NOBO Handweavers

August 22, 2010:

Born in 1906, like all good little German girls in the early years of the 20th century, Else Regensteiner was
expected to learn and love needlework. Learn it, she did. Love it, she did not. She disliked it so much that she “invented” eye trouble in the hopes that a doctor would excuse her from classes in sewing, crochet, embroidery and tatting. That didn’t work; and she had to continue with the lessons throughout her public school years. However, as soon as she graduated high school, Else forgot all about needlework and went to work in her father’s law firm. Later on, she went to back to school to obtain a degree in education.

In 1936, Else and her husband immigrated to the United States to escape Nazi rule, settling in the Chicago area to be near family members. While attempting to find work, Else happened upon an apprenticeship program in the Weaving Department of the School of Design, which was founded on the German Bauhaus approach to teaching creative design for industry.

At the time she knew nothing of weaving, but accepted the position and adapted very quickly to the apprenticeship principles of function, design, beauty, and suitability for mass production; i.e. curtain and upholstery fabrics. This, in turn, lead to a lifetime of weaving, teaching, and writing three books on the subject. Among her numerous accomplishments, Else Regensteiner was a founding member of the Handweavers Guild of America and made a significant contribution to the weaving community by helping to promote weaving as a legitimate art.

We are fortunate to have two of Else Regensteiner’s books in our library: The Art of Weaving and Weaver’s Study Course, Ideas and Techniques. Both are well worth looking into.

July 18, 2010:

As you will recall, Lady NOBO invited us to bring our favorite weaving-related book to discuss at the June meeting. The book which Eileen brought and subsequently donated to our library is entitled “Barbara Eckhardt: Poetic Space.”

This is not exactly a book, but rather a catalogue documenting Ms. Eckhardt’s work, as curated by Nancy A. Corwin for an exhibit at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, in 1998. It has been said that Ms. Eckhardt was on the cutting edge of weaving, and this catalogue certainly attests to that. The wall hangings featured are multi-layered combinations of weaving techniques, inlay and embroidery.

What is just as compelling, I believe, is the story of Ms. Eckhardt’s life. Though unfortunately cut short, what she accomplished in her lifetime is truly an inspiration.

As a nice coincidence, the bibliography portion of this catalogue mentions articles in three back issues of SS&D which we are fortunate to have and which make a valuable accompaniment to the catalogue. They will be available at the meeting this week to be borrowed as a unit.

During the May meeting, we received some wonderful contributions to our library from long-time members Patricia Morton and Sue Jones (well, as “long-time” as is possible), in addition to several items from Linda Snook, Librarian for the Weavers’ Guild of Boston. Also during that meeting, Terry Anderson, a brand new member, donated her extensive collection of Shuttle, Spindle & Dyepot magazines. These items, along with a book recently received from John Nove by way of Liz Sorenson, and a couple of publications donated from my personal collection, have been catalogued, shelved, and are in the process of being added to the NOBO Library Web site, compliments of Ted Gent. Thank you, one and all.

June 20, 2010:

The following quote, printed on the back cover of The Handspun Project Book, is attributed to one Joan Z. Rough:

“ ‘Where do you ever get the patience to raise the sheep, to spin the wool into yarn, to transform the spun fibres into a sweater or a pillow?’ I hear the question often, and it always surprises me: because I am not particularly patient with most of the everyday duties of an ordinary late twentieth century person. But patience doesn’t enter into my work with fibres. The time I can spend weaving, or spinning, or simply watching the sheep grazing in the field is relaxing time. It is time to be refilled with some of the wonder for life’s simplicity that we have lost with our childhood. It is time to recover from an hour’s bill paying, in which I have been warned in no uncertain terms about folding, spindling and mutilating. It is time to enjoy the beauty around me, when I am not asked to tamper with the natural rhythms of life. The birth of a lamb, the small of a sack of newly shorn wool, the sound of the spinning wheel and the pull of the fibers between my fingers, the color that develops from the weeds in the dyepot: these are what permit me to deal with a computerized society that too often challenges what little patience I have. My work is not a question of patience; it is a question of making the time to enjoy and appreciate what is left of the real world. And whatever I can turn out with that time, be it a sweater, or a wall-hanging, or a pillow, it is a product of myself, the proof of who I am and what I believe.”

Although the book was written and published by Deborah Kahn in 1978, I believe the above quote has just as much meaning today as it then. Perhaps more. It’s an interesting book; I’ll bring it to the meeting this week.

I’m looking for a book detailing the history of spinning wheels. A book entitled “The Spinning Wheel” was mentioned at NOBO last evening; however, I do not have the author’s name and have been unable to locate a copy. Would appreciate some help with this – along with any other suggestions. Thanks in advance.