Meet Florence

I have wonderful friends. They have provided me with the tools and teaching to learn a new craft like spinning. I am having a blast making my own yarn. And they have provided me with the necessary tools and teaching to learn the art of weaving. With their help I made my first sampler and several bar towels.

I found out I love weaving. I also learned that I wanted my own loom. To be able to make my own cloth and rugs goes right along with making my own yarn, growing & processing my own food, making my own bread, butchering my own meat for the freezer, and always endeavoring to find ways to become even more self-sustaining. I truly hope that I can enable my friends like they have enabled me.

But this story doesn't stop there. It involves my friend Melissa, the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild and the Hetter family.

As a member of the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild, Melissa received a "blanket" e-mail concerning a loom for sale. She quickly responded to the e-mail and was in touch with the Hetter family. Melissa discovered from them the loom was a Harrisville Design Model 40 four harness, six treadle floor loom. And they wanted "to give it to someone who loves to weave as my mother-in-law did". The Hetter family brought the loom from the Detroit area to Ann Arbor. Within days Melissa and hubby drove their pickup to Ann Arbor to take a look. Within hours the loom was in Chelsea. And, within another few anxious days, it arrived home here in Beaverton. It is absolutely beautiful. I'm in the process of cleaning the loom, rearranging the spot it will sit, and dreaming of the creations I will design and weave.

I want to say thank you to the Hetter family.

I wish them peace,

and I can assure them
that their mother's loom will be loved and cared for.

I look forward to sharing the creations woven on a loom

that will be proudly named in honor of

Florence Hetter.

A New Love

How many things can a person cram into 24 hours? I say “not enough!” I’m a glutton for learning with my mind and hands. Thus, I have embarked upon another learning curve. Oh, I’m not alone in this new adventure. I have friends who are enablers, abettors, and cahooters. But I asked for it. I opened my mouth. My friends heard me. And now I’m in the throes of infatuation that I am sure will loom into a lifetime love of heddles, harnesses, shuttles, fiber and everything else that goes along with weaving. And only a month ago I had no idea which way was weft.

The table loom is borrowed, courtesy of my friend Edie and her husband Dan. My friend Melissa did the set up and warping. She generously supplied me with the tools and fiber to use for weaving a sampler and bar towels.

I have done my sampler following patterns Melissa did on her computer, and now I have begun on a bar towel using natural 8/2 cotton warp and yellow 8/2 cotton weft.

Pipe Dreams...

It's a wonderful feeling to get excited about learning something new, or learning more about something you may already be familiar. For example, the idea of enrolling in a class at John C Campbell school in North Carolina was brought up in conversation when Melissa, Mary and Edie were recently at the Nestle Inn. 

The question, "if you had a choice of taking any class you wanted, would it be something you've always wanted to learn, or something at which you would like to better your skills?" was asked and mulled over. It really isn't an easy question. You might think that learning a new craft would be the best answer. But, then again what about becoming more knowledgeable in a craft you already know something about? Whatever the answer, learning is a wonderful thing.

My son sent me photos of some of the custom smoking pipes he creates. He does it as a hobby at this point in his life.