and check. Just finding out this info has been invaluable. 

Sherry

Thu, 11/14/2013 - 01:52

ingamarie

Yes! I'm here. I'm slogging trough it. Judie has been helpful and I have a friend here in town that is also working on it.  I'm aiming for 2016, but she's aiming for 2014-- She's both more focussed and doesn't have people to take care of like I do.  I'm going more or less in order with the exercises, along with my friend. She's doing maybe 3 a month, I'm lucky to get one of those done in that time-- so I figure I'll go back through the cycle again after she is done. 

The slide show if from an older version, but has many of the same exercises in it, and defintely helps. It's not the best quality photography, some things are hard to really make out, but it's good to see what one person did and what HGA may be expecting. 

Also a warning on the Bibilography in the packet-- I'm come across several Handwoven/ Shuttle Spindle and Dyepot mix-ups. So before you go to great lengths to find a particular issue , make sure that issue actually has the article you're looking for.

So glad you piped up, Sherry.. this is definitley something where it helps to have some support!

marie

Fri, 11/15/2013 - 18:58

besting (not verified)

Enjoy reading about your COE experiences. I would love to try.... I know you probably have tons on your plate but if you could let HGA know then maybe they would fix it so the rest of us won't have the same problem.   Cheering you on!

Fri, 11/15/2013 - 20:05

ingamarie

I did report the errors, I got this reply:

"First, let me thank you for pointing out that there were two errors. I will ask our web person to update these and will make the corrections in other places as well.

You ask about whether there is a newer bibliography.  Right now, there is not.  We are working on updating the bibliographies over the two years, looking at each of the disciplines and making suggestions and revisions. To be honest, there are so many wonderful fiber arts books, the bibliographies could be quite extensive. We may limit the titles in the bibliographies, and also remind those using the program that the bibliographies only suggest materials that may be used; certainly other books and resources are also acceptable.

 The important thing to know is that you may use any references you wish, whether listed on the bibliography or not. COE applicants often look in several places for information in both print and online resources.  One thing I can encourage you to do is to list the references you use for each requirement.  A simple endnote citation (Author, page), which can be referenced to a bibliography you provide, allows the examiners to know what reference to consult if they have a question about your work."

marie

 

Fri, 11/15/2013 - 20:43

pammersw

Dumb question from a newbie: what is the COE? Certificate of Excellence?  And who issues it? A link would be great. Thanks.

Fri, 11/15/2013 - 21:51

ingamarie

Yes, Certificate of Excellence.. which is a pertty pompous title.. I think of it as a Master Weaver certification.  It's awarded by the Handweaver's Guild of America, they do handweaving, spinning, dyeing and basketmaking.  Here's a link: http://weavespindye.org/pages/?p=hgacoe.html&loc=1-50-00

You order a booklet, and there are some 40 samples to weave and a written part. It's a bit daunting, but I'm learning so much. I totally recommend it, even if you don't ever sent you stuff in.  The 'examinations' come up every 2 years, the next one is in Idaho in the fall of 2014. You  ship your samples and files to them and they go over it. 

 

marie

Sat, 11/16/2013 - 02:20

Artistry

Pammersw, The 40 samples plus work in color and design are for the COE Level I Technical Skills. Beyond that there is the COE Level II Master Level. The Master Level is an in-depth study over two years on a particular weaving subject ( or dyeing, basket making, dyeing, depending on which COE you're doing). It is very intense. You must pass Level I before submitting Level II so it's at least a 4 year process. I did mine over 6. Each Level has it's own certificate, didn't use to be that way. The examiners for the COE are two weavers. One who has passed the COE Level II and someone who is well respected in the field, such as Madelyn Van der Hooght.
Tue, 12/31/2013 - 20:50

lorjacks3212

I just started work on the COE. Right now I'm getting my notebook together and started a bibliography and started my reading. So I'm at the very beginning. Yipee! I must be nuts! :-D

No really, I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can.

Thu, 01/02/2014 - 19:56

Erica J

Heya,

Ingamarie's comment about her guild study group got me thinking. Wouldn't it be great to do an online study group, using a private Weavolution froup and our CyberFiber Facilities for real time chatting. What guidelines should we follow to ensure we stick to the CoE's requirement of independent study?

I am  envisionjng this like working out with a friend. We each set a goal for the next meeting and hopefully having the "accountability" of sharing progress with other participants will help when motivation might otherwise wane.

Thanks for your input,

Erica

Thu, 01/02/2014 - 20:52

ingamarie

Judie Eatough is the mentor for the COE, her email is <[email protected]>, I'd ask her what guidelines we would need. Alternativly ask HGA, but I'd start with Judie.  There is a rule that work needs to be done independently not in a class, so we should be careful. I know that study groups are fine, we have one here in Austin.. but I think the Cyber-Fiber format could easily be seen as a class. Judie has taught through Cyber-Fiber and is familiar with the format.

marie

Fri, 01/03/2014 - 08:02

Erica J

I'll double check, but I shoukd clarify. There would be no classes. We woukd simlky be using Weavolution's Adobe Connect site to meet with video capabilities. No different from a study group meeting in a room at the local university. No one other than CoE participants would be in the study group.

Cheers,

Erica

Fri, 01/03/2014 - 15:07

ingamarie

I understand, I just want the COE administrators to understand!

Fri, 01/03/2014 - 17:15

Erica J

I've written them to be sure. To avoid confusion we can simply refer to video conferencing/meet ups. :)

Mon, 01/06/2014 - 20:22

ingamarie

I see that there's a COE Meeting at Convergence on Thursday afternoon. I plan on being there.... it would be fun to meet others!

Mon, 01/06/2014 - 22:22

ingamarie

Here's a question for those of you who have done this or been part of the examinations.. what's the best way to mount my samples in the folders? I have  two hole punch and those bracket things for the documentation, but not sure how to attach the actual sample to the folder. Sew it in?  I hate to put staples through my work!

Mon, 01/06/2014 - 23:37

Artistry

Hi Ingamarie, What I did was sew them in so no stitches could be seen on the front, longer stitches on back of folder. Then I got Archival tape and covered the long stches on the back so you couldn't see them either. Hope this helps. Cathie
Mon, 01/06/2014 - 23:47

Artistry

The other thing I did was line the sample side with colored canson paper to really show off the piece. I hope I made myself clear above. The sample needs to be sturdy, but I found you can take a longer float ( not huge) on the back. If that makes sense :) Good Luck!
Tue, 01/07/2014 - 02:03

ingamarie

Most of the pieces fill the folder, but I had thought of putting something behind the transparency, it gets a little lost in the folder. I like the idea of colored paper.

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 10:51

Artistry

Sounds like you're doing just fine:)
Tue, 01/07/2014 - 11:06

Erica J

I heard back from Judie the Study Group idea is fine!

You just can't submit any samples of work that were done in a class. For example, I would not be able to submit any samples of the weaving I did at the Handweavers Block Weaves class. :)

Tue, 01/07/2014 - 11:13

Artistry

I think that's great Erica. Isolation is the worst part of this, so a study group sounds like great support!