Whimsy & Tea | Handwoven Tea Towels

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Tangled threads: Thoughts on failure

February 9, 2020 By Marilyn Webster 5 Comments

When I changed my mind about a color

I sit down at the loom and settle in to untangle threads. I’d designed new towels, but, after weaving a sample, was unhappy with the design and decided to rework it. I took threads off the loom, rearranged some, removed others and added more. I knew that my decision to use as many of the […]

Read more stories about Creative process, Lessons from the Loom, Weaving

Start somewhere

October 8, 2018 By Marilyn Webster 2 Comments

Zinnia patch kitchen towels

My desk is covered with a few weaving books, samples I wove in a workshop on color, graph paper and my laptop as I work on a new design. A weave structure called bumberet has been on and off my mind for several years and the time has come to give it a go. The […]

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The sound before the sound

August 1, 2018 By Marilyn Webster 12 Comments

warp for rhododendron bouquet towels

“Did you hear that?” I ask my friend Jody as we wind a warp onto her loom together. Jody stands at the front of the loom, I at the back. She combs the threads to straighten out any tangles or knots, then pulls handfuls of threads to tighten them. When she’s ready, I turn the […]

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From irked to grateful

July 2, 2018 By Marilyn Webster 8 Comments

warp for after the rain towels

Sometimes weaving drives me crazy. I’m not talking about the many times threads have ended up in a tangled mess. Nor how hard it is to make changes once the threads are under tension on the loom. Nor the lack of portability. No, I’m talking about the times an idea pops in my head and […]

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Letting go

December 4, 2017 By Marilyn Webster 1 Comment

Letting Go kitchen towel in a basket with rolls

I have a project I want to weave: napkins to go with my Crisp Fall Day table runners. By “go with” I mean similar colors and a different pattern. I want them to coordinate rather than match. I make a plan and hear a quiet But as I set to work. I ignore the hesitation […]

Read more stories about Lessons from the Loom, Weaving

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  • HOME
  • ABOUT MARILYN
    ▼
    • Meet Marilyn
    • In the media
    • Environmental stewardship
  • HANDWOVEN GOODS
    ▼
    • Kitchen towels
    • Table napkins
    • About colorgrown cotton
    • Laundering
    • A word about color
    • My guarantee
  • EVENTS
  • BLOG
    ▼
    • Making cloth
    • Thoughts on beauty
    • Life’s lessons at the loom
    • More than a dog walk
    • Customer stories
    • Recent posts
  • CONTACT
  • ONLINE STORE