A Bedtime Story or Why You Should Dream Big

Once upon a time, a very long time ago, a young girl wrote a letter to Santa. In addition to asking for a doll and the usual toys girls of her age in the mid 1960s asked for, she also asked for something different. In the Sears Roebuck Catalog, she had seen a small weaving loom, made of wood and, according to the copy, capable of producing real cloth. Being an rather unusual, artistic sort of child, the idea of being able to weave cloth appealed to her.

But that Christmas morning, though the little girl did receive some lovely things for which she was very grateful, the little girl also had cause to be annoyed. Because evidently a major mix-up had occurred at the North Pole. Instead of a small wooden weaving loom that looked and worked just like real weaving looms, there was this little metal square thing and a bunch of knitted loops with which to make potholders. It was a real bummer. The little girl was sure Santa meant well, but she didn't want to weave potholders. She wanted to weave a scarf. That she could wear. And while she made several potholders, it just wasn't the same.

The little girl eventually ditched the potholder maker and went back to drawing and painting with watercolors for her artistic outlet as she grew. During high school, she renewed her interest in cloth by teaching herself how to sew. But always in the back of her mind was a fascination with the way cloth was made. While attending art classes at the University of Texas, the girl would sometimes linger near the huge room-sized floor loom stationed out in the hallway on the second floor of the building hoping to see it in action. But there was no time to actually learn to weave as she was already planning to work in graphic design some day.

The girl graduated from college, married and moved to a big city in Texas. She started working as an art director in ad agencies, had three children, for whom she sewed baby quilts, Halloween costumes, Christmas dresses, and graduation dresses. She forgot about wanting to weave cloth. Then one day, after she had started working for a school designing their print materials, she went to a big second hand sale. At at this sale was a small 4-harness table loom in need of a little loving care, for $50 dollars. Since it was near her birthday, the woman bought the loom as a present for herself. When her co-workers asked her why she would buy such a thing, she replied, "Because I have always wanted to weave cloth and now I finally can." She brought the loom home, fixed the few small things that needed fixing and bought a book on how to weave. Her first project was pretty awful, but she eventually got better and made some nice scarves and a few shawls with her loom. But it wasn't enough. The little loom could only weave fabric that was 18 inches wide and the woman wanted to do bigger projects. She wanted her shawls to be bigger. She wanted more.

Unfortunately, looms as big as the woman dreamed about are very, very expensive and the woman did have three children in private school and college. She was also fairly certain that it would do no good to write Santa about a bigger loom as previous experience had taught her that Santa really didn't understand the first thing about weaving equipment. So she dreamed of bigger looms. She also got on the internet and started looking for a second hand floor loom she might be able to afford. Once or twice she even saw where someone was giving a floor loom away, but whenever that happened, she was always too late when she called. Until one morning when she went online to find a brand new ad from someone who needed to find a good home for their floor loom and was giving it away for free. Kind of like a kitten from a litter of ten.

The woman immediately called and emailed asking if the loom was still available. Much to her delight, it was. But the loom needed some repair in order to work. Sure she could handle it, the woman committed to taking the loom.

Once home, it took a long time and a lot of work to make the loom functional again. At times, the woman didn't think it would ever happen. But finally, all the work was done and the loom was put back together. The woman immediately went to work putting a warp on the loom. Ever the over ambitious one, she decided that she would immediately start on weaving a blanket for the expected any day first grandchild rather than the practice project she had thought about doing first. After much hard work, winding the warp, placing it on the loom and threading it through the harnesses and the reed, she was finally able to weave. And it was just as wonderful as she had hoped it would be, watching the cloth take shape under her hands.

Now the woman just has one thing left to do. Write a thank you letter to Santa for not bringing her that little loom she thought she wanted so long ago. Because if he had, the little girl that she was would probably have gotten frustrated and lost interest in weaving instead of discovering the joy of it as an adult.

Dreams really do come true.

Leaping Around

I feel the need to write something. It's Leap Day and one should always seize this extra day. But I'm not really feeling creative. So, I'm taking the easy way out. Bullet points. 

• My mom turned 90 last week. To celebrate, all the siblings and the grandchildren got together and spent the weekend together. It was great. And all this week, I've been missing my family and wishing we could have had one more day. Which is much better than feeling it would have been better if it had been shorter.

• Also in February, my youngest child turned 21. Which means that all of my children are now officially grown up. Doesn't mean I've stopped telling them to be careful or to call me when they get home. That will never stop while I'm drawing breath.

• Want to increase the visits to your blog? Include the word 'lust' somewhere. I recently wrote a bit about how I cannot wait for my first grandchild to arrive and entitled it 'Granny Lust.' I am still getting hits on that particular entry. Who knew? I am a bit sorry for all the people in Russia, China and a few assorted third world countries who ended up on my blog thinking they were going to see/read something vaguely pornographic, but then again, I may shamelessly use that trick to increase readership at some point in the future. Maybe I'll write about how I lust after various china patterns. 

What can I say. I have no shame.

• Speaking of shameless, here's a shameless plug for my little sister's stores in Rockport, Texas: The Bay Window and The Bay Window Home. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, you really should stop by and do a little or a lot of shopping. Julia has just redone both spaces and while we were there last weekend for Mom's birthday, we helped Julia and her staff unpack some of her recent purchases for the store. It's great stuff and you really should go and buy as much of it as you can carry away before someone else beats you to it. I myself brought home a couple of little art pieces that are now hanging in my studio. Every time I look at them, I smile. I also brought home a fabulous pair of white pants, a pair of earrings, and a darling pair of crocheted baby bootie/sandals for the new grandbaby.

• Congratulations to my friend Tricia, creator of the blog, Emotions with Jon Hamm, for her recent mention in Esquire magazine in an article about Mr. Hamm.

• In the last month, I've redone my daughter Sara's room as an official guest room. Said project involved lots of paint – both on the walls and on assorted bits of furniture, and sewing pillow covers for Euro pillows. Before and after photos will appear here at some point. Probably with the word 'lust' somewhere to increase readership.

• I've also been teaching my daughter-in-law Sarah how to sew. The projects we've been working on are curtains for the baby's nursery and a crib skirt. Curtains are done. Crib skirt should be finished this weekend. 

• Last night I officially finished restoring the 40" Macomber loom I was given a couple of years ago. I am awaiting delivery on a bench to go with this loom and am also planning my first project for it. I can't wait to start weaving. Photos will also appear at some point of the restored loom.

Working With My Hands

About a week or so ago as I was talking to a few co-workers about some of my projects at home, a couple of them expressed the opinion that some of my interests aren’t exactly, shall we say, normal. Specifically, they expressed their opinions on my current project of restoring a Macomber loom and my eagerness to finish it so I could start weaving on it.  Remarks were made such as ‘if you want fabric, you can buy it at a fabric store’ and a total lack of understanding was shown about how anyone could possibly find standing in a hot garage sanding and refinishing wood fulfilling.

I wasn’t necessarily offended by their comments. I’m used to being considered slightly off centered. Quite honestly, it’s been years since I’ve felt the need to be ‘like everyone else.’ Junior high and part of high school were the last times I felt that way and even then, I definitely marched to the beat of my own drum and did my own thing. What I did feel was sadness for them that none of the joy they get from life is provided by the satisfaction of making something, be it through cooking or building or crafting.  

For me, working with my hands is something that is necessary to my life. Admittedly, I am an artist. I work as a graphic designer. I also write as part of my job. But I need more than just those professional pursuits. And there is something extremely satisfying to me in making something with my hands. Be it a loaf of bread, a dress, or a piece of furniture. I am currently taking great joy in seeing the wood of my loom being transformed under my hands from the dirty, beaten, somewhat water stained pieces that it came to me as into golden, glowing beautiful pieces that reflect the history of the loom. I love taking flour, salt, butter, and water and working them together into a piecrust to be filled with fresh fruit. I love that the rooms in my house have been transformed by paint I have applied, and that for one of those painting projects my hands were joined by the willing hands of my daughters and my friends. What an incredible act of love and generosity that was!

I also love that when I walk on the floor of my studio space, I’m walking on a floor that my husband and I put in together. Yes, it took longer. Yes, we had sore muscles from bending and kneeling on the floor to install it. But it was also a joint goal, a joint venture into the unknown. We had never done a project of this type before and weren’t sure we could do it. But we did jump in and we succeeded. As we also succeeded when we built the table for my studio where I sit typing this and the TV/stereo stand in our den: both pieces that were built by us from my designs.

No, I don’t expect these women to ever understand why I do these things. But I do know that at some point in time they will envy a shawl I’ve woven on my soon to be restored loom. Or more probably, I’ll come in with a cake or similar homemade goodie that they will fall on and devour. And I’ll look at their perfectly manicured hands and smile quietly, knowing that while my hands may not look beautiful, they have the advantage over theirs in being able to create beauty. 

My 'New' Loom

Thought I'd post a photo of the loom as it is right now. It's a Macomber B5 Add a Harness loom. Weaving width is 40 inches and it currently has 4 harnesses. I can add up to 6 more in the future, but for now I will settle for getting it working.

All I've had a chance to do to it so far is to vacuum off the worst of the dirt and debris, cut off the weaving sample that was on it and check it out. Here's what I'm going to have to do to get it into working order:

• Either replace the iron end piece on the cloth beam or replace the entire cloth beam. I'm hoping I can just get the iron part that's broken and replace that.

• Get the rust off of the reed, and various other metal parts of the loom. I've ordered some special rust removing blocks from a woodworking store for that task, though I'm sure I'll be buying naval jelly at some point for the reed. It's completely rusted. I'd just buy a new one, but I'd really like to have two different reeds for this loom which would enable me to vary the yarn I use. I like the idea of using a heavier yarn sometimes.

• Sand down the frame in spots. It's got some water damage here and there that needs to be addressed.

• Replace the aprons on the cloth beam and the warp beam.

• Replace the handle on the warp beam.

• Add more heddles.

• Replace the lease sticks. It only came with one.

• Purchase a raddle for warping the loom.

• Purchase or build an adjustable height bench.

As I get into this project, I may find more to do before it's usable. I still need to unwind and cut the old warp off the warp beam. It's a really heavy well-built loom (the original owner purchased it new in 1974 and I think it has a lot of life in it yet.