Fall 2019 • Spin Off 85
Despite a stream of orders, even Walt had no
idea just how much demand there would be for his
specialized seats. That is, until he took them to market
at Convergence 1998 in Atlanta and left with a three-
month order list. Since that time, Walt has had as long
as a two-year waiting list for his custom seats. His three-
day workshops, in which the students weave their own
spinning and weaving benches, have an equally long wait
list—and all of this is driven mostly by word of mouth.The Keys to a Comfortable Spinning Seat
We won’t all be fortunate enough to own one of the
handful of seats that Walt is able to turn out per month
(remember that waiting list?), but Walt wants to share
his helpful discoveries so we can all find a chair that
matches our bodies and wheels. (Read more about
spinning posture on page 80.)The Art Behind the Science
What’s so special about a Walt Turpening spinning
chair? Many say it is his way of blending a craftsman’s
aesthetic with careful measurements and attention to
the specific needs of the end user. Researching and
developing a weaving bench eventually led him to
create chairs specifically designed for spinners, knitters,
quilters, and beyond.
In the early 1990s, Walt was first inspired to create
the ideal seat for the fiber artist by watching his wife,
Ellen, weaving at her floor loom. While watching her
weave day after day, Walt’s technical mind noted that
were she sitting up higher (elbows above the breast
beam), she wouldn’t need to reach up for the beater
and the beat itself would be a more fluid movement.
More importantly, she wouldn’t put as much strain
on her trapezius muscles. Through discussions
with occupational and physical therapists and
experimentation, Walt developed his own key to lower-
and upper-body measurements and corresponding
crucial loom measurements to fashion a comfortable
weight-supporting weaving bench. This scientist leaves
nothing to chance.
Walt’s bench supports the weaver’s weight on a
curved handwoven cotton seat, helping to relieve
pressure in the weaver’s lower back. The seat’s height
is actually its center point. The front and back of the
frame are built lower than this height, so that there is
little pressure on the backs of the weaver’s legs—a major
cause of lower back pain and foot and leg numbness.
The bench’s height ensures that the weaver’s elbows
are at or above the breast beam of the loom, taking the
strain off shoulders, neck, and trapezius muscles.
Walt’s bench design evolved, and he eventually
learned best methods for making his own braided-in-
color cord, as well as how to weave the colorful cording
into pleasing twill designs—based on Ellen’s initial
recommendation of adding color to the once all-white
seats. Eventually, he even developed a seat that rests on
rails for weavers who work at wide looms.
When the couple’s fellow fiber guild members took
notice and began placing orders for their own custom
seats, Walt began reconfiguring his weaver’s bench into
a similarly fashioned chair to meet the needs of spinners
and other fiber artists.Walt meticulously sets up this round antique braiding
machine (similar to Japanese kumihimo weaving, but
much faster) to create his cords in gradients or solids.Photos^ courtesy^ of^ Walt^Turpeningunless^ otherwiseindicated