Sharing time with others and especially family can consist of talk and eating only…and maybe a disagreement or two! But if time is a shared experience or activity I think it seems more enjoyable and connected. I’ve seen this happen, with friends and family groups, mother and daughter and father and son, in the studio. I admire people who can put together such events and times together as it is something that I’m not so good at in my own life! So I enjoy seeing delight and connection in others.

The good thing about a Saori weaving experience is that absolutely no experience is needed to enjoy and create a tangible and unique cloth. Mostly people come with some experience with yarn in some way such as knitting, crochet etc but some not at all. Some come with a love of clothes and fashion and want to learn about how cloth is constructed, some just want an relaxing, meditative, timeout style of creating on the loom.

In the studio recently three generations of women enjoyed weaving together. Nicole below is weaving to her mother Pam’s design ideas and the ideas were certainly lively discussion and decision making. The process was not passive but bright and very engaging. A joy to watch and hear!

Brianna was Pam’s granddaughter and embarked on her own design challenge in the session. Brianna had to depend on her self as the designer and weaver. She had some experience in a Kyoto Saori workshop so knew what to do immediately.

I’m still trying to determine my way through the pandemic and the best way of operating the studio so this session really motivated to re-focus on the enormous human value of weaving together. But more importantly it is the connection that I see in people with the loom and the joy that it brings for creating that pleases me the most. Creating with friends and family really is the perfect get together and memory creator.

Nicole and Pam’s mother-daughter collaboration Saori weave cloth will be a hanging or table centre cloth. I think these weaving sessions highlight Misao Jo’s views on how weaving as a process and the resulting cloth combine to create a deep sense of our own self worth as living humans and how we can connect to each other in simple experiences.

Thank you to Nicole, Brianna and Pam.

If you would like to book a family session please contact me to arrange a date.