Textiles & Tea Episode 234 Laura Fry

Textiles & Tea with Laura Fry The Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.'s (HGA) takes place every Tuesday at 4 PM (ET). We've invited some of the most respected fiber artists in the field today to join us for an hour-long conversation where we discuss their artwork and their creative journey. Make a cup of your favorite tea and join us as we talk about fiber, creativity, inspiration, process and so much more. Laura Fry chose weaving as a career in 1975 and took weaving classes at Banff School of Fine Arts in Alberta and Varpapuu Summer Weaving School in Finland. She started her business in 1977, and since 1980 has worked full-time as a professional handweaver. Laura’s business focus has evolved over the years from table textiles to weaving yardage on contract for a fashion designer. In addition, Laura teaches throughout Canada and the United States, writes for a variety of textile publications, and wins awards for her clothing fabrics. After years of work and study, Laura earned certification in 1997 as one of Canada’s Master Weavers, the 27th to achieve the honor. Laura’s meticulous approach to weaving quality fabrics is characterized by her attention to wet finishing, a procedure often neglected and little understood by most handweavers. Her guidelines make professional-quality finishing achievable by every handweaver, hobbyist, and professional alike. By examining her actual fabrics, both before and after wet finishing, you will understand why Laura says, "It isn’t finished until it’s wet finished." This episode originally aired on July 22, 2025.