Beginnings

I love the look of looms. The first time I saw a loom sitting in an unused college classroom I knew I was going to weave. Textiles not being an option in the art major I was pursuing, I chose weaving. My first loom was an early 18th century barn frame loom, acquired in the early 1970s when I lived on a farm in the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia. Through workshops in weaving, spinning, and dyeing at the Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop in Elkins, WV, I acquired the basic skills to spin fiber and warp a loom and from there my autodidact nature took over, meaning I have since fumbled my way into the world of weaving learning whatever skills I required when I needed them.

 

It takes a long time to learn the skills and craft of weaving. You have to love the process and the sometimes tedious tasks. It is a mostly solitary activity—hours and days pass working alone. Returning to California, I was thrilled to discover the Weavers Barn at the Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum. This group of weavers provides some welcome human interaction and opportunities to teach classes and workshops. And, my curiosity about the provenance of the museum’s collection of looms, spinning wheels, and fiber tools drove me to begin chronicling the history of the looms—both the makers and the weavers.

From my try-everything learning days I have gradually narrowed my focus to rug weaving and tapestry work. In my home studio I currently work on a Harrisville rug loom or a Glimakra loom, but increasingly find myself choosing a simple tapestry pipe loom as I continue my weaving journey.

Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose

I find it personally satisfying to use resources that might otherwise be wasted to make something useful and pleasing. Rag rug weaving is a perfect, and historic, way of re-using worn out cloth. Most of the yarn I use is from second-hand sources: donations, guild yarn sales. Often I transform it with dye, or I might just let whatever yarn is available dictate what it will become.