About Us
Photos of us
Barefoot Handweaving is just down the road from our old studio, Weavers' Corner. We are now just to the north of the Forge and Furnace Gallery on Hwy 3A. Our new straw bale walls keep us warm and cool! Crawford Bay is in the Central Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. It is about 1 hour north of Creston and a 1/2 hour drive plus a 35 minute free ferry ride across Kootenay Lake east of Nelson, a recognized arts town.
It really is made of straw!
The porthole of truth

This area is famous for having few people and much wilderness. Our studio is tucked back into the forest. Only the front is open to the highway.We see everything from great blue herons and bald eagles to deer and cougars right out the door. In the winter there can be a lot of snow and we've been known to head right out our door for a ski by the lake or on the nearby Kokanee Springs golf course during lunch break.
Standing at the doorway looking left and right.

Visiting is the best way to get the whole experience. Watch and ask questions as we warp the loom, choose colours, weave the cloth and sew the pieces together. If you are lucky you may catch us dying - yarn that is!
The weaver's handshake is to rub the fabric between your thumb and fingers to feel the quality. It is satisfying to try on a new garment or shawl and know that it is the one for you!
"Gertrude" is an 8 harness countermarche loom made by Woolhouse Looms in Armstrong, B.C.
Threading a new warp onto "Gertrude" in the studio takes between 12-20 hours. This loom is 58" wide and uses well over 1000 threads.