Emily Gywnn, left, is one of seven weavers who will be opening their studios for the Working Weavers Studio Trail tour. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Working Weavers Studio Trail will happen on Oct. 22 and 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

In its first run since 2019, the Working Weavers are welcoming people back into their studios for its fourth Studio Trail tour, which snakes through the Pioneer Valley from Shelburne Falls to Florence.

Featuring seven weavers and three guest weavers, folks are invited on Oct. 22 and 23 to stop by each of the studios to purchase woven products while also learning about the process and the work that goes into creating hand-crafted clothes and accessories. Studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Paula Veleta, one of Working Weavers’ founders, said it is great to be welcoming people back into their studios for the fourth time.

“We’re back on,” Veleta said. “People have been anticipating it and looking forward to it.”

Working down from Franklin County, folks can start with the Shelburne Falls trio of Peggy Hart, Emily Gwynn and Sue McFarland, along with guest weaver Lisa Bertoldi. From there, the trail continues into Lisa Hill’s studio in Conway, also featuring guest weaver Trish Colson-Montgomery, before finishing off with the Florence trio of Scott Norris, Chris Hammel and Veleta, with Judi Bajot as the guest weaver.

A downloadable trail map, along with driving directions can be found here: workingweavers.com/map.

Each weaver brings their own unique experience and product to their studio. For Veleta, her 15 years of weaving have produced a passion for home goods like pillows and accessories like scarves or fabric for bags.

“We have a nice range of different things people make … there’s just a really nice range of different approaches,” Veleta said. “People will be able to see a real range of the things we all do.”

Founded in 2016, Veleta said the Working Weavers saw the success of similar events like the Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour and wanted to do something to highlight weavers in the Pioneer Valley, which led to the first studio tour in 2017.

“What if we did one for just weavers? That’s where the idea came from,” Veleta said. “The idea was to get people to look at and appreciate handmade items.”

And with such a storied history of weaving in Franklin and Hampshire counties, Veleta said it’s a chance to connect with a tradition that has been here for hundreds of years.

“In a world where a lot of stuff is mechanized and you can get it anywhere for very cheap,” she said, “we’re attempting to draw people to witness that (history) in a modern context, in a way that the potters do.”

This year’s tour also features the Trail Pass, which can be picked up at any of the seven studios. Each weaver visited will stamp the pass and if you get seven stamps, then you can enter a raffle for a gift certificate or woven items. The winner will be picked in November.

For more information, visit workingweavers.com.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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