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Back in the day In Anchorage you
couldn't just buy clothes very
inexpensively most people actually made them
so I've been sewing clothes for a
very long time
This is the kirtle. That's what they call it.
And then as time progressed, I wanted
something unique.
So hand weaving fabric so that I could make outfits from it was something kind
of custom and a bit artistic.
The start of it is figure things out
mathematically there's a focus to it and then as I'm weaving it's very
repetitious and Zen and when I'm actually in the process of weaving I'm
thinking of other things and so it really helps process anxiety
honestly if I have something I need to think through, having that
repetitious motion really actually helps my brain work and and I just find it
very therapeutic
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and my father had died of an
autoimmune disease a few years before that and it just made me realize that
time is precious and I needed to really focus on living life instead of putting
everything off for the future.
So I got involved via the Weavers and Spinners Guild
and so that's where I actually learned how to weave and a bit of
mathematics along with the technique of weaving that really suited my personality.
16 ends-per-inch
I've never regretted it not a day
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The technique of weaving where you're just lifting up some of your threads and
putting a weft through that hasn't changed at all. I mean that's been going
on for centuries.
I like the idea of taking nothing and turning it into something.
How can I make
this you know somebody's left over into something kind of cool.
I start with the yarn and then I figure out a design or a weave structure that's
going to really enhance that yarn.
And then I plot it out kind of figure
out okay I need certain amount of threads across for the warp certain
amount of inspir inch and here's my pattern
I'm not solely interested in garment construction and weaving I really like
learning the history of it and how its developed and the many many many
different techniques involved.
For example tablet weaving, it was originally
found in northern Europe like the Scandinavian areas as well as Egypt.
It was one of the earliest forms of weaving they've got some of the archaeological
digs where you see their tablet weaving some of them even with the warp on.
This is from an archaeological dig in Snartemo, Norway and I'm trying to kind
of figure out the technique while I'm trying to copy it at the same time.
I've got some other where I'm doing the edging.
I'm taking the the fringe here
and taking a piece putting it through this and so by using them as part of the
tablet leaving it's a very nice finished edge.
So while I was at the Weavers and Spinners Guild
some of the members are members of
The Historic Recrudescence Guild.
E very year we do a living history demonstration where
I'm part of the fiber arts section.
One of the family members wanted to
demonstrate the wet finishing process; the process of wool waulking is a bunch
of the town people would sit around a table with this long yardage of fabric
and so then they just beat it and pass it until the fibers are fulled and pulled
together and really a nice finished product.
The singing... it just really helps lighten the mood keep beat and make it a
really pleasant process to get, it's a group effort.
It's an accomplishment and
it feels good and there's plenty of people involved in
it and you feel good about the results.
Once this is all done with the Wool Waulking
it's really the culmination of a lot of contribution.
It's a group effort
I found that Alaska is really very special and unique and that we're really
very much like a family and in our groups and there's a connection that the
other groups don't have they may get together you know, for their
hobby but it's not the same, almost..
almost a family environment that we have
kind of created here at Alaska.