Hi, Tien Chiu here!

It started when I bought a loom, and fell in love.
With help from my mentors, I became a
well-known, expert weaver.

A decade later, I quit my job at Google to give it all back to the weaving community.

Hi! I'm Tien Chiu.

I bought a loom, and fell in love with it.

I became an expert weaver...

Now I want to give back.

Hi, Tien Chiu here!

It started when I bought a loom, and fell madly in love.
With help from my mentors, I became a well-known, expert weaver..

And a decade later, I quit my job at Google to give it all back to the weaving community.

So many people gave to me when I was learning to weave that, as soon as I could, I started giving back.

I’m told it was rare to design my own drafts after only one year of weaving. Yes, I was ambitious.

Yet I know it’s even rarer that established weavers would take me under their wing, teach me the ins and outs of the craft, and dedicate hours of their time to my advancement - all while expecting nothing in return. But that’s exactly what I was blessed with.

This initial experience showed me first-hand, the pure generosity of the weaving community.

And I know without that guidance, I wouldn’t have seen my Kodachrome Jacket featured on the cover of Handwoven, my wedding dress wouldn’t be part of the permanent collection at the American Textile History Museum, and I would never have been recognized for so many awards and publications.

And as I perfected my craft, I knew I wanted to be that same pillar for other weavers - to pass along the humanitarian and mentorship torch that I so gratefully received.

And so here we are, my friend….

How Can I Help You?

Whether it’s through my helpful blogs, magazine articles and interviews, online galleries, Facebook communities, or online courses - I’m hopeful my corner of the internet can provide you the guidance you stopped by for.

Hi, I’m
Tien Chiu

a reformed color fool.

And I know what it feels like when your colors weave into mud.

 What it’s like to purchase expensive yarn and spend time designing your piece...

Only for it all to turn into an awful greyish-brown.

What’s worse - not knowing what you did wrong, leading to limited course correction for next time.

I can relate so well because I wasn’t born with any artistic color talent.

Nope. Not even close.

In fact, I thought art was something only for those otherworldly people who had gifts far beyond my own. They were fearless in the face of color, because they knew how to use it. I, on the other hand, knew nothing about color, and always feared a looming disaster.

But after years of dissecting both the art and science of color - things began to click. I took my color theory research to next-level status: dyeing over 2,500 skeins of yarn to learn about color mixing, weaving hundreds of color swatches to understand the role of the draft, and thoroughly studying the human visual system to understand how our eyes perceive color.

Today, I have formulas, models, and proven principles that break down the concept of color. (And I make it FUN and simple to understand, too!)

All this has led to my devotion to sharing my color knowledge and teaching fiber artists to design beautiful, handwoven cloth that they are proud of. I even wrote articles for every issue of Complex Weavers Journal for four straight years, unpaid, because I’m so passionate about delivering knowledge to other weavers.

My online resources have helped hundreds of brilliant weavers like YOU improve their knowledge, processes, and the overall beauty of their end projects.

Let’s get you started with a few of

My Favorite Secrets:

If it looks boring, liven it up with a thread or two of a clashing color!

Black and white contrast is the most important thing in a color composition.

Naming your loom makes everything more enjoyable. “Maryam Mirzakhani” is my current loom. (I name all mine after female mathematicians!)

Even if you're as terrified of color as I was, you do NOT have to use black in everything.

You can use any two colors together if you find the right color to "bridge the gap" between them.

Want a few
more secrets?

Sign up for the Handweaving Academy newsletter and grab your free Color Secrets e-book!

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