Weaving with Looms: A Meditative Crafternoon
Image by Patrick Fermin
Writing by UMIH Student Intern, Patrick Fermin (History)
An afternoon of crafting was a welcome reprieve from the busy humdrum of school life. Gathered together, we crafted our own personal mini weaved works. With our mini-looms, we explored our own creativity and built connections with one another. Much like yarn weaved together, our own experiences and knowledge infused itself into our creations. Some of us were far more experienced in working with textiles, but nevertheless, we all tried to create from somewhere personal.
I myself was never great at arts and crafts, and the process of creation, though meditative, always made me impatient. This was true for the day, but it also felt different. There was a relaxed feeling in the room, a mix of silent individuals and those who enjoyed creating and talking. We all connected by passing yarn, complimenting one another’s work, and encouraging ideas to create something personal. Experimenting with different colours, we made loomed works uniquely ours, works which spoke to our boundless creativity.
“To be able to see a loom and imagine the practice being done by skilled weavers and the countless garments that could be created by such a tool was cathartic”
Threading the needle through yarn, we also engaged with a practice rooted in Indigenous traditions and culture. The coauthors of “Traditional Crafting as a Catalyst for Indigenous Women’s Intergenerational Cohesion and Wellness: A Canadian Perspective” argue that crafting is integral in Indigenous cultures as a site of passing down traditional teachings and practices (Sydora et al. 2023,1). Craft’s importance is informed by the exchange of knowledge within the community, or in this case, the building of community within our small group. Furthermore, participating in traditional practices also promotes well-being through building connections both within oneself and towards others. Craftmaking also promotes skill appreciation in the context of women’s art, and wellness for teacher and participant(Sydora et al. 2023, 2).
Crafternoon: Weaving with mini looms ; Wednesday October 16th, 2024
Personally, I found these to be true of my experience during Crafternoon. Engaging with our instructor as she taught us how to begin our looms was exciting because it made me connect with an Indigenous practice. To be able to see a loom and imagine the practice being done by skilled weavers and the countless garments that could be created by such a tool was cathartic. The sheer act of creating felt gratifying and satisfying; we were able to both engage and transcend the gendered history of this practice. Much like the connected threads, people in the room made ties with one another, and by the end, I had created something that was distinctly mine. The opportunity to create, craft, and connect allowed me to engage with myself, my creativity, and my own well-being.
Bibliography
Sydora, Beate C., Luwana Listener, Janice Y. Kung, Sue Ross, and Cora Voyageur. 2023. “Traditional Crafting as a Catalyst for Indigenous Women’s Intergenerational Cohesion and Wellness: A Canadian Perspective.” International Journal of Circumpolar Health 82 (1): 2175763. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2023.2175763.