| In
2009, Hilda de Weever will celebrate her 30th year in business.
De Weever's Wovens grew in her backyard studio in the picturesque
Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia (map).
Her Aylesford studio is a circle of large windows that shed light
on shelves of colour and racks of completed designs. As
the weaver's loom beats a hypnotic tune, creations mature from
mere yarn. Hilda is an artist whose patterns and colour
combinations have evolved into a rich reflection of fashion and
an enhancement of the human figure.
In 1971, when Hilda attended the Nova Scotia College of Art and
Design (NSDCC), she chose weaving as an elective. It soon
captured her imagination. There she developed her own style of "overshot"
weaving from traditional threading patterns. When she finished her
studies, she continued weaving as a hobby until she found a position
with the Scott Hunter Fibre Arts Group in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario,
in 1976. Two years later she returned to Nova Scotia to start
her own business and raise her daughter in an environment nurturing
for both.
Hilda has enjoyed considerable exposure and acclaim through various
exhibitions and shows, the most recent being "A Celebration of Textiles,"
an exhibition of handwoven yardage by 20 Nova Scotia hand weavers
presented by the Mary E. Black Gallery in Halifax; and "All the
Colours of the Rainbow - Wearable Art" with Holly Carr at the Ballroom
Gallery in Halifax. Hilda was also a co-founder of the Weave
Shed Crafts Cooperative of Wolfville, which had its roots in her
backyard studio.
Hilda
and her husband Jan de Graaf have traveled across Canada to various
juried
shows to sell
their creations and get feedback
from their customers. Visitors are also welcome at their
Aylesford studio. Many are drawn there through their brochures
which are distributed at tourist bureaus.
At de Weever's Wovens, custom fitted clothes are a specialty.
Quality is a priority, as is colour. And as Hilda says, "The
end product should be affordable and look nice on someone."
Haiku for Hilda
Patterns in her mind
Beat out a ceaseless rhythm
And flow on the loom
©Sharon Laska, 1997
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