Annette Aylward

Name: Annette Aylward

Studio location: Pacifica, California  

Website / social links: annetteaylward.com, @annetteaylward

Loom type or tool preference: The Burchard Weavers 4-shaft counterbalance loom

Years weaving: 5

Fiber inclination: linen

Current favorite weaving book: “Card Weaving” by Mary M. Atwater

 

1. How did you discover weaving and was what your greatest resource as a beginner?

I got curious about weaving after inheriting a bolt of linen that had been hand-woven by my great-grandparents who were farmers and cottage weavers in Germany. The yardage I have from them is old but still strong with a great texture and natural grey color. I wanted to find out if I could replicate their linen, so I found a loom on craigslist, but had no idea how to use it. When I mentioned this to the seller, she gave me a beginner’s book, Deborah Chandler’s “Learning to Weave”, which was an excellent resource to get started.

2. How do you define your practice – do you consider yourself an artist / craftsperson / weaver / designer / general creative or a combination of those? Is this definition important to you?

I am really interested in the repeated making of functional household goods for everyday use, so I see myself mainly as a weaver and craftsperson.

3. Describe your first experience with weaving.

I made a lot of mistakes but loved weaving right away. Once I finished my first warp with just three towels and started using them I knew that I would keep making more. I am a trained dressmaker and have worked with fabric for a long time, but discovering handweaving was a total mind-shift. I still amazes me that I can make actual cloth myself.

4. What is your creative process, from the initial idea to the finished piece? Are there specific weave structures, looms, or fibers that are important to your process?

I prefer my counterbalance loom over the jack looms I tried because I get a really good tension and shed for the linen. My favorite pieces to make are simple linen kitchen towels in plain weave with hemstitched fringes. Unfortunately, the yarn I have been using for a long time is not available anymore and I nearly used up my stash, so I will soon switch to a cottolin yarn. It will be interesting to see how that will affect my weaving.

My creative process lies mostly in evaluating finished pieces. I only know if I really like something once I have made a complete sample and used it for a while. It’s also important to me that the making process itself feels right. If I get the feeling that I’m fighting the yarn, I know that something’s off and needs to be resolved.

5. Does your work have a conceptual purpose or greater meaning? If so, do you center your making around these concepts?

I hope that the goods I make are meaningful to the people who use them. I want my pieces to help with everyday chores and bring a bit of beauty to the mundane. My motivation to be a maker is rooted in the belief that skilled crafts are an important part of culture and society and that well-made handcrafted objects enrich our lives.

 

6. What is your favorite part of the weaving process and why? What’s your least favorite?

One of the great things about weaving is that I love every part of it. Each step makes sense, and each step has its own beauty. 

7. Do you sell your work or make a living from weaving? If so, what does that look like and how has that affected your studio practice?

I tried to create an income from weaving but couldn’t make it work. Then I put weaving on the back burner and considered it as just a hobby but that was also unsatisfying. Now I have a full-time job as a production stitcher and fit in my own crafts on evenings and weekends as much as I can. I offer a few pieces online and sometimes at craft fairs. This gives me the freedom to weave what I really want to make without creating in a vacuum. It’s amazing to get feedback from customers and to know that the items I make are being used.

8. Where do you find inspiration?

In the quiet. Through conversations with other craftspeople. From using what I make every day and considering what it still needs and where it wants to go next.

9. What other creatives do you admire – weavers, artists, entrepreneurs – and why?

I pretty much admire every person I come across who makes things. I admire people who do it full-time and put all their energy into arts and crafts, and I admire people who tinker just for a few hours here and there. They are all part of a creative resistance against boring sameness.

10. If you could no longer weave, what would you do instead?

Weaving is by far my favorite craft; not to weave anymore would be hard. My loom is the place where I can fully let go of any worries or expectations and get lost in the repetition of making. I also started wheel throwing pottery a few years ago and my current project is to develop stoneware pieces that work well with my woven goods.