Lessons from the loom: How a Newfoundland mentorship is helping revive the craft of weaving

There's a long history of handwork in Katalisk — the Mi'kmaw name for the area around the Codroy Valley on Newfoundland's west coast. The L'nu'k from this area were famous for their basketry and hand-looming.

In fact, Millville — one of about 14 communities that make up the valley — was so named for its once-active sawmills and wool mills. But for generations, the wheels and the weaving stopped. The work disappeared.

Megan Samms is changing that.

She's a weaver, regenerative farmer, natural dyer, educator and mentor with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador's endangered craft program. She's also a self-starter and entrepreneur who built an off-grid loom shed and a craft library, with books generously donated by the Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Council, alongside her partner, Ash, and launched an artistic residency on their farm.

Samms spends much of the year passing on weaving skills and teaching.

"When the world changed and people didn't have to spend every minute of every day making cloth, well, handwork and weaving skills dwindled. But through my volunteer work with the Canadian Weaver's Guild, I can see there's been renewed interest," she said. 

Samms learned to spin yarn from her godfather and learned to knit as a teenager. Years later, she was gifted her first loom. At that time, she worked on a wildfire lookout in Treaty 8 territory near Slave Lake, Alta.

"Working on that wildfire lookout meant I was alone, so I took two books and taught myself. I made plenty of mistakes in those early days," she said.

After years of solo practice, Samms spent some studio time at the Kootenay School of Arts in British Columbia.

"I've always had mentors and looked for teachers. I think it's the best way to learn, and teaching is the best way to honour a craft or skill," she said. "Teaching people everything you know about handcrafts goes further than respect. It honours the work."

But instructing someone on how to use a loom can be complicated. First, an incredible amount of math is involved in constructing a pattern. Then there is the loom itself, an intimidating large wood structure strung with warp, through which weft is passed. There are criss-crossing beams, rods, and foot peddles that lift and lower the warp thread. For someone new to the craft, prepping a loom can seem overwhelming.

"There is a lot to know, so self-directed learning is the way to go. I started this mentorship by asking Jane where she wanted to start. What she was interested in," Samms says. 

Jane Walker

Jane Walker is a new weaver and Samms's mentee. She's also an artist and arts administrator living and working in Bonavista. 

Like many practising artists, Walker has experienced creative burnout and stress during the pandemic.

"In March of 2020, I was laid off, and it scared me. I just started saying yes to everything, taking every opportunity, working all the time, and I stopped playing or just going into my studio for fun," she said. "I felt like making art for the sake of making art wasn't productive."

Walker credits Samms and the mentorship with restoring her artistic practice. They were paired together through the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador's endangered craft program and a mentorship program with Visual Arts Newfoundland and Labrador.

"I got so caught up in surviving. Taking six months off, moving to the valley and learning a new skill reminded me that playing is a huge part of making art, and the mentorships made that discovery possible," Walker said.

While learning to use a loom was initially intimidating, Walker discovered a new appreciation for the longevity and worth of cloth.

"I love making things that will outlive me and things people will use. I'm making baby blankets for my friends," she said. "I'm hoping to make curtains. It's like leaving behind clues for the people who come after me."

It wasn't just Walker who learned something from her time as a mentee.

"My grandfather, Lloyd Walker, is in his early 90s, and he just made weaving shuttles for me. He's an incredibly talented woodworker, but he wouldn't have learned to make shuttles if I hadn't learned to weave," she said. "This spinoff effect that crafts people have on each other … I just love it."

While the mentorship is over on paper, Samms and Walker agree it's probably a lifelong creative relationship.

"Megan will always be my mentor. These creative partnerships don't end when the contract ends; you continue to influence and learn from each other."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador