Karen Loell, Weaver

Karen grew up in Sherman, New York, where she inherited a love and talent for working with thread. "My great aunt, Rosa Giesler, worked for a tailor and made trousers, she also made rugs for a living. She was the one that taught me how to weave." The real catalyst for her training was inheriting the rug loom from her great aunt. "She wove until she was 85, then she decided to retire," Karen quipped dryly, "and I wanted that loom and to learn how to use it. I was in my mid-thirties, and I had three young children. She told me I should have started learning this when I was younger. She was right, I was so busy then!" But Karen made room in her schedule and her house in Lawrence Park to accommodate the loom and its responsibility. In 1971, once all of her children were in school, she joined the Chautauqua County Weavers' Guild, and she has been an active member ever since.

Karen states, "We pretty much have kept the same format and meeting place for the last 50 years. We meet in Westfield and always welcome new faces." Guild members pick up knowledge from each other, from taking workshops, from doing research, and from attending weaving conferences.

Karen now has a collection of over five looms of varying sizes and has started a weaving studio in her home. She has a table loom for beginning students that she rents out for a nominal fee so they may practice at home. According to Karen, "Buying a loom is expensive and I want my student to know for sure they like weaving before they buy one. I want to see this tradition continue. I know there are people out there who would really love to learn."

Contact Museum Folk Art Coordinator, Kelly Armor for more information.