Weaving - Paper & Light NEW! Online Class Mar 7

Weaving - Paper & Light NEW! Online Class
Saturday, March 7, 10:30am-12:30pm MT
Instructor: Helen Hiebert
Limit: 15 students. All participants must be 15 years or older.
*Class materials not included - see the materials list below for what to have on hand.

Class Details

Love the glow of light coming through paper? The soft light it casts is mesmerizing, creating a soft, inviting ambience. Paper aficionado Helen Hiebert has created a sculptural paper lantern that’s a delightful version of a practical Chinese invention. Dating back centuries, its purpose was to prevent wind from blowing out the flame of a candle. This simple light source morphed into elaborate lanterns that are an integral part of annual festivals all over the world. Symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness, they’re held in the darkest months of the year. 

Bring the soft, gentle glow of light into your home with an eye-catching lantern woven from paper. Learn from Helen how to cut curvy strips of paper to form the warp and weft (the vertical and horizontal “threads”) of a flat weaving, as well as how to cut windows to let the light through the woven layers. Connect the ends of the flat weaving with a unique woven hinge, then position a battery operated tea light inside to illuminate it. There are so many decorative papers out there that it’s both fun and easy to come up with a multitude of unique combinations.

How relaxing . . . enjoy a friendly little light to chase away the darkness!

This online class will be recorded and made available to class participants for 14 days after the class.

Class Materials

Please bring the following materials:

• Hinge template printed on white cardstock (you will receive a PDF to print ahead of class)
• One sheet of light to midweight card stock, cut to 6" x 11", grain short
  
• One sheet of semi-translucent paper with some body (not too flimsy) cut to 5" x 8-3/4", grain short. (A note on paper grain. Don’t worry too much about it. It just helps your paper roll into a cylinder a bit better. If you want to know more about grain, check out Helen’s video How to Test Paper Grain
  
• One bamboo skewer, 1/8” diameter and at least 6” long
• Pencil + eraser
• Cutting mat (9” x 12” or 12” x 18”)
• Xacto knife or similar with a sharp blade
• Scissors
• Metal 12” ruler
  
• Small piece of plastic (2” x 5”-ish) from a yogurt container, plastic placemat, notebook cover, etc. This will be used as a mini cutting mat
  
• White glue + small brush (¼” max brush width. A kid’s paintbrush is okay)
  
• Battery-operated tea light
  

• Heavy-duty scissors or garden clippers to cut the skewer
  

Zoom Info

An email will be sent to participants the Monday before the class. Classes with homework may receive pre-class info earlier.  The email includes class date/time, materials list, pre-class prep, and Zoom link/info. No email? Double check the email address you entered when you registered and your SPAM folder. Due to SPAM filters and inbox settings, we cannot guarantee you will see, read, or open these emails. Two Hands Paperie assumes no responsibility for non-attendance of a class. Contact twohandsclasses@gmail.com with any questions and see our Class Policies page for more information. 

Class Refund/Cancellation Policy - Online Class Without Kit

For cancellation made 14 days before class we can either issue a refund or apply the funds to another class. We retain a $10 processing fee for EACH class cancelled. If you cancel fewer than 14 days before the class there is no refund or credit. If Two Hands Paperie cancels a class, we’ll contact you by email and refund the FULL class fee.

Instructor Bio

Helen Hiebert is a Colorado artist who uses handmade paper as her primary medium. Her work, which ranges from sculptures and installations to films and artist books, is exhibited internationally and online. Helen also teaches and lectures on all things paper, and is the author of several how-to books about papermaking and papercrafts. Her most recent book is Weaving With Paper (Storey Publishing, 2025).

Helen has an extensive network of paper colleagues around the world. That, plus her interest in how paper is used to make more things than you can imagine, keep her up-to-date on current paper trends. She writes a weekly blog called The Sunday Paper and interviews papermakers and paper artists for her podcast Paper Talk. In addition to offering master classes in papermaking and an annual retreat at her studio in Red Cliff, Colorado, Helen also holds an annual retreat in Taos, New Mexico. If you have questions about paper, Helen is the person to talk to!

Visit her website at helenhiebertstudio.com