A Traditional Gathering

For the third year in a row, Lila Nelson hosted our Scandinavian Weavers Study Group December meeting in her home, our annual holiday gathering.  It would be hard to find a more festive setting.  As Lila’s friends, I know we look at her beautiful collections of objects and textiles and know just what they mean.  They are indicators of a passionate interest and involvement in textiles and art and they are gifts from well-loved friends.

We talked and ate.  (Thanks, Jan, for the kringle!)  And even though Lila would never say, “Come and see what I am weaving now,” the group managed to find its way back to the studio to admire the latest tapestry on the loom, one with flowers.  Perhaps Lila needed to concentrate on a more pastoral image after finishing a recent tapestry listing the names of American-run prisons around the world.  “Guantanamo isn’t the only one,” Lila said.  It’s a powerful image.

Carol Colburn came from Iowa, tempting us all to sign up for her course in Norway this summer, “Refashioning Vadmel: A Weaving and Design Workshop in Telemark, Norway.”  We admired two garments made in previous workshops, the lovely drape of the fulled wool, and the construction of the garments with individually silk-lined pieces.