Toni Seymour Handwoven

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California

Q&A

Tell us how your work is made.

I have been weaving since 2009 with monocular vision. I survived two brain tumor surgeries that year but lost the vision in my right eye. Without vision in both eyes, you have no depth perception. That was initially a major challenge in my weaving. But the plasticity of the brain is completely stunning. Over time.....maybe a year.....the brain started to pick up on shadows and lighting. Soon I could determine more easily which threads were lifted up on the loom and which ones were down. Amazing.

What makes you passionate about the medium you work with?

Making my weavings from what nature provides, from the sheep, the flax, and the flowers and plants is so very inspirational. I live on 3/4 of an acre so I can grow many of the plants I need. Being a part of the history of weaving and representing this group of artisans is such an honor. We no longer need to weave our clothes or our rugs as in the past but the quality, heart and soul that goes into every product that present day weavers create brings that same history and honor into your home.

What is something unique about you or your practice?

The wonder of weaving comes in the dyeing of the wool and the preciseness of using plant dyes. Many years go into the process of learning natural dyeing. The learning curve for weaving is very steep. Once I had that down, then I could concentrate on the excitement, and sometimes disappointment, of pulling yarn skeins out of the dye bath and seeing what color emerged. The true plant wonder is indigo. It goes in the dye bath white, comes out green, and when the air hits the wool, it turns the gorgeous indigo blue. Crazy fun to watch the color develop for so many plants available in nature.