Tuesday was my blog-o-versary of thirteen years. Though it seems like a silly thing to celebrate, the blog was the start of where I am today. It was a wild idea I had one day and a free Blogger blog became a way to test ideas about tapestry weaving. The very first post was about a tapestry called This Time I Dance which was purchased by my partner’s ex. You never know where you’ll find a customer!
But dance I have, ever since. The blog has become a place to explore writing about tapestry weaving and a few other whacky ideas mostly having to do with fiber, though there are some live skunks and knitted chickens in there. As I started teaching tapestry weaving, it became a way to communicate with students about things I was teaching but also about things I was learning. The journey never ends and perhaps the blog never will either.
This Time I Dance had two versions. After a deep photo dive, I found them.
Rebecca Mezoff, This Time I Dance I, wool, cotton tapestry
Rebecca Mezoff, This Time I Dance II, wool, cotton tapestry
As the long slog of COVID-19 restrictions continues, dancing seems like a great thing to do. These pieces were about learning new things. I was dyeing my own weft, learning to both dye and weave gradations, and was reveling in the creation of something bright that I made with my hands. I think the name might have been related to a book I was reading, though I no longer know which one. The thought was that I was going to live my life in a way that celebrated all the things I wanted to do and who I wanted to be in relation to others and learning tapestry was at the top of my list. Shortly after I wove these I started my tapestry education in earnest with an apprenticeship.
The tapestry below is one of the very first ones I ever wove in the Gobelin style. I wove it before the tapestries above during a two-week workshop with James Koehler at Penland School of Craft in 2005. It is called Earthwoman and it now lives in my mother’s collection.
Rebecca Mezoff, Earthwoman, 2005
Happy Earth Day!