A Mask Transforms Her Life

A reader shares her mask with us, and tells in her own simple moving language the power of the Weaving a Life process.

Les Couleurs de Printemps

When I first read your book, I was attracted to 2 of the keyforms: the Amulet and the Mask. These were the two projects that appealed to me. First I wove the Amulet, about my shared life with my partner: a pure honoring of that relationship. I enjoyed the weaving because I could weave so freely, and I love the piece. They're our colors, and it means a lot to me.

Then I wove the mask, about my mother. I have never had an easy relationship with my mother, but when I read the book, the part about the mask, I saw I could use it to come to terms with myself, to gain self-acceptance.

I wanted the mask about my mother not to be unkind, but also not to be untrue. I named her FiberOma, because Oma is what we all call my mother, and fibroma is also a tumor. She has a pout. I wanted colors that related to her. I used pink and lichen, and a beautiful variegated yarn that I painted: les couleurs de printemps.

I exaggerated the pout and the droopy eyes, I added eyelashes. They were for my fun. I gave her hair, then I felted her. During the felting, her hair became electric, and I renamed her Fibrillady, because now she has her electric energy in the mask. I put it in there, so now there's less of it in me.

Thank you for neutralizing the electricity. Thank you for providing the tool.