Firecrow News
Weave a Napkin workshop at Drift Farmstead
weaving workshops for beginners on Memorial Day weekend in central Vermont
I'm thrilled to be partnering with my friends Josh and Misse to host beginner weaving workshops at their Drift Farmstead on May 27 and 28, 2023! If you live near central Vermont, and would like to weave your own napkin on a four-harness floor loom, sign up today by emailing or calling me at kathy@firecrowhandwovens.com or (413) 522-0358!
$125/session for two people (each will weave on one loom at the same time)
I'll also have a Trunk Show & Sale of my work - mostly handwoven wearables - scarves, shawls, ponchos, vests & hats!
The workshops are part of a larger Open House & Open Studios event - Josh Axelrod Photography Open Studio & Sale (www.joshaxelrod.com) and the Vermont Farm & Forest School Open House (www.vermontfarmandforestschool.org). There will also be hot pizzas from the outdoor stone oven, sausages (and vegan options) with peppers & onions, farm tours, a donut social, shopping at The Farm Store and more! for a full lineup visit www.driftfarmsteadvt.com!
Weaving Workshop Sessions both days (contact me for availability, first come first served for sign-ups!):
9-10:30 am
10:45-12:15
12:30-2:00
2:15-3:45
Share a Smile / Fall 2022 shows
October 2022
Everyone knows we're living in challenging times, and we're doing the best we can!
One way to help cope is to "share your light" with others. Smiles brighten peoples' days - it's that sharing of positive energy, the lightness that comes when smiling eyes meet and the simple exchange of kindness.
I sell my weaving at a LOT of juried shows annually (check out the calendar to see where I am) and meeting people is one of the joys of my life. This quote from Howard Thurman sums it all up:
"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Go be YOU and share your gifts with the world. And always remember to smile! 
Back in Action - Summer 2021
Summertime shows are happening!
Well it has been a very long year, and I've been missing meeting you and sharing my handwoven pieces with you a lot! Thankfully, COVID is presently being kept at bay thanks to vaccinations and careful planning by event organizers.
I'm thrilled to have lined up a few shows for the summer & fall ... not sure the indoor ones in November & December will be safe to hold, but we shall see as time goes by.
First up is the 88th annual Craftsmen's (and women's!) Fair at Sunapee Mountain, through the prestigious League of NH Craftsmen. I'll be there and would love to show you my new work, including HATS made with leftover chenille and organic cotton/hemp fleece. Super soft and matching vests and scarves for a full ensemble of delightfulness!
Next up will be Longs Park in Lancaster, PA, over Labor Day weekend. This event has a wonderful venue - grassy park, lovely pond and shady trees to relax under as you contemplate your purchases of fine craft and art.
Watch the calendar page of this website for more info, dates & times of shows. I hope to see you this summer and fall!
Virtual Shows in 2020
Central PA Festival of the Arts July 9-12
It's a wild and crazy 2020 for sure and many of us artists are experiencing cancellations of the very events at which we make our living - high end juried shows throughout the country.
Many event organizers are instead, hosting "virtual" shows which basically means they're updating their websites to include photos and links directly to our websites, where you can purchase our work online. Many of them do this anyways as part of marketing the show; some are also hosting musical and artist demo events during the "virtual show."
The Central PA Festival of the Arts is hosting a virtual show July 9-12. Please visit www.arts-festival.com to "attend" that show which I'm participating in.
Obviously it won't be nearly as much fun as meeting each of you a
nd sharing my work with you individually, and talking about it, and inviting you to touch and try on each piece.
But, as the "next best thing," during this pandemic, I invite you to participate in this virtual show with me and purchase my work that way. We can talk via email and I'll be happy to answer your questions about fiber, texture, process, etc.
Right now, a few shows are planning (hoping) to go forward with physical events in September and October. These include the Crafts at Lyndhurst Tarrytown NY show, Fruitlands Museum show in Harvard MA and the Stowe Fall Foliage Crafts Festival in Stowe VT. I hope to see you there (fingers crossed).
Thank You for your support of me, and of the arts!
Shows Cancelling Update
Hi friends,
I'm sorry to say that many fine art and craft shows throughout the country are cancelling, due to the virus sweeping our nation. Among these are the Paradise City Arts Festival, which was cancelled for next weekend. They plan to run it on June 12-14 but I will (hopefully) be in Columbus OH at a show that weekend.
If you were planning to attend Paradise City and would like to see more of my work, please email me at kathy@firecrowhandwovens.com and share what you're intersted in (scarves, shawls, ponchos, vests) and I will be happy to email you photos, of pieces you can purchase online.
Thank you for shopping online as a way to help artists survive these times while shows, the main sources of our income, continue to cancel for public health and safety reasons.
Thank you so much!
all the best,
Kathy Litchfield - owner, designer, weaver
From Grit to Glory
Handmade Business Magazine Spotlighted Firecrow Handwovens
April 2019:
https://handmade-business.com/from-grit-to-glory/
5 Ways to Choose a Scarf - so you Feel Good Now!
color and texture matter
Five Ways to Choose a Scarf – so you Feel Great Now
- Choose colors that highlight your eyes – ex. hazel eyes look great with earth toned scarves
- Choose colors that highlight your hair – ex. dark hair looks great with jewel tones and richer colors; blond hair looks great with pastels and lighter shades
- Choose textures that share an aspect of your personality – bold, courageous, subtle or sexy
- Choose colors that go with your wardrobe so that it will match several outfits/coats
- Go wild and crazy, and choose something totally different from what’s in your closet to shake up your wardrobe!
Did you recently buy a scarf, shawl or poncho? what choice did you make, and why?
Aromatherapy Herbal Pillows with Handwoven Fabric on TV-22’s Mass Appeal
Weaver Kathy Litchfield showed how to make herbal pillows and sachets with handwoven fabric scraps. Shown above is one in overshot and the other in deflected doubleweave.
TV-22 MassAppeal Host Seth Stuttman learns to Weave
TV-22 MassAppeal Host Seth Stuttman learns to weave on a four-harness floor loom with weaver Kathy Litchfield demonstrating how to make cloth.
Dressing a Loom on MassAppeal
Host Lauren Zenzie talks with Kathy about how to dress a loom for weaving and Kathy demonstrates.
TV-22 MassAppeal Twisting Scarf Fringes
Kathy demonstrates how to hand twist the fringes on handwoven scarves to help them last a long time looking great.
http://wwlp.com/2016/12/14/make-your-scarves-last-a-lifetime-with-this-simple-trick/
CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) – It’s getting cold outside, which means we need winter gloves and scarves, to keep us not only warm, but fashionable too! Kathy Litchfield with Firecrow Handwovens showed us how to make our scarves last a lifetime!
"Here in Hanover" Magazine feature
League of NH Craftsmen Hanover Gallery featured
Here in Hanover" Magazine published a wonderful article about the League of NH Craftsmen, " signature of excellence" in their Winter 2016 issue. I'm one of several artists featured in their Hanover gallery at a special exhibit in Sept/Oct 2016. Read it here:
http://www.hereinhanover.com/2016/11/15/127632/in-this-issue-winter-2016
TV-22 Mass Appeal Thanksgiving Table Settings
Host Lauren Zenzie talks with Kathy about her handwoven cotton napkins and table runners with the Thanksgiving holiday right around the corner.
http://wwlp.com/2016/11/16/thanksgiving-place-settings/
CHICOPEE, Mass. (Mass Appeal) – Thanksgiving is around the corner, and if you’re in need of place settings and centerpieces, we have a solution for you! Kathy Litchfield with Firecrow Handwovens talked about place settings, table runners, and other decorations for your Thanksgiving feast!
TV-22 Mass Appeal Ponchos are Back in Style
Host Lauren talks with Kathy about handwoven ponchos, how to wear them and different styles available.
TV-22 Mass Appeal Handwoven Kitchen Cloths
Kathy demonstrates hand hemming handwoven kitchen cloths
http://wwlp.com/2016/09/14/hand-woven-decorative-towels/?cid=facebook_Mass_Appeal_on_WWLP
Art Beat: A life alive with color
by Trish Crapo, Greenfield Recorder
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
(Published in print: Thursday, February 18, 2016)
Turning onto Bascom Road off Lampblack Road in Greenfield and winding your way down the curving road into Gill is like driving back in time.
The narrow road, tunneled with trees, opens surprisingly into a broad expanse where two traditional New England farmhouses with barns, fields and pastures sit diagonally across the road from each other. At the second farm, two donkeys gaze with curiosity over the fence, while cattle search for grass under the snow with their noses.
People sometimes call the area “The Hidden Valley,” says weaver Kathy Litchfield, who lives and works in one of the farmhouses in Bascom Hollow. She and her husband, Ivan Ussach, work together with two other families to raise vegetables, cattle, pigs and chickens. And when she’s not doing farm chores, Litchfield is in her second- floor studio carrying on the centuries-old tradition of weaving clothing and kitchen linens by hand on wooden looms.
Litchfield first encountered weaving as a nine-year-old girl on a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village. She fell in love, she says.
Kathy interviewed on WHMP
Kathy was invited to talk about doing what you love and making a living from it on Ira Bryck’s WHMP radio show, Saturday, March 14, 2015. It was fun!
Here’s the link: http://www.whmp.com/podcasts/western-mass-business-show-3-14-15/
North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival
In October 2013, I helped to promote the North Quabbin Garlic & Arts Festival.
Watch the show clip here: http://www.wwlp.com/mass-appeal/how-to-wear-a-scarf-or-shawl
Kathy on MassAppeal
Watch Kathy teach TV-22 Host Seth Stuttman how to weave (not “knit”) a scarf on the loom! January 25, 2013 appearance on TV-22 News!
http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/mass_appeal/design/knitting-a-scarf-on-a-loom
