From Alum to Weave Technician, Regina Burkholder's Showcase

In the Fall of 2022, Regina Burkholder joined the Textile Design team as our new Weave Technician. She's an alum and an adjunct professor, so she was already well-known to our students and was familiar with the lay of the land. We are excited to have her on campus full-time. Read on to hear about Regina's path back to Textile Design.

As a Philadelphia University Alum and now weave technician and adjunct faculty at Thomas Jefferson University, I have the honor to showcase my work as a student, a textile industry professional, and work from my current role in the main lobby of Hayward Hall.

While attending Philadelphia University from 2003-2007, I pulled inspiration from movies, nature, and my family lineage to create my designs. I created award-winning student work, including the jacquard collection featured in the showcase, which won first place in the International Textile Alliance Virginia Jackson Competition in 2008.

After graduating with my BSTD in 2007, I began my textile career at Craftex Mills. From there, I worked with Sunbury Textile Mills and then Keystone Weaving. Over the years working for these domestic upholstery mills, I have designed and merchandized jacquard and dobby wovens for various price points and aesthetics. My designs have been produced and sold to retailers and manufacturers, including Bassett, Anthropologie, Arhaus, and Cisco Bros.

In 2016 I joined the university as an adjunct professor teaching Jacquard Design and Advanced Jacquard. Since then, I’ve also taught Print electives and Weave Technology II. Currently, I am teaching print design in the Textile Design Studio Sequence. As the weave technician in the power weaving lab, I also work with students to produce their woven samples. I offer feedback and inspire iterative development of fabric ideas in the power weaving lab. I love being part of the legacy of the Textile Design community of makers and designers here at Jefferson. Visit me in Hayward Hall 028 to learn more about the Textile Design program!