Moving along and Lightening the Load!

 I mentioned in the last post that my largest loom was heading to a new home. And indeed it is now installed with a young tapestry weaver at her studio a thousand miles or so from Georgia! She and her boyfriend came on Thanksgiving weekend to pick it up. She's sent pictures of it with a warp already on it ready to go! I am so happy that this transition has happened to give a new life to the loom. And especially for it to become a well-used tool for the next generation.

Emily and Wesley* with Ruthie at my studio

And Ruthie happy in her new home with her new friend, Aurora! Photo by Emily Wick.

It didn't take long for me put another loom in Ruthie's spot, though! My husband helped me move the Glimakra loom into the place. I'd gotten the loom from a friend in Dahlonega a few years ago and hadn't yet had an opportunity to warp it up.  

I love all of my previously owned looms (that's almost all of them, by the way) but this one is special because I knew the original owner. He was a colleague of mine at North Georgia College (as it was known then) about forty years ago. Although psychology was his field he was interested in crafts of all kinds, from woodworking and jewelry-making to weaving. He'd purchased the loom and he and his wife both explored tapestry weaving a little. After his death the loom went to his daughter, herself an experienced weaver. Although she sampled a bit on the tapestry loom, floor loom weaving is her first love and she decided to sell the loom. Now it's becoming a workhorse in my studio.

Progress so far on this new tapestry.

In addition to selling the large loom, I recently gave one of the frame looms to a graduating UNG student who I'd met in the weaving class. I also passed along a bin of yarn to her. And I gave almost all of the books about color and color theory I've collected over the years to the art department for students use. I have another stack of assorted weaving books to give to a friend at the Folk School next time I'm there. Bit by bit, I'm lightening my load! And it feels good. 

Yesterday I completed the end finishing of the coded weaving I did earlier this fall. 

My tapestry diary for 2025 is nearing its end and I've started thinking about what next year will hold. That will begin my 17th year of doing this daily practice with tapestry!

 *By the way, Wesley will be teaching birch bark boxes at John C. Campbell Folk School next year.