Yesterday I said good bye to my Rio Grande Loom as she drove off, partially dismantled in the back of a covered pickup bound for Wisconsin. I am thrilled for Sandy as she re-homes this loom that was a major fixture in my weaving studio for about thirteen years. I bought it from Rachel Brown when she still owned and ran Weaving Southwest in Taos, New Mexico. When I took it home it was just stacks of bundled lumber with some predrilled holes and a few bags of screws and metal hardware. It took me nine hours to assemble it by myself with only very sketchy directions attached. I discovered along the way that I had assembled some parts backwards which added time and frustration to that Saturday.
Once she was whole, I stood on the treadles of this trusty walking loom and wove rug after rug. Then I let my students use it to weave rugs after they had advanced their tapestry skills. Anita's rug is the one with the yellow and blue center design. She is still weaving and has bought two of my student rug looms for her studio.
The long skinny rug hangs in Holly's Taos vacation house.
The grey "Fragmentations" piece was a breakaway piece for me and the finale of my intense rug weaving days. I have it here at the house in use.
Just in case, the weaving spirit hits me again I have the the cherry wood eight harness Grande Dame Edwards loom stashed away in a climate controlled storage unit. You just never know.
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Ah, Kay - I know it's a bittersweet time. I've rehomed a great loom myself, and I helped my sister in law do the same. How awesome that they go on to continue their textile producing lives with other artists! She sure helped you turn out some gorgeous rugs! You and she were a formidable pair. May you both continue to create art out of fiber and love.
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