These Hands: Weaver
Bri Frederick
December 2020
When I am greeted by Bri at her door she welcomes me into her home like an old friend and I can see the smile she wears, despite both of us being masked. She is a wife and mother of three, but equally importantly;
a weaver.
She takes to her loom with comfort and ease. Several cowls have already been completed on the roll and she carefully eyes new thread combinations to weave into the warp.
Bri views her process of weaving as an endless exploration of color, fiber, and texture combinations; each essentially becoming independent studies.
This is the why she makes cowls instead of long scarves or wraps. “I love each new combination, each one is so different and I appreciate all of them.”
Her newest baby, Remy (6 mo.), is always nearby. First he’s lying on the floor, then Bri’s mother scoops him up for a bit to keep him busy, then he’s in the stroller being rolled and lulled to sleep.
Bri takes this interruption with grace and love and looks into his eyes and talks with him, holds him and nurses him, soothes him and then again returns to her weaving. When asked about the challenges of weaving she replies, “Doing it and being a mom at the same time. Most of the time, I’d rather weave, but I can’t.”
She returns to her weaving without missing a beat. Her feet on the treadles are steady and work the patterns by memory. The shafts rise and fall, the shuttle passes through and back again. Everything is in perfect rhythm, especially Bri.
“Every strand, no matter how small, plays an active role in creating the whole. No element anywhere, no matter how lonely, is by itself.”
-Bri Frederick
