The Back Row

I know that I said that I would talk about the Schasht Wolf Pups today, but we didn't have very many in service today. So, I thought I would talk about the floor looms that are at the back of the studio instead. The first weaver up is Betsy, she is weaving on a 40 inch Macomber B5 and she is weaving beach towels with stripes and checks. Betsy first came across the Tuesday Weavers at the Foothills Craft Guild that is held every Fall. Carl was demonstrating weaving on a small floor loom, and since Betsy had recently retired and was feeling the need of something new, she looked us up, took the 6 week course and like most of us she just keeps on coming!

Next we have Bonnie who is weaving on a 45 inch Leclerc Nilus. Bonnie is weaving some fabric to make a top and today she is threading Front to back. Bonnie found the Center soon after she moved to near by Norris TN. She stopped in to see what it was all about and took the Weaving class.

Beside Bonnie we find Shannon weaving on a 28 inch Baby Macomber. Shannon is weaving material that she will use to make purses. Shannon had Weaving on her bucket list for a long time, in fact she already had a loom when she found out about us at the Fiber Festival in Townsend in the Smoky Mountains.

The last one for today is Laura who is weaving placemats and table runners on a Norwood Loom. Laura heard about us from Margi who sometimes comes to weave with us and who is really good at making Christmas decorations.

I'll keep working my way around the room next week, Tina for all

I've been thinkin, and I had an IDEA!

Whenever LouAnn walked into the Weaving Center with a poster board or some paper under her arm or a a larger bag than ususal, we all exchanged glances. What has she come up with now!!! It could be anything, it could be a sign up sheet for the Fall show or a new layout for the booth. It could even be a simple plan for when to have our random potluck lunches. (In case you want to know, it is whenever there is a 5th Tuesday in a month! Brilliant!) More than likely however, it would be some "Challenge", Spring challenge, Summer challenge, Fall challenge, Winter challenge, Christmas challenge, Easter challenge or 4th of July challenge, you get the idea. (We would all groan and roll our eyes, but go along with it!) Over the years we have done them all! Whatever Challenge it was, it would mean that there was less yarn in the annex, we would have more products for the shop upstairs or for the Fall show, and more than likely we would all have learned a new skill or two. LouAnn was also the champion of 8/4 cotton,(she refused to call it carpet warp!) She came up with ways to use 8/4 that I would never have thought of. She made the usual tote bags, inkle bands and rugs, but she also made hats and hand towels with good ole 8/4 as well! She was so in love with 8/4 cotton that she put it on the really old Rocker Beater floor loom at the Museum of Appalachia, which is a stones throw from the Weaving Center.

For for the last 15 years or so, all Spring, Summer and Fall the 2 of us would do demonstrations a couple of time a month at the Museum for both school children and adults. Many years there were 3 or 4 day events that took all the strength we had just to get throught them. (Homecoming and the days of the Pioneers come to mind) She would be in a tiny cabin called the "Loom Room" showing people how the old Rocker Beater loom worked, (she always had her teaching hat on of course) and I would be just across the way on the porch of the Peters Cabin showing people how yarn was made by hand, we made a good team. We would lunch together behind the "Loom Room", laying back on the grass to rest and watching the Peacocks and Peahens with their chicks.

As I am writing this post, my dear friend is slipping away and by the time you read this, she will have left this world for a better one. Dear LouAnn, treasure/junk seeking companion, road trip partner, personal seamstress, confidant and friend, life will not be the same without you, I miss you already! Lots of love, Tina

From David to Goliath

There were so many cars in the back parking lot today, that I had to park upstairs in the front where the Craft Center Shop parking is! As I came in, I had to stop and take some pictures of some of the hand woven items we have for sale.

Here is a peek at some of Carol's handwoven garments.

Heading downstairs from the shop to the basement studio, one of the first things you see is a HUGE old Barn loom. This loom is very special to us all, our dear sweet Carl wove fantastic denim rugs on this very loom for many, many years. Carl was our faithful friend, counselor and "Dad", we do miss his kind smile and his gentle chuckle at all of the silly stuff us girls would talk about as we wove on our much smaller looms surrounding him.

Pat has taken over the job of Chief rug maker and she takes it as an honor to continue the traditions that so many Weavers before her have done over the years on this loom. (and many other looms just like it!) Pat came to the Center after she had been given a handmade loom. Pat found out about the weaving classes when she drove by the shop and stopped to take a look inside. To her surprise, she already knew 3 of the weavers that were part of the weaving department!

This loom is on loan to the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, from the Museum of Appalachia, which is almost but not quite, literally across the street from us! I can barely read the note that has been on the loom for a very long time! Can you?

The loom was purchased by John Rice Irwim around 1970 from the Franklin family that lived near Morristown TN. The loom was in an old log cabin built by the Franklin family about 1880. The loom has 2 shafts and 2 treadles, which is perfect for simple rug making. (Can you spot the old reed that is actually made of reed! A reed reed if you will!) Pat wanted me to be sure and point out in the pictures above how smooth and shiny the top of the swinging beater is from years of contact with weavers hands. This loom is surely a Goliath in a room full of Davids! Next we had some finished items in the studio today! Patty brought in some placemats that she had woven using "Twill and Tabby" from Dixon's book "The Handweavers Pattern Directory", pages 55 & 56. The warp is the same on each of these placemats, isn't it amazing?!

Also, Linda cut a towel warp off of her loom today! Project planning is in her future!

That is all I have for you today, next week we will look more in depth at the small floor looms that we have in the studio. Tina, for all!

Like Peas and Carrots!

 Several years ago there was a movie called "Forest Gump".  In this movie Forest told Jenny that they went together like Peas and Carrots.  That is the phrase that I was thinking about today as I surveyed the students manning the table looms that were covering the work tables at the Center this morning.  

Each new student is loaned an Ashford table loom that they can easily bring back and forth from their home to the Center while they are learning the basics of weaving.  Here at the Center we have at least 6 small Ashford table looms that we loan out to students, if a student has one already we welcome the opportunity to help the student learn weaving on their very own loom.  

Today I have pictures of 5 of the students, I know I missed  a couple today, as they were not there or not on their looms as I was working on the blog pictures and content this morning.

Jenny

  First up we have Jenny who found out about the    Appalachian Arts Craft Center at the fiber festival   that is held in Towns TN at the foot of the Smokey Mountains.  Jenny brings her very own Louet 8 shaft table loom to the Center.  

Paul

The next loom is one of our Ashford looms with Paul weaving his piece.  Paul too found out about us at the Heritage Fiber Festival in Townsend, TN.  He has had an interest in weaving ever since his wife had to weave fabric as part of her College curriculum.  He recently found out that his sister had a floor loom stored in a closet that she hadn't used in years, the loom ended up coming home with him.  Paul wove a scarf or two on his own and then decided that he wanted to take some lessons, and well here he is!

Joanna

Joanna came to us already knowing how to spin yarn of her very own!  She drove by one day and noticed the craft Center and came in to find that we gave all sorts of classes, one being the ongoing weaving class.  Joanna is using one of our Ashford table looms.

Judith

Judith also drove by the Center one day and found out that we gave weaving lessons.  I guess the signs outside do a good job!

Phyllis

Next I have Phyllis, and I am embarrassed to say that I have plum forgot how Phyllis came to us!  We sure talked about it, but I didn't write anything down but her name!  Oh Dear, we must have been having a good time!

I know that Vicky was there putting a warp on her very own rigid heddle loom, but I was in heddle fixer mode and forgot that I was the blogger and should have taken her picture as well.  I guess there is always next week.

Sharon

Finally,  we said our final goodbye to our dear friend Sharon last Friday.  There were  20 weavers in attendance at Sharon's funeral.  There were several speakers at the funeral, one from each group of people of which Sharon played a part.  All of her groups were represented, Church, Knitting, Weaving, Book clubs, and her political party as well.  I learned several things about Sharon that I did not know!  One of which was that she never wore matching socks or matching earrings!  How in the world did I miss that!

Sharons favorite quotes

     Sharon, we love and miss you!

           Tina, for all