Textile Design Apprentice

About the role

This is a project-focused, full-time salary position in a studio located on the Blue Hill Peninsula in Maine, one hour south of Acadia National Park. The apprentice will work directly with Elizabeth Whelan on a quadruple-layer fabric for seating. The studio is equipped with two compu-dobby looms (24-Harness ARM loom and a 32 harness AVL K-Series Loom), design computers with Adobe Creative Suites and Weavepoint, a dye-lab, and a sublimation press. This project is funded by the Maine Technology Institute.

Requirements

• Textile knowledge in weave and pattern design
• Knowledge of Weavepoint, Adobe Creative Suites, Microsoft Office, Apple's Pages and Numbers
• Knowledge of drafting and hand weaving on a 16-harness loom
• Knowledge of dyeing yarns and fabrics/creating color
• Well-organized for projects and project management
• Ability to work with EW to create prototypes and samples and takes direction well
• Good communication abilities with vendors and mills
• Self-starter and independent thinker

Qualifications

• Trustworthy, intelligent, courteous and professional
• Reliable, respectful and works well with others
• Location requires having a car

About the studio

The mission at Elizabeth Whelan Design is to create fabrics that combine beauty and utility to advance the textile medium. By doing so, our fabrics improve products that are used daily and improve the health of the planet. We work within industry and understand that excellence in design includes partnership and commerce.

Location & lifestyle

Life along the Maine coast offers the opportunity to be close to nature and enjoy outdoor life. The four seasons, locally sourced food from farms, fresh fish and small communities provide an alternative to the urban lifestyle. This area of Downeast Maine has attracted artists, writers, photographers, musicians and craft for over two centuries. Haystack Mountain School of Craft and the Wooden Boat School are close by. It provides a unique living experience where the forces and beauty of nature challenge human ambition and capabilities and open the door for personal and professional growth.