Wear and Tear

evidence of wear on the breast beam just under the threading/reed hook

"Things as imagined, things as they are, things as used, and things as discarded all have their own emotional resonance which weave and interplay with the others to form a complex embodiment of feeling in materiality” Hillary Davidson

The Leclerc Fanny was 'rescued' from an art centre in Alberta. Originally made around 1950, it had been well loved and used by probably two weavers previous to it making it's way to the art centre where it languished for an number of years until I bought it.

We drove out to Alberta in the winter - through the Rocky Mountains in February as I recall. I forget what year it would have been, but sometime in the late 1990s. For the past 20 or so years, I have woven miles of cloth on it.

I had been through several other looms, none of which were really working well for me so I had high hopes this would be my loom and it has been. In so many ways it has been a workhorse.

We upgraded it because it still had the original dog and pawl brake so Doug installed a friction fit braking system. I bought all new cords for it but kept the original aprons. The back apron is showing signs of failing soon and I may need to replace it. I have a length of cotton I had bought for the AVL that is left over and will work just fine. Once I have the time, energy and space to lay out a large piece of cloth and cut it to size, make the slits for the rod, sew the rod pocket and so on. The current apron has cloth 'tabs' that I love, but I'm not about to try and replicate those. Another sign of the age of this loom because anything after about the mid-1950s has a back apron more like the front apron pictured. OTOH, I could just order a new apron from Leclerc and not have to fuss with it.

Yesterday as I started threading the next place mat warp, the light reflected on the curve of the beam and I really noticed the amount of wear on the beam. Evidence of the abrasion the cloth makes each time the warp is advanced and tightened. Or at least that is what I assume because I don't remember the beam having nearly this much wear on it when I got it, new-to-me.

Or maybe I'm just in a state of hyper-awareness about my equipment - my tools of the trade. Maybe because I am in the process of downsizing and getting rid of so much I am paying more attention to the things I am keeping. Noticing that they, too, are getting old(er), wearing out.

Hillary Davidson is an historian who writes about the history of clothing/fashion. Her Twitter handle is @FourRedShoes. I always enjoy her observations about clothing and fashion and will look forward to reading more of the things she writes about. I think she may have a book coming out soon-ish.

This morning I was emailing with Dr Paulette Steeves who also has a book coming out next year. I mentioned to her that I will look forward to it and that once I've shut my business down I anticipate having more time to read.

The emotional resonance of downsizing has been getting to me and I find I haven't much mental wherewithal to read very much of substance.

But currently I am reading (in small bits and pieces) Sarah Parcak's book on the work she has been doing with satellite imagery.

I have always enjoyed reading about people of other times and places. Recently I've 'discovered' Adrienne Mayor and will be looking for her books. The local library has a couple of her titles and if I weren't so busy and out of town so much I'd put them on reserve. However, all of this disruption and the emotional resonance of getting rid of so much of the equipment and tools accumulated over 40+ years will be over soon enough.

I thought I would be sadder than I am. Maybe because I'm not quitting weaving, just changing my focus. I'm not going to be without a loom, but getting a new one. One that will - hopefully - allow me to weave for a good many more years.