Ava Love

I love to weave. It is a passion discovered seven years ago when I decided to spend the winter in my father’s summer home on Madeline Island. I needed to get away from the heat of Houston, Texas. That first winter I found Woods Hall and the art of weaving. To Dad’s surprise, and my husband’s, I stayed. I especially love weaving strips of fabric cut from second-hand remnants such as sheets, duvet covers, and yard goods into traditional rag rugs. I work in all fabrics including yarns and rope and will produce scarves, placemats, and table runners. However, my specialty is large rag rugs. My heart is in the challenge of mixing previously owned old loved fabrics (chenille bedspreads, Hudson Bay blankets, comfy flannel sheets, soft cotton bedding, linen, living room drapes, wool, jersey, and even polyester) which have been passed on to me or I have discovered at thrift stores to beat into rugs for others to cherish for years to come.

Mixed media collages make up my spare time when I’m not weaving. I came to escape the heat and realized I’m happiest here among my friends cutting and tearing away at the paper to reassemble it as collage art pieces or fabric beaten into lots of traditional handmade rag rugs. Rag rugs can run from small entry to large room sizes. Mine usually are 36” to 60” wide (limited by the width of the looms, I have made them up to 84” wide) and can run well over 10 feet in length. Each rug is truly unique and one of a kind, although continuity in multiple rugs is achieved by how they complement each other.