|
It’s all about color.
That’s the nutshell philosophy of rug weaver Estelle Serena of Burlington. And it’s the most satisfying part of her business.
“Color is endless,” she says. “No matter how many rugs I have made, I still feel a thrill of seeing each rug come off the loom.”
She also gets to play with colors when she gets shipments of fabric from textile firms. These are the end materials from textile production in a variety of materials – pure wool, mohair, chenille and cotton.
Some fabrics are ready to use after sorting. Others must be cut into one-inch strips and sewn together, using a formula Serena has perfected over the years. These sewn strips are then wound onto a shuttle for weaving.
Her background has always been in textiles. “I always wanted to work in fiber,” she said. “For me, weaving was a transition from quilting. After I saved enough money to buy a loom, I began weaving. It was not something everyone was doing and I thought I could make a living at it,” she said.
That was in 1985. More than two decades later, Serena does indeed have a satisfying career exhibiting her work at art fairs throughout the country. There was a learning curve, however.
“I learned that weaving was an expensive proposition to get into. If you make a mistake, there is no simple correction. You just have to start over. Many hours were given to figuring out (patterns) and process. And so now the mistakes are few and far between,” Serena said.
“Color played a major role for me with weaving,” she continued. I became aware of what color was really about.”
Her home resembles a dollhouse, set on one of Burlington’s principal streets filled with vintage houses. Step inside her front door and her expertise with fabric is evident. Not only are there samples of her hand-loomed rugs on her wood floors, but several pieces of heirloom furniture grace the living room. These were re-upholstered recently by Serena. At the windows are valances she designed and created.
Hers is a traditional 1908 two-story bungalow, but she has adeptly mixed contemporary artworks (many by her WAAC artist friends) with the antique furnishings.
Out her back door and past the gardens she tends and the cluster of bird feeders is a short “commute” to her studio in a rear garage.
“I wake up and look at the day and decide what colors I want to work with that day. Maybe I’m inspired by a bouquet of flowers,” she says. “Most of my ideas come from nature. When doing my own creations, garden colors are often my inspiration.”
Serena has generously shared her skills with others and taught several the joys of hand-weaving. “I teach them to take their time and to really try to make each piece as perfect as they can. The more they work with the loom, the more perfect the colors, as well as gaining speed and accuracy.”
Hers is a solitary pursuit, but exhibiting her work at area art fairs helps to balance that alone time. “I really enjoy the art fair circuit,” she says. “It’s not just the exposure, but I get feedback from people who appreciate my work.
“And I can get more creative with custom orders. Those have really helped me to grow and sometimes I’ve been pleasantly surprised at putting together certain color combinations.”
Dealing with the public has also had its lessons. “I feel the most important thing is integrity,” Serena says. “I am open and honest with people and I follow through on what I promise. When I say an order will be done within a certain time, it is. Period. From my workmanship and from the rapport we establish, my customers know my word is good.
And so is the life of this late-blooming weaver. “I wouldn’t trade my life now for anything,” she concludes.
 
 
|
'
