COE - or Certificate of Excellence - Weaving
For the last four years I have been working on my Certificate of Excellence in Weaving Level 1. This is an educational program through the Handweavers Guild of America. I haven’t really posted much about it since the judging is kept very anonymous. (This is also one of the reasons my posts have been very sparse as I finished the requirements to meet the deadline.)
The first of October I mailed a box containing 40 woven samples and several pages of written material to the Guild in Seattle WA that was hosting the judging for 2006. From then it has been a waiting game till time for the judging and waiting to hear the results. Another member of my Guild submitted her Level 2 work.
Today my waiting came to an end. I was at a dyeing day with the Delightful Dyers group from my local Guild when my phone made a funny noise. I had a voice message but the phone was indicating I had no service. Funny, the phone has worked there before…. So I went outside and could make a call to listen to the message. Dang - It was the call I have been waiting all week for and I missed the number to call back cause I’m standing outside in the cold with no pen. I ran back inside to get something to write on and tell a couple of the ladies to send Mary out if I start kicking on the door - there’s no way I’m going to chance going back inside and lose the connection. I had to slog through a couple of old messages that are still on the phone to get the phone number. I was so glad the call was answered after only a couple of rings. I was told I passed and while I was listening to the fact I was the only Level 1 entry that did pass Mary came outside. She about turned around and went back in when she saw the look of concern on my face. (I really feel for those who did not make it!) I gave her the phone and she found out she also passed.
About that time people were checking to see what we were up to and the celebration started. What great timing - it was wonderful to be able to share our news with other weavers who have been supporting us as we worked through this process. I’m still floating up near the ceiling.
Now I plan on writing about some of the weaving techniques I was required to weave samples of. Working on the COE has been a great experience. I learned a lot and have found some weave structures that I really like (bead leno is one of them). Many of the requirements are things I had heard about and wanted to explore. The Certificate forced me to try them sooner, rather than later. I highly recommend weavers look into the Certificate of Excellence program. Even if you never submit your samples to be judged, the weaving education you can get is priceless.
Congratulations! That is so exciting. I have thought about doing the COE program as well. I work full time, however, and that makes me hesitate. I am looking forward to hearing about your experiences with this. Thanks for sharing!
Cathy
Thank you Cathy!! I would not hesitate to start working on the COE if I was you. Take your time and don’t push to have it done in the immediate future. I worked on mine for four years. As long as you do not register and send in your fees, there is no time table you need to follow or reason you have to submit your work right away. The Certificate of Excellence program is a great study tool and should be used as such. Order the booklet from HGA and start exploring it. If you start weaving samples you may want to submit later, be sure to take good notes. That is one of the hardest things to be consistent about. Get a notebook and write everything down as you do it. Or set up a template in your computer and use that. Another thing to remember, follow the instructions exactly. That is one of the things the examiners look for.
Vila