Designer Spotlight Blog Post – Deb Essen
Happy Spring everyone! Welcome back to our Designer Spotlight series. This week’s feature comes from Deb Essen, a name you have surely heard if you have attended Convergence or regional conference. Deb loves to teach! You may also know her amazing kits with prewound warps available on our website. When Deb isn’t travelling the country to teach, she is at the loom designing drafts, kits, and writing books.
Please note that all photos are used with Deb's permission, and all the photos belong entirely to her.
Meet the designer, Deb Essen!
Tell Us About Yourself.
I don't feel that I "fit" into one definition of a weaver. I'm a "technical" weaver who loves weave structure but also is fascinated by color/color and weave designs. I love my 12-shaft floor loom but also love my rigid heddle and pin loom because they can come with me wherever I roam.
I have yet to find something in weaving that doesn't make some part of me happy! Except for long warps - I am NOT a production weaver! My favorite part is the design/discovery part and after about 20 inches and I see the idea that was in my head in cloth, I am ready to work on another idea. Which is why I create kits for hand weavers!
How did you get started in weaving?
I first saw a weaver in action when I was about 9 years old. I found it fascinating! I knew deep down inside I had to learn to weave (I often joke that I was a weaver in another life or maybe there is something to genetic memory). Which I finally did in my early 30's. I joined the Minnesota Weavers Guild and took spinning classes, rigid heddle, floor loom - any class I could get signed up for. It wasn't until later that I realized the amazing teachers I had - Gretchen Straton for floor loom, Janet Meany and Paula Pfaff for rag rug and more. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!
What Looms Do You Use?
My first loom was a Kessenich 4-shaft jack loom, which I still have, but don't use often since I got my 12 shaft Glimakra countermarche loom in the early 2000's. (I have the draw loom attachment for it, but haven't set it up yet due to space restrictions in my studio - sigh...) I also have an 8-shaft Schacht Wolf Pup jack loom that is my "sampling" and quick/narrow project loom. I have my original Beka rigid heddle but now use my Schacht Flip rigid heddle all the time. Rounding everything off is my Schacht Zoom Loom (pin loom).
Special Tools for Weaving?
My Fiberworks weaving software. I can spend hours playing with designs.
Chasing Rainbows Napkin Kit
Favorite Weave Structure?
Oh, that depends on the day of the week! Although I will say that Monk's Belt as a supplemental warp is so much fun to design for and weave!
Favorite Lunatic Fringe Yarns Product?
The Tubular Spectrum™ mercerized cottons! I love the range of colors and how all the yarns play so well together!
Your Inspiration? Why do you Weave?
Pattern - I have a wealth of photos of fabrics, landscapes, buildings etc that just get stuck in my head to try to create in cloth.
Why Do You Weave?
Because it makes me happy. And having something that makes me happy AND is practical is a pretty amazing feeling.
What are you up to?
I'm continuing to offer classes and guild presentations via Zoom and in person. I have a list on the Teaching Page of my website. I'm heading to the 2025 MAFA and NEWS conferences this summer. In addition to "Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps", I also have two new weaving books being released in 2025 through Schiffer Publishing. One book is a collection of all the Swatch Critter patterns I designed as kits for the pin loom. The second book is on Profile Drafting. Both are being released for Fall of 2025 and are available for pre-order through Schiffer Publishing.
Anything Else?
I love to weave samples - samples allow me to play with structure, design, color to my heart's content
Last Question...Cake or Pie?
Pie!
Thanks Deb!
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us!
You can find Deb on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @djehandwovens
and on her website: www.djehandwovens.com