A Visit to the Little Loomhouse
Down a narrow road, tucked away in a charming, wooded neighborhood are three historic cabins housing a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and teaching the history of weaving and textile arts. Today I paid my first visit to the Little Loomhouse. If you’re ever in the Louisville, Kentucky area I highly recommend it! Completely picturesque and peaceful, it’s a magical place to view and learn the art of weaving.
Formerly the home and studio of Lou Tate, a trailblazing master weaver and teacher, this place has been lovingly preserved and transformed into a tranquil learning center.
I arrived in the middle of a needle felting class, and a small group of women learning to work with beautiful fiber dyed bright teal and pink.
There in the weaving room, the atmosphere is hushed with the work of many quiet hands, minds happily focused on their work- a kind instructor answering questions and sharing smiles. We are greeted by a volunteer, Heidi, who kindly offered to provide us with a tour of the site. Heidi was the best! She shared with us the history of the land and three cabins from the 1870s, Lou Tate’s important work, and how the Little Loomhouse continues to keep the art of weaving alive and well. One of the cabins holds gallery space as well, and I got to see some fantastic pieces by members of the Louisville Area Fiber & Textile Artists group (which I’m now very happy to share that I’m a member of!).
After the tour I had the chance to try my hand at weaving- first time ever! The weaving studio is a fantastic cabin- the light is bright and soft through the windows, and it smells ever so faintly of all the old, wooden looms and stools filling the space and decorating the walls. Warm, golden, and oh so inviting. Heidi got me set up and showed me the process, and I wove about 6” of fabric in just a few minutes!
While I was really excited to visit and see the works on display, I admit I arrived with only a passing interest in actually trying weaving for myself. Well, as I think happens with many of us creative-types- it took only a couple of passes with the shuttle before I felt the allure. One of the qualities I love most about embroidery, knitting, crochet, and quilting is the meditative rhythm of the repetitive movements. That, and watching something tangible and textural being created out of the quiet. So these movements of weaving- hands moving the shuttle back and forth, and feet working the pedals- felt like home.
I could have stayed at that little loom all day! On the ride home I booked myself a beginner weaving class in May and started looking up how much used tabletop looms cost! Just what my house needs, more arts/ craft supplies, right?! I imagine lots of cool possibilities at the intersections of weaving, embroidery, collage, and quilting- and I saw some great examples of this in the LAFTA pieces on display. I’ll report back after the class in May! In the meantime- if you’re a weaver I’d love any tips for getting started! Feel free to add a comment to this post or send me a direct message.
Keep Stitching (and maybe weaving!),
LeahJoy
What a lovely gem of a place!! And what a lovely experience! Thanks for sharing this with your readers!
🙂
What a cool place! Definitely sounds like a place to visit…and stay awhile! ❤️