Rebecca Mezoff Blog — Rebecca Mezoff

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Thirteen years: It's a teenager!

Thirteen years: It's a teenager!

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.

The Long Thread: stories about fiber, 45 years running

The Long Thread: stories about fiber, 45 years running

How many of us weavers grew up with Interweave? Perhaps someone else has written or will write the history of Linda Ligon’s company which she started in Loveland, Colorado in 1975. The first magazine she produced was called Interweave. Eventually that magazine became Handwoven and Interweave became the name of the company. Linda sold the company in 2005. It was sold again to F+W Media and they declared bankruptcy in 2019. Linda, along with Anne Merrow and John Bolton, formed a new company in 2019 and are now the publishers of three of the most beloved magazines, Handwoven, Spin Off, and PieceWork.*

The company, Long Thread Media, has added new components to this fiber-centered business that we have loved for so long. One of those things is a podcast. Now in Season 2, I was thrilled to be interviewed by Anne for the April 9, 2021 episode.

Fixing a toilet or learning tapestry...

Fixing a toilet or learning tapestry...

YouTube is what I’m talking about. Those of us who grew up before the internet existed, do marvel at the miracle of this technology. The first personal computers came around while I was in junior high but the world wide web as we know it didn’t exist in any useable fashion until I was out of college. I wrote my masters thesis using sticky notes and index cards though I used a computer for word processing.

Shortly thereafter, the world changed. And now we can teach ourselves how to fix a leaky toilet by watching YouTube videos. I love this aspect of the internet, though a plumber might prefer I couldn’t replace my toilet innards myself.*

One year of Change the Shed

One year of Change the Shed

I started Change the Shed just over a year ago. Yesterday was the 55th episode. I started broadcasting from my studio when the COVID-19 lockdown first happened in Colorado thinking it would only last a few months. I know I didn’t think it would last very long because when I started, I did it every day. That wasn’t sustainable as we moved into months and now a year of dealing with this global pandemic. I am now doing it about twice a month on Wednesdays.

We’re all weary of this pandemic. But there is hope. There are vaccines that are working and more and more people are getting them. Frankly, hope helps.

I have enjoyed the challenge of weaving on camera. Actually, I should say that I have enjoyed the challenge of making mistakes on camera. The teacher in me feels this is valuable. The artist cringes every time it happens.