Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"I never thought it could be so fun"

The thank you letter
I've been spring cleaning, and I mean a massive studio cleanse. I have been heaving out piles of yarn, drawings, layouts for tapestries, mat board, slides, assorted weaving materials, notebooks and computer parts. Amidst all these cast offs, I unearth at least one treasure a day. Yesterday, I found a folder full of letters from a school where I had been an artist in residence. This letter is a real gem.....my favorite part reads: "I never thought it (weaving) could be so fun. I thought it was only a old lady woman thing. Thank you for teching us to weve."
samplers from over 25 years ago
samplers from at least 20 years ago
Well, there you have it. "An old lady woman thing". Stereotypes abound, but never mind, even if I am getting older and I am a woman, weaving (or rather weveing) still fills my day, lifts my spirits and challenges my brain.

sampler from over 30 years ago
Among the stuff I sorted through yesterday, I found decades of samplers. Now as a weaving instructor I am always in favor of sampling a weave structure and the materials before launching into a full blown project. But Good Lord, now I have decades of samplers filling boxes, baskets and bins. I always advocate to my students to never throw these out. I still believe that as these are a record of your research, your successes and your failures. There might be a few here and there to toss, but for the most part, roll them back up and store them as you would any good resource materials.

part of a bed covering that I never completed, 35 yrs old
As someone who has been weaving for over 40 years, there is much to review in these bins stored up high in my studio loft. Each bin reveals memories, treasures and yes...trash! Or perhaps something to pass along to other weavers.

Things at the Macomber shop proceed along. Thanks to everyone for their kind thoughts about Rick and the Macomber family. Thanks to everyone for ordering your looms and parts from me. Although it is possible to call the shop directly and do the same, I believe that I offer a weaver's wisdom and knowledge, at no extra cost to you. So I want you to know I truly appreciate your business.

Speaking of business, I have a new one! I am now an official sales person for Gowdey Reed. I have started a blog just like this one where you can learn about reeds and heddles. Check out my new blog ~ Gowdey Reed, heddles and handweaving.

I promise that in my next post, I put up some more tips about our beloved Macomber Looms.

Thanks again to all ~ Sarah

24" 8 Harness CPJ Macomber for sale

  24" 8 Harness Macomber CPJ Portable Loom for sale. Double back beams with friction brake and warp separator. 4 reeds, storage box, 2 ...