Berwick Weaving Company | Handwoven in Nova Scotia

Time 2020-12-17 02:03:42

Web Name: Berwick Weaving Company | Handwoven in Nova Scotia

WebSite: http://berwickweaving.com

ID:136543

Keywords:

Company,Weaving,Berwick,

Description:

Back in October of 2018, I was talking to my husband about the mythical weave shed that I imagined for myself. I may have been talking about it for the past several years, to the point where the myth was taking a very definite shape in my mind. In October, we both started talking about it as if it were a real thing, and it was just that simple one of us said we could actually do it, you know and the plan started to take shape.So, Berwick Weaving Company now has an actual building to itself, and I could not be happier. Have you ever made something happen, from dream-to-actuality, and at the end of it realize that you have literally made your dream come true?I have, and it s terrific.The road to the studio, from when we hired someone to when it was finished, was surprisingly short. We got quotes in October/November, and they started the building process in January. Working through a wet and windy wintertime, the studio emerged in about 4 months. They were quiet, respectful, and responsive. I am happy with our builder, Bentley Built Homes. It may be the first weave studio they ve built, but it may not be their last.Before, and after.It wasn t always entirely smooth, but putting it all in perspective the process was remarkably freer of angst and stress than I had expected. The building is so quiet, and such a difference from the old weave room that looked out over a busy street! It s warm, sturdy, and peaceful. It s tucked in underneath my favorite old maple tree, and looks remarkably like it s been there for ages already (though I do need to do some landscaping).It took about a week to move everything in and organize it all organization was always my biggest worry, because weaving comes with a lot of gear. But I ve been in the studio, working, for about 3 or 4 days now, and I really couldn t be happier. The efficiency one gets from knowing where everything is in a space, from everything having a place, is valuable.The studio is not a retail space; it s really just a more private and efficient space for me to work. I do plan on setting up a studio tour maybe, and as always if people want to visit they can message me through Berwick Weaving Co. s facebook page or email me and set something up. I am open by chance no set hours.For those of you interested in that storage I keep talking about:These shelves are terrific. Taking advantage of the 10 foot high ceilings, the shelf is eight feet high, and eight feet wide. Twelve inch deep shelves, so I don t lose anything behind something else. I was shocked at the amount of fibre I actually had in the old weave room everything was compressed, or boxed, so I had no real idea until I took it all out there and started sorting! I love it, and every time I look at it, I am inspired. I find it so useful to have it all out, and in view.Some weavers keep their fibre stored in plastic boxes, or tubs. I just can t do it. This will require more dusting than if I d chosen to do that, but it s worth it.On the other side of the room, I chose to repurpose shelves I d had made for my in-house weave room. I m very happy I did I love the look of them, and the cubbies will prove useful.I ve managed to fit all the looms in, save one small rigid heddle loom I decided to keep in the house. It s a convenient size to use in front of the tv, or in the sitting room.I found a place for my beloved mangle, and put a good sized table in as a workspace, or for (future, planned) teaching space.I love this space, and am over the moon with it. I look forward to many happy hours in there. Thanks for taking this journey with me.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... So, I’m not in the studio yet, but will be soon. We’ve had a few problems with the floor, but it’s going to be fixed early next week, so I may be able to move in very soon! I appreciate my builder’s willingness to find solutions to the problems and am confident it’s in good hands.It’s been a slog, I must say. When it first started going up, every day there was something new to see, something that wasn’t there that morning. As it becomes a Real Thing, the pace slows down. That took a bit of getting used to. They are working at it, but as always the micro level isn’t quite as satisfying.I’m so keen to get in there! I have work to do, and the home studio is such a mess that it’s hard to get any work done. I’ve been collecting furnishings/storage solutions for the studio, and there’s really no place to put it all except in the current weave room, which was full to bursting already. And somehow, the waiting saps one of motivation. I kept putting off warping my big loom, because I figured the studio was almost ready, and I can’t easily move that loom with a project in progress on it. I’m very glad that the floor will be sorted out soon, because I have commissions that need to get done!When you undertake something like this, it takes on a life of it’s own. The big dig out there became a shell, then a sealed envelope, then an almost finished work space that I can’t move into. We sit out on the deck a lot, and just kind of look at it. I’m finding it actually a little difficult to imagine actually being in there!But in there I will be, and I’m still trying to wrap my head around the actual dimensions, and placement of all the gear that comes along with looms. I’ve got most of it worked out in my head, but there are a few big ticket items that I’m just not sure what to do with my very large warping reel, and a vintage mangle that I adore (and which my long-suffering brother in law picked up for me a few years ago. They’re really heavy, did you know that?)The mangle. A monster, but beloved. She needs a paint job, maybe. Her current home is the pocket of hallway space beside the stairs.I have these fantasies about what this lovely but decidedly not huge space will look like. In my dreams, it looks like this:Found on Pinterest, see link in text.In reality, it is in danger of looking like this, unless I plan carefully.Another pic found on Pinterest. No link, because really who needs to look at that?Stay tuned! It’ll be a process, finding efficient storage and figuring out how my processes will work best in that space. It’s an exciting thing, to have a brand new dedicated space.To finish, a few of the things I’ve been weaving lately: Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... When I used to think of that someday when I would build a studio, I called it “my future weavery”. I assumed that it would be a long slog full of details and difficult decisions and mud.I can tell you that the mud part was bang on, but the others not so much. I think that the best decision we made was to find a reputable builder and trust their process. Like total idiots, at one point we figured “how hard can it be? We could do this ourselves, right?” but thank goodness we scuppered that idea fairly quickly.View of the backside of the building.Since I last wrote, the future weavery has become much closer to being in the present. The siding is on most of the structure, a lovely charcoal/black (depending on the light). The front of the building has no siding yet, because they haven’t yet installed the doors (a showpiece glass-paned garage door, and a lovely transom “man door” beside it), and they need that front space for other things. [Side note: can we just remove the term “man door” from the lexicon already? I get that it’s to differentiate from the garage door (“car door”?), but the term just drives me crazy.]At the moment, there’s a temporary plywood lean-to built on the front, to accommodate a heater that they’ve hard-wired into our panel on the house. It’s been running for days to warm up/dry out the place, and to allow for the slab to be poured and power-troweled. The electric heating mat was placed, and the slab poured over it. Next week they’ll run the electrical from the house to the studio (this step is where the mud comes in). I’m trying to ignore the tick tick tick of my electric meter clocking the amps from that heater.I’m super pleased with the entire project. We’ve had a few bumps, but nothing big, and nothing that makes me lose sleep. In the interest of giving information to others who might want to do this, I want to mention a few things that took us by surprise. The site manager took me into the structure before the slab was poured, and it was gorgeous. Warm, on a middling-cold March day, partly from the heater but also because of the neatly insulated walls, and early spring sunlight through the windows. I mentioned that I was under the impression that electrical goes in prior to insulation etc., and he reminded me that this building is not entirely ordinary. It’s above code, and will have not only exterior walls, but interior walls. This is for several reasons with the radiant heat, it’s important that there be as high an r-value as possible, and it provides a clean space for electrical and plumbing (the latter of which I don’t have). Traditional walls are entangled with  wires etc, and doing it this way allows for more insulation and a cleaner route for any future re-wiring etc. that will not disturb the integrity of the outside envelope.I had no idea, because my eyes kind of glaze over with the more overtly technical aspects of the service contract and plans, to be honest. Anyway, they’ll be building that wall soon and I  understand the usefulness of it; I appreciate the builder’s commitment to creating a really sturdy structure.What I hadn’t figured into my equation was that it’ll take up some of the footprint in what is already a fairly bijou space. For the sake of warmth and structural integrity, I’m sacrificing a foot, give or take,  around the perimeter of the entire footprint. It adds up, but I’m okay with it. It’s better to be warm and sturdy than to have a drafty extra foot or so, I always say.Looks done, no? Nope these are the interiors of the exterior walls who knew?The building is, on the outside, 16’x24’, inside once all is done, it’ll be about 14’x22’-ish, roughly speaking. Still a good size, and still something I cannot believe will be mine.  Another benefit of these walls is that they will give me lovely deep windowsills, perfect for plants, coffee cups, and weaving ephemera. It’s all good.But it’s got me thinking about my current obsession with regard to storage. Really, I’ll have to wait until the drywall is up before I can measure for storage options. I’ve veered from IKEA to something more minimal, since the space I’m losing to the boring (but important) interior walls is about exactly what I’d planned on for storage. I don’t want it to be busy. I want serene uncluttered space, something my eye will not drag over but will instead  glide over. Weaving and the attendant accoutrements takes up space, and is textured and colorful, so storage isn’t just a fetish of mine, but a necessity.I kind of  don’t want to move my looms into what would be, essentially,  an IKEA showroom. Somehow, that doesn’t seem right.  (And, every time I look at the IKEA website it tells me that the shelves I want aren’t in stock, or there’s only one .) I’m leaning toward a couple of other options at the moment. Industrial wire shelving? Long wooden shelves with minimalist brackets? Closed storage? Built-ins? Dunno.I’ve had to tell myself it’s not entirely necessary to have this all figured out right now.And that, my friends, is the important lesson here (aside from making yourself familiar with building processes). It doesn’t all need to be finished. This is a process. I’ll absolutely be moving my looms in as soon as is humanly possible, but it isn’t a big deal if the fibre stays in the current weave room for a while. It’s not a big deal if it’s all in Rubbermaid totes for a while. It’s not a big deal. Given the (intentionally) “over-built” construction of this thing, it’s going to be here for a long time and it’s okay if it’s not turnkey ready for me the moment the workmen leave.Another milestone was the floor. They tidily removed the dumpster to make room for the concrete mixer, poured it, and began to power-trowel. I don’t want a fancy floor I want to move looms around, spill things, and not worry about it overmuch. It needs to be easy to clean lots of fibre fluff and dust comes off the loom.Concrete seemed the way to go, and I love the look of it. It will also conduct the heat nicely, and feel cool and smooth in summer. I had some things I thought were important I don’t want it polished to a mirror finish because with all those windows I was afraid I’d go blind from glare, but I wanted it sealed in order to keep it clean. I want it to be smooth, so the power trowel made sense to me. Currently, I use the heated floors in our bathroom to dry wet-finished items, and it’s perfect; I wanted to do that in the future weavery too. I weave barefooted it’s my favorite state to be in, and shoes get in the way when treadling. I hate socks, and want to avoid them whenever possible.Turns out, though, that being able to communicate to the guy running the power trowel about level of smoothness is important. I had assumed he’d come by with samples or something? But instead I trooped out there and had to look at it, and tell him if it was smooth enough. “How many more passes should he make?” the builder asked.Ummm. I had no idea. I ended up saying “well, just make it closer to the smooth side of the continuum, as opposed to the rough.” I mean, what else can you say? It’s like trying to explain colour to someone who’s never seen it. I left him to it, and went out again later when it had been troweled and sealed with as matte a seal as they could manage.Looks lovely, and I never have to think about it again. There was some  glare, but the sealer was still wet. If glare is a problem in the future, I can buy blinds, or lay down a rug or two.Smooth and beautiful! When asked how it would age, the concrete guy said “It may darken. Or get lighter.” I’m fine with that. Apparently this is an imprecise art .In about two weeks, the doors will be installed, we think. Then, it’s going to really look almost-done. There will still be work, but it’ll look like it’s going to look, and we’ll be drilling down into the fine details.This whole thing has been super-easy so far, compared to what I feared. I’m astounded at the quiet labour the workmen engage in daily, the industrious growth of something-out-of-nothing that I watch daily. I’m really pleased with the ease of communication with the builder/trades (they have an app!).Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Things are pretty exciting here these days, as far as the construction of the studio goes. The back garden is transformed, and it has made me realize just how different something can look if you change one thing (or, in this case, a progression of small things that are turning into an entirely new view).We began with this:The day the Big Adventure started. The old garden shed is now gone.And today, this is the view.Window day! As cold a day as you can imagine, and the workmen were stalwart and hardyQuite a progression!It s really quite something to see a building happen. Those men are nothing short of heroic framing in sleet, roofing in snow, installing windows in frostbite conditions! I keep thinking of the lovely warm studio I ll be sitting in next winter, but those guys must be cursing this weaver and her stupid studio, I swear.My big disappointment this week was that they put the windows in and then nailed plywood over the doorway. I had been planning on creeping in there after they left, to dream about the layout of shelves etc. As disappointments go, this is pretty far down on the list so I m not going to complain.What my impatient desire to see inside it says to me is that I have, in a way, forgotten that there ll be plenty of time later to be inside it. It s a funny thing, magicking a building out of nothing you get so caught up in the planning and process that you forget the reality of it that one day (fairly soon!) they ll tidy up and leave, and I ll have whole new routine walking out there of a morning to sit in a pool of sunshine and weave away the hours.And a new routine is needed. These past grey winter weeks I ve been very excited about the process of planning projects, but not so great on the follow-through. Kind of like, well, my feelings about the building going up out back. The planning has been terrific, but the reality of it means work.Linen warp, wound on the reel. One of my favorite parts of the process out of chaos comes order and beautyIt s easy enough to feel like you re doing something when you re planning researching, reading, winding warps . These are the recent ones; busy work because I ve been reluctant to get my arse on the weave bench and just do it. The weather isn t helping, and I had a touch of the flu, and I just haven t been dedicated. The current weave room is crowded and not entirely conducive to actually spending time in it, and the human brain is capable of a multitude of excuses.But I think that we all go through dry spells, right? Times when we spend more time thinking about what we ll do than actually doing it? I ve struggled with this the past few weeks and have come to realize that it s all actually part of the process. We aren t machines we need to take time to dream and plan, to make mistakes (cut off warps that just don t do it for us, to flip through one draft after another, and find none that speak to you). This is fairly fertile ground it s a way to refocus, to experiment, and to visualize the things we make be they scarves or tea towels, or studios.We can t beat ourselves up because we aren t producing all the time. We need downtime to figure out what we ll produce; to think and dream and visualize. We tend not to prioritize this part of it, because we live in a culture that privileges busy over calm. We can t fit this part of the process into the interstices we need to allow it, and use it, and wait until we feel that spark again, right?So maybe it s not a dry spell, but a fertile moment. A moment when we germinate ideas and our sense of what our practice is. In the Spring (soon to come) these seeds sown now will begin to sprout and grow. Like this idea that became a hole in the ground, then became a studio, good things come from these times when we are quiet and thoughtful.I dragged my long-suffering husband through IKEA this past week, looking for storage solutions for the studio. I don t want to buy anything until I can stand in the space and think about it, until I have exact measurements and a plan, so all I wanted to do was to look and touch things to help with the planning. He trudged, dead-eyed, through the store, while I learned this sort of thing is best done alone, or with a like-minded girlfriend. I have narrowed it down, though, so even though it caused him some distress, I have a better idea of what I m going to do inside.“Billy” bookcases with these lovely cubbies, as opposed to long shelves. Perfect for sorting fibre“Gnedby” I assume they’re actually meant for CD storage, but will be perfect for 8/2 cottonsI ve settled on a mixture of Billy bookcases with Gnedby sections for the smaller 8/2 cotton. The ceilings of the studio are 10 ft high, so there will be room for Billy extensions. Billy can be installed either with or without glass doors, so some of it will have doors the sections closest to the window with southern exposure, and those in which I ll be storing inventory.So, as with my weaving practice, the studio build also requires some quiet moments in which to plan the final products. It s not about producing, but about producing well after contemplation and planning.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Some days, I walk into the workroom and pause. I look around, and I see the tools that I use for weaving, the glorious fibres and colours, the objects that are both functional and beautiful, and I am grateful.Other days, I take it all for granted I forget that this workroom (though small and cluttered) is a haven. I forget that all of this work has stretched my abilities, that practice and time invested have made me able to create things that are beautiful, complex, comforting.Today, I saw it all, and was glad. The studio build continues, and some days have more dump trucks and equipment in the driveway than I ever thought there d be, but here in my little workroom is a lifetime of colour, texture, and fibre.The sun is out today, but the sky looks threatening. It s cold, and the wind is whistling around the house. Later today, in my snug workroom, I ll start planning my next weave and the next after that.It s a good life.Studio build update:It s starting to shape itself into a studio-sized form. Since we moved here in 2003, there was a garden shed, just in front of the new construction site. When it was removed, we realized just how much of a difference it made they took down the fence, too, and all of a sudden we remembered the size and shape of the yard that was hidden behind that little shed, and bisected by picket fence.A giant hole. Footings and foundation walls framed and poured.I ve begun to think about the inside of that studio too, trying to figure out where all of the stuff will go. It s not a horrible task to have, and I ve enjoyed having to think about my practice this way where do I like the light while I weave? How to arrange fibre (type, colour, type and colour, size?), what makes more sense a table or a long counter?Arts crafts project a scale drawing with construction paper to-scale looms etc.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... I’ve been weaving since the Fall of 2013. As with most weavers, the looms started to fill the place pretty quickly. This craft does not have a small footprint, and the tools of the trade can be fairly unwieldy.I remember buying my first loom. I got it online, used, and I knew absolutely nothingabout weaving or looms except that I really wanted to do it. The previous loom owner actually delivered it to my house andreassembled it for me, in my front sunroom (thank you, patient and harried loom man, for doing that!). For a month or two before I took some lessons with a lovely teacher, I would just go in there and look at it, and take in the loom-flavoured air a mix of wood, cloth, dust, and promise.I moved my desk into another room, and figured that I still had lots of space. Over the years, that room has been completely transformed. I took out the couch, the chair, the books. In went another loom, built-in shelves for fibre and tools, benches and boxes for fibre that wouldn’t fit on the shelves. It’s a beautiful room about 11’x13, with two walls ofwindows. It also has three doors, wonky heat, and is a sun trap in the warmer months.It’s also crowded.I have to move a loom to get to my fibre, move it back to get to the other loom. My warping reel is folded and in front of a shelf, and I have to move it to access my sewing machine. Then I have to take the machine out to the dining room to actually use it.It’s a drag, and it makes me a less efficient weaver.So yeah, it’s hard to work in there. I know it’s already a massively privileged space, but I am lucky enough to be able to look for solutions to make it better.I have for most of my life, fit whatever I did into the spaces I had. It wasn’t always a good fit, and there’s been a lot of making do over the years a Harry Potter office-under-the-stairs, looms spread around 3 rooms, home offices with kids nearby, etc. A life lived with buckshee solutions is not a solution forever.So that’s the problem.The solution? Build a studio in the back garden. Have you ever visualized something you wanted, and then made it happen? A big ask like this seemed ridiculous, but I thought about it for years, made a Pinterest board, and dreamed. Then one day it occurred to us that we couldbuild one and oddly, after that it was simple(ish). I think that making an imaginary future-studio a part of my headspace finally opened up the opportunity to bring it to life.I spend a fair amount of time looking online for pictures/blogs about workspaces. I’m kind of fascinated by the areas other people use to make their art. There’s something so beguiling about dedicated spaces. When I started this whole thing, I had a lot of ideas, a lot of misconceptions, and absolutely no idea at all what I was doing. I looked online, and never really found what I wanted a blog about the steps involved in making a dedicated space, from start to finish. Pictures about the things that matter to me storage solutions, lighting, space management. Even the building process itself is mystifying to me.So, I”ll demystify some of it, here.We’re in the very early days they start on Monday with the machines that will remove the current garden shed and start to dig a big hole for the foundation. That is not, however, the start. As with weaving, the process of setting up takes quite a while! We started this process in October 4 months ago and it has taken that long to muddle our way to this point. We ended up working with a terrific local company, Bentley Built Homes, and they have helped to shape all of my ideas into something concrete.Over the next several months I’ll keep you filled in on what’s happening here with Berwick Weaving Co.’s new digs. Once it’s open, it’ll be so nice to have people drop in for a studio tour, or lessons (or even just a coffee, if you notify me first). I’m so excited about this making a dedicated space that is quiet, peaceful, organized. Making a space that is uncluttered, airy, and light-filled.This process has made me think about myprocess what I want from my weaving practice, how I want to move forward, and why I’m doing it. The construction process will probably disrupt some of my work, but it’s also going to focus it, I think. This year, I’ve decided that I’m going to be sole instructor and student of my own impromptu weaving school there are things I want to learn to do better, processes that I haven’t tried or that I couldn’t try because of other commitments, space constraints, a cluttered mind.Pop back in for occasional updates. I’ll leave you with this tantalizing view of the plans.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... Here in Nova Scotia we are experiencing a heat wave. Just brutally hot and humid weather. It makes one feel sapped of energy and creativity. I’ve been experiencing just this sort of drought metaphorically, as well. A long time has passed since I wove with the regularity and fervour that has been the hallmark of my creative process.It’s early August, and it’s still stinking hot, but I think I feel autumn in the air in the cooler mornings, and the occasional cooler evening. Something about the light, the timbre of the birds, and the dark-earlier twilit nights.September has always felt to me like a new beginning. Once a student, always a student, I guess? I’m starting feel stirrings of impulse toward weaving more, toward experimenting, and in finding the joy in quiet work amongst colour, fibre, and texture.Recently a really terrific store opened up here in Berwick, hotbed of creative activity Market Between the Mountains has a great selection of work from local/Atlantic Canadian artisans, and mine is included. I still do commissions, but you can also come to Berwick and poke around the store to see some Berwick Weaving Co. pieces. Once the weather starts to turn, and you begin to think longingly about lap blankets and throws, scarves, shawls and stoles, you should come out and see what’s what.In the meantime, here’s what just came off my loom. A stupidly soft blankie with Harrisville Shetland wool and a velvety one-off wool from Mineville. And here is what’s on my little rigid heddle loom. The earthy-toned warp is a little out of the ordinary for me, but paired with my old fave tourmaline, it really speaks to me. Once complete and wet-finished, this will be a velvety wide scarf that will have a lovely hand, and will stop traffic (or, at the very least, cool wind from hitting one’s neck).Happy creating to you all! Get out there and make something.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading... I hope you all had a wonderful holiday time, and a peaceful new year. I like to take a little time at the beginning of each year to think about how the year was, and what I want the next year to look like.As a weaver, I want to make more things new drafts, new colours, new fibres. I’m going to try to keep the joy right up front with whatever I’m making it makes me happier, more creative, and I like to think that each  piece might just be infused with  a little bit of that creative passion.I want to do some traveling, and see what others are weaving. I’d like to make my life and practice more local, more sustainable, deeper. I’d like to collaborate with other makers, maybe. I want to go places, creatively, that I can’t even imagine right now.And that’s the fun of it, right? I hope for all of you a creative and happy new year, in which we all stretch a little bit and see what happens.What are your plans for 2018?Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)Like this:Like Loading...

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