Jane started weaving at 21, purchasing a new Fanny loom with the help of a chattel mortgage on her 1976 Chevette. Before two years had passed, Jane was accepted as an ambitious – though possibly under-qualified – student at the Banff School of Fine Arts. In another two years, Jane was a teaching assistant at the Banff Centre; after a few more, she was an instructor there. In the years that have followed, Jane has had the great fortune of earning a livelihood based on what she loves most—weaving and sharing her passion for excellence in cloth.
In earlier years, Jane was a production weaver and sought-after workshop instructor, introducing countless weavers to the possibilities of colour and design in cloth, while at the same time consulting closely in the design of the Louet Jane Loom and helping thousands of weavers learn to use Louet looms on instructional DVDs.
For many years Jane taught exclusively in her studio on beautiful Salt Spring Island, British Columbia. Weavers came from all over the continent to attend JST’s famous weaving retreats, which contributed to Jane’s being named Teacher of the Year by Handwoven magazine in 2014. In 2016 Jane created the Jane Stafford School of Weaving, formerly known as JST Online Guild, a stream-able weaving resource viewed by thousands of weavers around the world. The School of Weaving is a resource that allows anyone, anywhere access to Jane’s workshops from the comfort of their own home.