In September 2020 a loom came into my life. Close family friends of my husband’s had been holding on to their mother’s loom for many years after her passing. They were ready to find the loom a new home. If you have known any looms or weavers, you will know that this is not an uncommon story for a loom. Changing hands, passing through generations. I took the time to get to know this loom, gave it some TLC and started to learn how to weave. Shout out to Armilde Pihl and the whole Pihl Clan, the original owners of my first loom and to Jane Stafford and her online guild for teaching me how to weave.
I was immediately smitten with the juxtaposition of the math and technicality of warping a loom, the meditative, rhythmic quality of throwing the shuttle, the immediacy of watching the textile form under my hands, the deliciousness of unrolling the warp and seeing the graphic unfurl and finally the mystery and magic of the finishing process when the fabric meets water and comes into it’s final nature.
Every warp is a learning process and an exercise in patience. My mind races ahead with ideas for the next warp but my hands can only go so fast. The loom whispers ‘slow down’ and I listen. I feel very lucky that some of my days are filled with fondling fibre and creating magic at the loom – turning fibre into textiles to be worn, displayed or used in every day life.
Some of my handwoven items you will find at the Fall 2025 Madawaska Valley Studio Tour include tea towels, zippered pouches, scarves, shawls, placemats, table runners and more.
