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In Loving Memory
In December of 1998, Harriet Jenny's celebrated her ninetieth birthday at the opening of the guild's exhibition. This was a very special birthday party. Not only because of the guild show opening, but because representatives of WQED-TV presented Harriet with the Volunteer in the Arts (VITA) Award in recognition of her sixty-five years of dedicated work for the arts community. The guild nominated Harriet for this award because of her dedication and willingness to share her knowledge of weaving with anyone interested in learning about this wonderful art that was so much a part of her life. Harriet was born, raised and spent most of her life in Pittsburgh. However, she has traveled the world. Harriet’s 82nd birthday was celebrated on board a ship traveling around the world as part of a study program offered by the University of Pittsburgh, through the Semester at Sea program. This and other trips and cruises were opportunities for Harriet to see how the rest of the world weaves. A month long trip to Japan was a high point of her life. She often spoke of her experiences on these and other adventures. Fellow weavers were often awed by Harriet’s creations. Her favorites were those using fine silk. It was not uncommon for her to weave 84 ends per inch (e.p.i.) with Damask being the weave structure of choice for Harriet in her later years weaving. Scarves and clothing of her own design, were created out of the 10 to 12 inch wide strips that she wove usually 20 yards long. The narrow width allowed Harriet to weave without wearing herself out. She was 76 when she bought her draw loom. Visitors to Harriet’s home quickly found their way to the studio where the a six-shaft Glimakra draw-loom with seventy-four shafts lived. This magnificent loom is 6 feet wide and 10 feet long. The entire room was filled with the loom.
(Harriet shown below with her draw loom)
Harriet graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology Women's School, now Carnegie-Mellon University. She earned a degree in clothing design. In early 1930 she took an extracurricular weaving class at Carnegie Tech. The class focused on using a four-shaft counterbalance loom to weave colonial overshot patterns. When the class was discontinued, Harriet borrowed one of the looms and continued to learn on her own. Harriet's loom has found a new home with a fellow
weaver.
Those
of us lucky enough to have known Harriet and woven with her will feel her spirit
as we weave on our own looms.
She has
influenced so many people over the years. Not
just weavers, but also other artists, in the Pittsburgh community and the world.
Harriet was a truly special woman and I am proud to
have known her and
to
have been
counted among her friends.
.. Harriet models a jacket she designed and wove.
To see more of Harriet's creations visit our photo gallery... |
