Who is certification for: MAC Makerspace Members who would like to use the Drum Carders and Hand Carders available in the MAC Textiles Lab. *Members that already are experienced in using these tools please contact the instructor for an expedited certification.
Learning Objective:
1. Studio Etiquette.
2. Student Expectations.
3. How to use and maintain drum carders and hand carders for the preparation and blending of fibers for felting or spinning yarn.
Learning Outcome: Students will be able maintain, operate and troubleshoot the studio drum carders and hand carders. Students will learn how to blend different fibers on the drum carders and with hand carders for the purpose of creating batts that can be used for felting or spinning into yarn using handspindles or a spinning wheel. This equipment is to be used in the Textile Lab only.
Certified card members will have access to the equipment between the hours of 10am to 6 pm Tuesday thru Thursday and 10am thru 5 pm Friday and Saturday, for any wheel that is not scheduled for classes. Wheels will be used for all spinning wheel certification classes. Please check the calendar here.
Red entry card holders have access after regular closing hours with same use schedule requirements. Users are expected to respect agreed upon schedules. All yarn is to be removed from spinning wheel bobbins and hand spindles at the end of the day that the wheel /spindle has been used by the spinner.
Studio Etiquette
Our goal for the use of Fiber Preparation Equipment is two-fold:
1) to provide reasonable access to this equipment to as many people as possible, allowing reasonable time for carding or blending fiber
2) to hold fiber preparation classes to accommodate all who are interested.
Because this is a communal space we expect all of our students using equipment in the Textile Lab to respect each others work and the equipment it is on. Please do not touch other students work or use their fiber. We expect all our students to keep their work space clean and picked up after use. If there is a problem with the equipment please report this to MAC Staff so we can make the needed repairs.
Student Expectations
Studio drum carder or hand carder users are expected to bring their own fiber (ie. wool, alpaca, silk, Angelina) to card or blend, to remove the fiber they card or blend from the carders and to replace all the equipment they use where it belongs in the Textile Lab when they leave the studio for the day.
Please respect the work of other equipment users. It is possible that you may come only to find someone else is using the equipment you want to use. Fiber preparation equipment is available on a first come first serve basis.
Fiber left on a drum carder or hand cards will be removed and placed on the spinning fiber shelf. Fiber left on these tools will be treated as abandoned.
Students are expected to use fiber preparation equipment respectfully and to put all equipment away in the Textile Lab when they are finished.
Please leave the fiber preparation equipment and the Textile Lab in better condition then you found it.
Fiber Preparation Equipment Available
(For use in the Textile Lab ONLY)
1. Louet 4” wide manual drum carder (course carding cloth)
2. 8” wide manual drum carder (medium carding cloth)
3. Strauch 8” wide electric drum carder (medium carding cloth)
4. Pair of wool hand carders (medium carding cloth)
5. Flicker carder
6. Large knitting needle/Doffing tool
Teacher: Betsy Wintermute
Betsy started her exploration of spinning at the Southwest School of Art in San Antonio, TX in 1981 in a wheel spinning class taught by Doris Glenn. By then end of the 6 week class she had purchased her first spinning wheel. In the years since Betsy has share spinning with both adults and children and has studied with spinners across the country including Rita Buchannan, Ed Franquemont and Joanne Ruane. She has expanded her knowledge to include a variety of forms of spindle spinning and how to spin a vast array of fibers from both animals and plants. The learning continues.