A New Convert?

My mother has been visiting over the holidays. 

She is an excellent seamstress and grew up in Vietnam where she learned not only how to sew, but how to make her own patterns and alter existing patterns to suit her. 

While I have been weaving for a while now, she has been reticent to use any of the hand woven tea towels or bath towels I have gifted her. The thought of cutting up any of the woven fabric was beyond her.

In truth, she had been only mildly interested in any of the weaving. When I acquired the 56" Macomber Beast, she looked at it and asked: "Where you plug in?"

After I explained it was completely manual, she could not comprehend why I would want to go to so much trouble making fabric when I could buy it and why would I want to have such a big "machine" that was not electric.

When I gifted her tea towels, she appropriately responded they were "too pretty to use," but later asked why I did not just buy cheap towels we could actually use and make dirty. 

Once I filled my kitchen drawer with towels for daily use, she warmed up to them. She certainly has had no problem using them while she is here. She has even commented on how soft and thirsty they are.

Moreover, after I showed her the duvet cover I made last spring, as well as the heavy coverlet, she began to relax about it. 

Here is the coverlet:

In fact, when I decided to replace the hand dyed and hand woven duvet last week, she asked for the fabric. She wanted to re-size it to allow it to fit on her bed. 

Over the summer, I decided to play with dye strengths in a warp I considered to be a throw-away, even though I wove it anyway. 

I had ten yards of it, but only 20" wide. 

Because she was not that fond of the colors, she had no problem cutting it up and sewing it into a simple shift (house) dress for me. 

She did share she loved the feel and drape of the cotton. She also squirreled the remains to fashion a top for herself. 

Just like that, her reservations about cutting hand woven fabric were gone.

She even made a rather large pillow out of the remains of the coverlet fabric (top photo).

As I was discussing my weaving plans for the year with the sweet husband, I mentioned there are four brides I will be making special tea towels for, each set individual as the bride-to-be, I stated I hoped to find the time to make fabric to recover the dining room chairs. 

My mother was not a party to the conversation a few weeks ago, but she was present. 

Well, I guess she has been thinking about it.

This morning, she began to quiz me: "What colors you use for dining chairs? Chocolate would be nice. How wide the fabric? How many yards you make? You make extra, I can use some, too... You make runner or mats to match? You use cotton or something else?"

I was delighted with her interest and asked if she wanted to learn how to weave.

She shook her head, "No, it work. You work, I enjoy fabric."

I may not have encouraged her to give weaving a try, but I am excited about what she is now willing to do with the handwoven fabric, especially as I am a rudimentary sewing machine operator, at best.