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The Valley Forge Rug Braiding Guild
Online Classes
Classes from "beginner" to "advanced" are available for rug braiders via Zoom.
Scroll down to see all the class options!
Classes are $5 off for members (see coupon under "Members Only" tab's info).
Classes range from one-time events... to weekly sessions with Homework!
Payment options: Paypal, Credit Card, or Check/Money Order (US only).
Beginner Classes
Beginner Rug Braiding:
2' X 3' Continuous Oval Rug
Instructor: Mary Hibbard
Description: This 5 session course over Zoom will teach you the basics of continuous rug braiding. We’ll talk about wool preparation and color planning. You’ll learn how to start a rug, braid, make a “hairpin” turn for that first corner, lace your rug, skip loops to shape the curved ends of the oval, how and where to change colors, and how to finish the rug with a taper. The skills you learn will enable you to make any size oval rug from a table mat to a large living room rug!
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates:
Sundays at 2 pm EST over Zoom:
Course #1: Oct 20, 27, & Nov 3, 10 and 17, 2024
Course #2: Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, & Feb 2, 2025
Course #3: Feb 9, 16, 23, & Mar 2, 9, 2025
Course #4: Mar 16, 23, 30, & April 6, 13, 2025
Cost: $80 for 5 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: 5-6 yards of wool fabric of a mix of colors and patterns; basic rug braiding tools and sewing supplies. See “More Info” for a detailed list and suppliers.
Prerequisites: None!
Folds: Left Opening Folds
Instructor experience: Mary took her first braiding class 12 years ago at New England Braids in Methuen, MA. Since that time she has attended many braiding events and taken classes to advance her skills. Mary has been teaching beginning rug braiding via zoom and at the Valley Forge Rug Braiding Conferences for several years.
Class Dates: Sundays at 2 pm EST over Zoom
Click links below to register
Course #1: Oct 20, 27, & Nov 3, 10 and 17, 2024
Course #2: Jan 5, 12, 19, 26, & Feb 2, 2025
Beginner Rug Braiding:
2' X 3' Continuous Oval Rug
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Instructor: Christine Manges
Description: This 5-session course over Zoom will teach you the basics of continuous rug braiding! Learn to braid a 2' X 3' oval rug. Use braid-aids to do the work of turning the raw edges of strands inward. Begin with a T-Start, add double corners to turn the braid, and skip loops on the curves so that the rug will lie flat. Learn how to change colors and add more length to strips. Finish the rug with a taper.
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Fridays at 3 pm EST over Zoom: Sept 13, 20, 27, & Oct 4 & 18, 2024
Cost: $80 for 5 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: 4.5 yards of wool fabric of a mix of colors and patterns; 3 Braid-Master braid-aids and a braidkin (available from Country Braid House or Halcyon Yarn), a braid clamp, a hemostat, scissors. See "More Info" button for details.
Prerequisites: None!
Folds: Left Opening Folds
Instructor experience: Christine Manges is an experienced online teacher of rug braiding, and she illustrates handouts with detailed diagrams. She is an award-winning rug braider, and enjoys sharing her love of rug braiding. She lives in Pittsburgh with a wonderful husband, a difficult dog, too many cats and an amazing stash of wool.
Beginner Rug Braiding:
Design Your Own Patterned Strip Rug
Instructor: Christine Manges Rugs above, clockwise from upper left: Deb
Weinhold, Jenn Kiarsis, Deb Weinhold, and Gail Davidson.
Description: This 3-session course over Zoom will teach you how to design your own patterned strip rug, and the mechanics of making a strip rug. Learn how to arrange darks and lights to create dots, diamonds, zigzags, dots, arrowheads, slashes, chains, etc. Options for finishing will be presented but only fringed and bound endings will be taught.
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Fridays at 3 pm EST over Zoom: Nov 8, 22, and Dec 6, 2024
Cost: $60 for 3 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: For a 2' X 3' rug*, 4.5 yards of wool fabric; can be different colors that coordinate, but 1/2 should be DARK and the other half LIGHT. Three Braid-Master braid-aids and a braidkin (available from Country Braid House or Halcyon Yarn), a braid clamp, scissors. See "More Info" button for details. (*Note: you can choose to make a different size of rug, but the yardage will be different).
Prerequisites: None!
Folds: Left OR Right Opening Folds
Instructor experience: Christine Manges is an experienced online teacher of rug braiding, and she illustrates handouts with detailed diagrams. She is an award-winning rug braider, and enjoys sharing her love of rug braiding. She lives in Pittsburgh.
Intermediate Classes
Spider Trivet
Instructor: Rose Robertson-Smith
Description: This 4-session course over Zoom will guide you through: a T-Start, continuously braided rounds, lacing a round shape to keep it flat, adding a second braid, stacking double and triple corners, making blunt endings, and stab-lacing! The spider and its web are glued on at the end; instructor will obtain your address and send you the spider.
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Tuesdays at 7 pm EST over Zoom: Oct 1, 8, 15, and 29, 2024
Cost: $80 for 4 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: 1/2 yard of black wool, and 1/2 yard of light-to-medium wool -- can be a mix of wools. See "More Info" button for details.
Braid Level: Intermediate: Must have taken a course in braiding curved shapes (oval, chair pad) before.
Folds: Left Opening Folds
Instructor experience: Rose has experience teaching rug braiding classes online. She lives in Tennessee in a historic home, where she gardens and runs an AirBnB. She has been braiding rugs since the early 2000's and has exhibited her rugs in several shows.
Nine Beautiful Butts for a Chair Pad
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Instructor: Christine Manges
Description: This 9-session course over Zoom will introduce you to 9 different butting methods while you make an all-butted chair pad. Pick from different butted chair pad patterns that are provided to the class, including Killer Chair Pads I and II, Watermelon, and several others. Finish just in time to give for the holidays!
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Tuesdays at 4 pm EST over Zoom: Oct 1, 8, 22, 29, Nov 12, 19, 26, Dec 3 & 10, 2024
Cost: $80 for 9 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: About 1.25 yards of wool fabric, usual braiding supplies, blunt-tipped scissors, and sharpie marker.
Prerequisites: Must have made one rug or chair pad before taking this course.
Folds: Left Opening Folds
Instructor experience: Christine Manges is an experienced online teacher of rug braiding, and she illustrates handouts with detailed diagrams. She is an award-winning rug braider, and enjoys sharing her love of rug braiding. She lives in Pittsburgh with a wonderful husband, a difficult dog, too many cats and an amazing stash of wool.
Granny Squares (All-Butted Squares)
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Instructor: Christine Manges
Description: This 4-session course over Zoom will teach you how to braid beautiful "granny square" rugs. Make one large square rug, or assemble smaller squares as in photo above. Skills to learn: braiding triple corners; lacing triple corners -- alternating the lacing pattern every other row; butting in small spaces for the first couple rows, making an 8-loop center, and lacing multiple squares together with shoe-lacing.
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Fridays at 1 pm EST over Zoom: Sept 13, 20, Oct 4, & 18, 2024
Cost: $80 for 4 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: About 1/2 yard of wool fabric of mixed colors for 6 rows of a square, usual braiding supplies.
Braid Level: Intermediate. Must be comfortable with at least one butt method prior to class.
Folds: Left or Right Opening Folds (teacher is left opening. If you are a right opening braider, all lacing diagrams will be shown on the FRONT of the work).
Instructor experience: Christine Manges is an experienced online teacher of rug braiding, and she illustrates handouts with detailed diagrams. She enjoys sharing her love of rug braiding.
Advanced
Teacher Classes
Anchor 1
Marjorie Kauffman's Snow Star #1
Instructor: Christine Manges
Description: This 5-session course over Zoom will teach you how to braid Marjorie Kauffman's FIRST Snow Star! Last year, many braiders enjoyed creating their own version of Marjorie's second Snow Star, which was a tricky project. This shape is easier (no twisted centers!) but still has its own challenges, such as a 13-loop center with a triple corner, to fill the tear-drop spaces. It definitely will be easier than last year's snow star, however.
You are welcome to duplicate Marjorie's Snow Star I or to branch off and make your own version with different colors, a different border design, making it larger or smaller...
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Fridays at 1 pm EST over Zoom: Nov 8, 22, Dec 6, Dec 20, 2024, & Jan 3, 2025
Cost: $90 for 5 sessions (includes pattern fee for Marjorie).
Supplies needed: About 4 yards of wool in a mix of lights, darks, and mediums. More light wools than dark and medium. Finished size of Marjorie's rug: 45 inches diameter.
Braid Level: Intermediate/Advanced. Must be comfortable with at least one butt method prior to class. Some experience with stacking double corners is helpful but not required.
Folds: Left or Right Opening Folds (teacher is left opening. If you are a right opening braider, all lacing diagrams will be shown on the FRONT of the work).
Instructor experience: Christine Manges is an experienced online teacher of rug braiding, and she illustrates handouts with detailed diagrams. She enjoys sharing her love of rug braiding.
Braided Frames to Rug Hooking/Punching
Instructor: Kris McDermet
Description: This 2-session course over Zoom will teach you how to finish your rug hooking, punching, or other needlework so that it is ready for attaching braids, then how to add a braided row as a beautiful frame for your piece!
All classes are recorded and available for repeat viewing for one year.
Class Dates: Tuesdays at 5:30 pm EST over Zoom: March 11 and 18, 2025
Cost: $80 for 2 sessions (recorded for later viewing).
Supplies needed: A rug-hooked or rug-punched or needlework piece, either 7" round or 5" X 7" oval. Instructor will send a list of other supplies when you register.
Braid Level: Intermediate: Must know how to butt braids by any method. (See butt classes offered through the guild, if needed).
Folds: Left Opening Folds
Instructor: Kris McDermet is an award-winning teacher and artist. She is known for her art pieces combining braiding, rug hooking, felting, quilling, and techology (lighting, sound). See her work at: https://www.krismcdermet.com/
NOTE: if you have an idea for a class that you would like to take OR teach, please email Christine Manges, the Education Chair. If you would like private lessons over Zoom in a technique, also email the Education Chair.​
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