I became a maker at a young age. I was first exposed to a textile technique as a seven year old when Mum taught me to knit. Through the years I learned a variety of textile techniques, including needlepoint, crocheting, felting, and spinning. I enjoyed them all. Learning to weave was different. It was as … Read more
The Mayan weaver was kneeling on the ground in front of her loom weaving complex patterns. I stood above her mesmerized, watching her fingers flying across the warp, one row, then another and another. How did she do that, so deftly, without consulting a design? How did she keep track of all those colors? Weaving: … Read more
I am a weaver. My loom is a support mechanism that holds everything together until the entire piece is woven. When I finish weaving, the fabric becomes an entity unto itself, no longer requiring support. I then free it from its temporary support, the loom. The warp, the lengthwise threads that stretch along the loom, … Read more
As I weave, I breathe life into a textile, and when I free it from the loom a textile is born to take its place in the world. The Berber of the Middle Atlas of Morocco also see weaving as a metaphor for creating an entity with an essence of its own. But to the … Read more
Weaving and spinning… A brain injury survivor posted on Facebook, “I miss the old me.” With little thought I responded, “I don’t think I do anymore, not really.” Have I really let go of the old me? I don’t believe so. At the very least it provides a reference point for the new me. In … Read more
“What was the worst thing that happened in your recovery?’ What was the worst? That was tough. My thoughts wandered over the first couple of years, and it popped out. “The absolute worst was having to tell my kids that I might die under the knife.” But then I realized that I hadn’t really answered … Read more