Catherine Malichecq is a weaver, designer and weaving instructor based in Quebec. Founder of Tisse et File, she teaches weaving in French, both in person in the Montreal area and online.
Catherine has taught weaving to hundreds of people, both in person and online, from the fundamentals of weaving to the exploration of more advanced techniques and weave structures. She has also taught outside Tisse et File, including for Cercles de Fermières and within Quebec's weaving guild community.
Her teaching is guided by one central idea: understanding how cloth is constructed rather than simply following a recipe. Her goal is to give weavers the tools they need to observe, analyze, experiment and gradually develop their own projects.
Understanding rather than reproducing
A weaving draft can tell you which shafts to thread, which tie-up to use and in what order to treadle. But following those instructions and understanding why they produce a particular cloth are two different things.
That understanding is central to Catherine's approach to teaching.
Observation, sampling and analysis play an important role in her workshops. Depending on the subject, participants are encouraged to understand the relationships between threading, tie-up, treadling, warp, weft and weave structure.
The goal is to gradually move beyond simply completing a project: to understand the underlying principles well enough to make informed choices, modify a structure, analyze a result and independently explore new possibilities.
Learning a weave structure is not about learning a recipe.
It is about gaining a new tool for understanding, experimenting and creating through weaving.
A continuing journey of learning
Catherine's textile practice has progressively focused on weaving and the study of weave structures. Her desire to understand what happens beyond the technical gesture has led her to continually deepen her knowledge through hands-on practice, sampling, analysis and study.
She has achieved the Senior Level of the Guild of Canadian Weavers' Master Weaver Program and is currently working toward the Master Level.
This path involves the study and exploration of numerous weave structures and techniques, along with extensive work in textile analysis and design. This ongoing process informs both Catherine's personal weaving practice and the way she teaches.
From the fundamentals to more advanced structures
Catherine's teaching goes beyond learning the first steps at the loom. Her workshops allow weavers to progress from the fundamentals to a deeper exploration of specific techniques and weave structures.
She designs and teaches workshops covering subjects such as:
- learning to weave on a shaft loom;
- rigid heddle weaving;
- warping and loom preparation;
- pick-up techniques and the use of a pick-up stick;
- weaving with two rigid heddles;
- double weave;
- the study and understanding of weave structures;
- using Fiberworks as a tool for weaving.
Depending on the workshop, the work may take the form of a project, a series of exercises or samples designed to become useful references for future weaving projects.
Workshops by Catherine Malichecq
Workshops designed and taught by Catherine are offered periodically in person at Tisse et File in Mercier, in the Montreal area. She also contributes to the development of educational content and resources devoted to weaving.
Workshop pages remain available even when no new date is currently scheduled. This makes it possible to explore the subjects Catherine teaches and learn about the content and level of each workshop.
Recent achievements and recognition
Catherine's weaving has been presented and recognized in a variety of settings, including through the Guild of Canadian Weavers, the Association des tisserands du Québec and the Cercles de Fermières du Québec.
- Senior Level – Master Weaver Program, Guild of Canadian Weavers
- Nell Steedsman Award – Guild of Canadian Weavers
- People's Choice Bronze Award – Association des tisserands du Québec Congress
Catherine is currently continuing her work toward the Master Level of the Guild of Canadian Weavers' Master Weaver Program.
Founder of Tisse et File
Catherine founded Tisse et File, a specialized weaving and spinning shop and learning space located in Mercier, Quebec.
Tisse et File offers weaving looms, spinning wheels, yarns and fibres, tools, books and resources, as well as in-person workshops and online courses.
Tisse et File's educational program is not limited to Catherine's teaching. Other instructors also share their own areas of expertise, and each workshop clearly identifies the person who designed or teaches it.
Continue learning
Whether you are discovering weaving for the first time or looking to deepen your understanding of a particular technique or weave structure, explore the workshops and resources available through Tisse et File.