Designer Spotlight Blog Post – Sarah McCully-Posner
Welcome back to our new Designer Spotlight Blog! We are so happy everyone is enjoying this series where designers and fiber art enthusiasts can come and share their personal stories! This week we are featuring Sarah McCully-Posner, known to many as Gingerlocks Handwovens. Sarah has been very busy recently! In between weaving and creating useful weaving tools with her husband, she has signed up for a BIG new adventure! Read up on what she is up to next!
Meet the designer Sarah McCully-Posner!
Tell Us About Yourself
I am a small batch Handweaver based in my home studio in Portland, Oregon. Coming from a family of makers and then also marrying one, I have a natural tendency to want to create. I love all aspects of weaving but playing with color is probably my favorite part of the process. I work exclusively with natural fibers and create mainly flat fabrics as my sewing skills haven't improved as quickly as my weaving skills have. I am working on it though! I have been focusing on hand & bath towels, table linens, wearable blankets (aka wraps or shawls) and scarves. I have been making small, zippered pouches from all of the material I create when I weave off the last inches of my warp. Those have been fun to design.
Dancing Diamonds Cloth
How did you get started in weaving?
Growing up I had a neighbor who had a great big loom in her house (at least I remember it being huge, but I was also very small). I was always fascinated by what she was making and wanted to push down on the treadles and see how the shuttle worked. I have been at my looms for 9 years now, a passion I was finally able to pursue once my son started school. Having those memories linger in my mind lead me to classes offered locally with wonderful teachers. I started by taking a table loom weaving class through the Multnomah Arts Center (MAC) with Jaye Campbell and loved it so much I moved to her floor loom classes.
What Looms Do You Use?
My two workhorses are my 130cm (32 shaft) and my 70cm (16 shaft) Louet Megado Computer Dobby looms. I spend the majority of my time weaving on these. I also use my 8 shaft Ashford Table loom for workshops and seminars. I have 2 inkle looms, a pin loom, a darning loom, and plenty of tablets to keep me out of trouble too!
Special Tools for Weaving?
My husband and I have designed different loom accessories that have made my life so much easier, so we have start selling them to others and have had some great feedback. Being honest, they are my favorite tools! There are things like warp paper holders, lease stick holders, and beater hangers.
We have mainly designed for Louet looms but we have a few things for Schacht looms too (I had a Schacht Standard Floor loom before I bought my small Megado and also wove on one a the Multnomah Arts Center in Portland). Other than those things, I think my end feed shuttles are my other favorite tools.
Groovy Roll the Dice Tablerunner
Cascading Rainbows Placemat for 2
Rainbow Pillows
Favorite Weave Structure?
This is a tricky question because there are so many! I love weaving deflected double weave in a variety of fibers. I recently did some hand towels using this structure and they turned out really great. I also love to design images for my towels and I tend to use a satin structure for that. I also love braided twills for their bold geometric shapes. And double weave is another favorite because there is so much you can do with it! I feel like there are fewer structures I am less excited about. I just love to be at my loom and watching things come to life!
Favorite Lunatic Fringe Yarns Product?
10/2 rainbow Tubular Spectrum™ yarns are my hands down favorite yarns! I like to use black and different greys with it to create beautiful designs. I always say my favorite color is rainbow, and I think that is why I love this collection so much. I also love the 5/2 cotton in the same colors for certain projects but I work mostly with 10/2. The colors are just so vibrant, and you can’t be sad on dark rainy days while weaving with a rainbow spectrum on your loom. It is so beautiful!
Who or What Inspires You and Your Work?
I am inspired by a lot of things - yarn and texture, color, travel, nature, books, retro video games, and seeing other art in various forms. I draw inspiration from a lot of different places.
Why Do You Weave?
The simple answer is because I love it. The more complicated answer lies in the side-effects of the art. The tactile nature of the craft, the touching of yarn and feeling it between my fingers, the loading of pirns, the rhythm of dressing a loom, all of it makes my brain so happy, which makes me feel happy. I can feel myself relax when I touch the yarn. If it doesn’t feel good, I won’t use it because that is part of my process. Maybe that sounds a little woo-woo, but for me it works and that is just fine! I like creating art that is useful and functional and ties us to our ancestors across time and space.
Love is Love Scarf
The Ramen Scarf (hemp lyte yarns in body)
What Are You Up To?
I have just gone back to school as a post-baccalaureate student and am working towards the art degree I have always wanted! Iam currently enrolled in a BFA program in Art Practice and plan to specialize in textiles. I am also registered to attend Callie Booker’s online workshop for Double Huck starting in October. I have wanted to take this class for two years and I finally got in! I am also volunteering with the Ruth Dabritz Legacy Project to teach people to weave. It is a really great program here in Portland and several of the Portland Handweavers Guild members participate as instructors.
Two Face Twill Zippered Pouch
Many Diamonds Tablerunner
Rainbow Baby Blanket on loom
Last Question...Cake or Pie?
My favorite ice cream is Talenti Chocolate Peanut-butter Cup. I prefer that over cake or pie!
Thanks Sarah!
If you would like to know more about Sarah and Gingerlocks Handwovens, you can click on the links below and visit her on social media to see what she is up to!
Studio website: www.gingerlockshandwovens.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gingerlockshandwovens
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gingerlockshandwovens/