Black Sheep Weavers Spinning a Proud Tale
Pat Thompson says the music made by her loom is just as relaxing as music made with instruments.
Weaving is very peaceful,
Thompson said. It's like playing the piano; the rhythm of the loom is music that you lose yourself in.
Thompson, 59, shares her love of weaving with members of Hartland's Black Sheep Weavers, a local fibre guild dedicated to keeping the weaving heritage alive and growing in Hartland and the state.
Weaving has been a part of Hartland Township since the 1930s when founder J Robert Crouse Sr urged the training of farming women to learn weaving as a home-based skill to supplement their agricultural income in the winter. As a result, in the 1930s and '40s, Hartland's was the third largest hand-weaving industry in the country.
You can go to states as far away as California and tell weavers that you are from Hartland, and they all recognise it,
Thompson said. Sometimes, they even have a loom made in Hartland.
With more than 80 members, Black Sheep Weavers expanded into other fibre crafts, including spinning, dying, needle felting and beading and rug hooking.
The group will hold its 23rd annual weaving and fibre crafts sale on Friday and Saturday. The event helps support continuing education and operation costs of the group.
Black Sheep Weavers continues the mission set forth by Crouse and the original Cromaine Crafts weavers of creating things beautiful and useful
by offering classes, workshops, lectures on fiber craft techniques, as well as artistic support and mentoring new and existing members.
They volunteer at local history and educational events to pass along Hartland's weaving's legacy to the community.
Nadine Cloutier, 55, has been a Black Sheep Weaver for nearly 15 years. She attended her first meeting as a guest and was overwhelmed by the tactile experience, the feel of the yarn, the colors, the enthusiasm, and the genuine interest in sharing and teaching the craft.
In addition to weaving, Cloutier makes dolls, incorporating many types of fiber and textiles into her creations.
I was an artist and weaver in the late 1960s,
Cloutier said. The group was a touchstone, bringing me back to my artistic roots that had been shelved for so long.
Cloutier has formed a weaving study group that explores vintage weaving patterns used by the original Hartland Cromaine Crafts weavers during their heyday.
Some of us felt we were losing the heritage weaving connection,
Cloutier said.
Black Sheep Weavers spinning a proud tale — The Detroit News