Mary Meigs Atwater and son Monty (Mary born February 28, 1878)FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH, I AM OFFERING A NEW MARY MEIGS ATWATER KIT AS A FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT WEAVECAST. (SEE SIDEBAR) Just as Mary did so much in terms of archiving and spreading the oral traditions of handweaving in the 20th century, so does WEAVECAST today.
Although the kit will provide instructions for just the horoscope portion, I will be happy to guide anyone who wishes to meld together Color Horoscope Weaving and Turned Weft Ikat.
Here is a little quote from Mary, "It was in Basin (Montana) in 1916 that I began my study of handweaving, not only to find an outlet for my own artistic impulses, but also to provide social service. .....My research finally unlocked the secret of the summer-and-winter weave---the most beautiful and the most distinctively American of the weaves used by our early craftsmen. This weave is now well known among modern American handweavers."
I AM HEADING TO SACRAMENTO ON MONDAY TO TEACH A COLOR HOROSCOPE WEAVING WORKSHOP, SO THIS IS MY LAST POST UNTIL MARCH 4TH (MY 67TH BIRTHDAY) WHEN I RETURN.
5 comments:
Great choice of quotes! Now I know that I have MMA to thank for one of my favorite weaves structures.
67? 67! How does this happen?
Sorry I will miss you: ships passing and all that.
Next time:)
Have a great trip, Bonnie! I hope it all goes according to plan or better. Hugs.
Hello Bonnie, and thanks for your informative posts. For a history talk to our guild in Ontario Canada, I took the liberty of showing your photo of MMA with her son. My comment was as follows: " Mary Meigs Atwater (1878-1956) was the grandmother of the revival of hand weaving in the United States. Atwater noted that the first Jacquard loom had been set up in 1826 in Philadelphia and it killed for a time the American art of weaving. Before long, housewives put their looms away, and carried their home spun and dyed yarn to the professional weaver instead. Mary Atwater thought they got an inferior product."
I would like to publish my presentation with your photo included and provide a link to your site. I wonder if you could give me permission to do this or if you could recommend an alternative strategy. With many thanks for your help,
Karen
Hi Karend176, I do not know how to respond to you except through this comment board.
Hi Karen, Thanks so much for asking. I found that picture in an old Handwoven magazine (not sure what issue, but I think in was around 1976). I contacted the author of the Mary's biography (Weaving a Life) to ask permission to use the image myself. Interestingly, they had never seen that particular image and informed me that it must have been among her things that are housed in a museum in San Bernadino (sp?) California (a museum that closely guards and does not display any of Mary's things) Apparently they would not even give access to her relatives. Anyway, I am telling you all this to let you know that I don't think there is any problem is using this image. I am happy that you will give a link to my site, but the chain of provenance is very convoluted (grin). Mary Meigs Atwater remains my weaving hero.
Please send me a link to your publication, so I may read it with pleasure.
Colorfully,
Bonnie
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