I have spent the last few weeks thinking about weaving, at least as one of the thousand things I think about in a given day, but weaving was on my mind. I wanted to create an exhibit about Patti Fleury, the woman that donated an 1850s barn loom that I would be demonstrating on in the Heritage Centre at the Kinmount Fair this past weekend.
It had been at least seven or eight years since that loom was last dressed and used. I had last woven on it in 2018 myself, and the year before, when I was volunteering as a member of the Kawartha Hand Weavers and Spinners Guild.
2017 - A red and white warp for Canada's 150
2018 - A rainbow warp
2026 - A single colour warp to let the cotton fabrics take center stage.
This barn loom, rescued by Patti from a barn in Pembroke, Ontario, was used in her own home until she donated it to the historical society. How many people have woven at that very loom? How many blankets? How many yards of fabric?
I am primarily a knitter. I became interested in spinning and weaving because I am a knitter. After a while, you tend to want to learn more about the yarn you are using, the different qualities, the different varieties. Why would you choose one over another? How is it made? What fibres and where did they come from? How are fibres from different breeds of sheep different from one another and how might they be used differently? And how else may you use it?
A friend and I joined our local weavers and spinners guild about a decade or so ago. I thought I wanted only to learn to spin but a simple introductory project of weaving on a piece of tree branch kind of started me thinking about the possibilities. A little leftover yarn here, a little bit of roving wool there…. It was so creative and fun. Watching weaving demonstrations and getting to try it myself, really shoved me over the cliff of adding yet another fibre craft to my list of “things that I do”.
I learned at our meetings a little more each time and the members were so encouraging and so full of information. Amongst them, decades and decades of skill and knowledge. I felt quite overwhelmed at first, but something I have learned, no matter the fibre craft, the people around you will celebrate you at every stage of your learning journey, because they were once at your stage too.
I remember the first hand-dyed roving I purchased from a local farmer at the farmer’s market, the wool from her own sheep. I spun that wool, and to be blunt, I did spin it but it wasn’t great. It was thick and thin and completely inconsistent. I was encouraged to celebrate this skein of yarn because I would never again be able to achieve that output, that inconsistency, no matter how hard I tried. And they were right. I used that wool as some accent stripes in a cowl I was knitting and it worked out just fine. I was, and still am, very, very proud of everything I have been able to spin.
I had thought spinning would be the end of my journey. I would spin and then I would knit with it. And I do, but I soon decided that I liked the idea of weaving with my handspun yarns. I liked the occasional nubbiness, the inconsistencies, the ability to use it with other yarns and change the entire feel of it. It was creative and still productive. I also liked the idea of using “leftovers” from other projects and turning them into something completely different.
I made a few projects on the table-top looms that the guild had for members to use. One of them was just some junk weaving, a simple piece just to get used to the tension and feel of the loom. A beginner’s way to understand how everything functions and begin to notice when things go wrong and figure out how to correct them. It was just some navy blue cotton on the warp and some leftover self-striping sock yarn for the weft. It’s definitely not perfect, far from it, but I made it with my own two hands and I am still super proud of it. The challenge for me became, “Now what do I do with this thing that I wove?”
I decided to fold it over, sew up the side seams and create a casing for a drawstring. I had been playing Scrabble with my mother and thought, heck, it would make a great bag for my Scrabble tiles, over the flimsy one that came with my game. Now this piece of junk weaving has a purpose and is in use.
Now I could see that I could “make things” and the hunt for a loom was on! I ended up getting one from a church basement sale for a very low price. It was not so big nor intimidating and I felt that I could make it work in my home. I had learned how to “dress” the loom (putting the warp threads on it), and I can claim that I am a decent plain weaver. I am totally, and will forever be, okay with that title. I can weave what I want to weave.
I can also be completely inspired and in awe of the many weavers I have met that have tremendous skill and accomplish what I can only describe as magic with their looms. Intricate patterns with texture and colours and being able to follow complex patterns. The time it takes to master such skills, but when you talk to them, you can tell that they love it. That is the fibre craft that speaks to their hearts.
I would not be a weaver if it weren’t for the incredible people that shared their knowledge and encouragement. Not at all. I was so lucky to have that opportunity. That is one of the reasons that when demonstration opportunities come up, that I want to be a part of that. Inspiring and encouraging people to watch the demonstration, understand a little bit about how the loom works, what it takes to make a fabric, rug or blanket, or to take up a craft themselves….that is pure joy!
This past weekend at the Kinmount Fair, I spoke to or demonstrated for 324 people that I counted, over 2 days. From the very youngest visitors to a lovely lady named Ruth MacBrien at 100 years old, people were enjoying it. They were interested in the story of how these barn looms would travel from farm to farm, town to town and how families made their cloth, rugs and blankets. Some tried the loom as well, including a wonderful young girl named Molly. With her 13th birthday a week away, she had a go at trying the loom and the way she lit up with her accomplishment! She kept going for quite a while, advancing the warp on her own after I showed her how, adding new cloth strips in when she ran out. She did an incredibly good job!
I will not be too modest to say that I think I inspired a new weaver that day. Watching her, and all of the others that came by, that is what Made By is all about. Sharing the joy, the skills, the information about these creative endeavors, along with the people in our community that do them.
This was a perfect example of the Four Pillars that are at the heart of Made By.
Inspiration. Creation. Connection. Legacy.