History of the Weavers’ School

The Beginning - In 1984

Madelyn van der Hoogt opened The Weavers’ School in Fayette, Missouri, in the fall of 1984. The first  classes were held in an old farmhouse, where the students also slept and ate all their meals. To open  the front door, some of the Baby Wolf looms had to be folded up! The dining room table doubled as meal site and classroom desk. In 1986, Margaret Heller joined Madelyn as the first studio director and fabulous cook.

Classrooms expand

In 1990, a new classroom was built to accommodate the over thirty looms that had become essential to the curriculum--as each weave structure was added, so was a new loom. The new space provided over 1500 square feet for looms and a separate classroom area. The old school was then designated as the "dormitory," housing as many as ten students per class.

The Weavers’ School moves to Washington

In 1993, Madelyn moved to Whidbey Island in Puget Sound. So did all of her looms and the school. Suzie Liles joined her on Whidbey as Studio Director and Patty Huffer as occasional Studio Assistant. In 2012, Madelyn "retired" from her Day Job as editor of Handwoven magazine to devote more time to teaching, weaving, and writing. The school currently offers four Weaving I classes and three Weaving II classes yearly.