a note from my younger self

Dear Sarah,
I just have to ask--
why are you sometimes so rude to me? 

"Why oh WHY did you do that thing
back when you were eighteen???"
you moan.
"It would have been so much better if..."

If what? 
​That's what I want to know.

I mean --
I'm the one who had the gumption
to learn how to spin
AS you might recall.

And also weave.

You know it's true!

Out The Window; hand woven tapestry; 9" x 9"; wool, natural dyes ©Sarah C. Swett 2008

Ok, so maybe I took a few chances--

Don't Look Back; hand woven tapestry; 9" x 9"; wool, natural dyes ©Sarah C. Swett 2008

--didn't always think things through.

Indigo Bath; hand woven tapestry; 28" x 48"; hand spun wool warp and weft; indigo; ©Sarah C. Swett 2003

It's not like a gal could --or would--plan
to find herself naked and blue
​with nothing but  a few strands of warp
to hold her up.

Sunlight On The Floor; hand woven tapestry; 36" x 24"; hand spun wool warp and weft; natural dyes; ©Sarah C. Swett 2002

But what could I do?
It  was all so interesting.
​And I was curious.

Blue Day; hand woven tapestry; 48" x 36" wool, natural dye; ©Sarah C. Swett 2007

I never expected 
the hard parts.
I mean really -- who does?

Two Recipes for Coffee Cake; hand woven tapestry; 48" x 24"; wool, natural dye ©Sarah C. Swett 2007

And we sure ate well.

Anyway, you've got to admit
​it HAS been really really interesting.

I mean,
​ what could better --

Diana's Fire; hand woven tapestry; 9" x 9"; wool, natural dyes ©Sarah C. Swett 2008

than to find yourself
​a white-haired woman

Jane's Picnic III: Toast Marshmallows; hand woven tapestry (detail); 48" x 40"; hand spun wool warp and weft; natural dyes; ©Sarah C. Swett 2000

who gets to play
​with fire and light?

If you think about it,
all I really did
​ was pick up that strand of yarn--

Casting Off: A Comic in Seven Tapestries -Pages 2-3; 10" x 10" x 2"; wool, natural dye, cotton/ hemp, thread ©Sarah C. Swett 2009

Casting Off: A Comic in Seven Tapestries -Pages 3-4; 10" x 10" x 2"; wool, natural dye, cotton/ hemp, thread ©Sarah C. Swett 2009

and follow it--

Walking The Walk 13" x 10" x 6" Hand Woven Tapestry Hand Stitching, wool, steel wire, stone natural dye

into the night

The Last Few Pages; hand woven tapestry; 18" x 24"; hand spun wool warp and weft; natural dyes; ©Sarah C. Swett 2003

until one tiny house--

The Plum Shed; hand woven tapestry; 9" x 9"; wool, natural dyes ©Sarah C. Swett 2008

led to another--

Tiny House Book 2.5" x 2.25" x 1.0" Handwoven Tapestry Spun paper (washi) Coptic Binding (linen) Paper (Handmade by Velma Bolyard (flax, milkweed, cotton; natural pigments)

and yet another--

Blue Moon; Hand Woven Tapestry (four selvedge); Hand spun wool warp and weft; natural dye; 2.5" x 2.5"

and eventually
I turned into you.

So no more whining OK?
We have stuff to do.
​
​love,
Sarah

ps
and don't forget
that I started working in the weft ends too
so that  all of the tapestries in this post
(plus the bazillion others in the archive)
could be woven that way --
 AND so that you could write
TUCKING THE TAILS.

I mean, it's not like the technique is limited 
to the monochromatic/geometric stuff
you're doing now.
Right?

So come on --
let's mess around some more.
It's still so interesting.