Ruth Ronan: "Sunset Over the Smokies" Coat

Year: 2022

Category: Color

Venue: Convergence 2022, Knoxville

From Ruth:

“I have been sewing and making many of my clothes since I was in my early teens. I have taken tailoring classes and made fully tailored jackets for my husband. I bought a loom and begin weaving in 1966 but when my husband died I went back to school and to work and the loom went to the garage for about 20 years. I began weaving again in 1999. I attended my first Convergence in Vancouver, BC, Canada in 2002 and entered my first garment in the Fashion Show in Tampa Bay in 2008. In 2010, Convergence was in Albuquerque and Teresa Ruch produced official painted skeins of 5/2 Tencel in colors we selected for the conference. I purchased some of her painted skeins and wanted to make a shawl and have the colors come together in the warp. So I developed a way to turn the skeins into a “painted” warp (See article in Handwoven - September/October 2010 issue). I liked the results and thought the fabric would make a nice coat. So for the 2022 Convergence I ordered about 15 skeins from Teresa, selected a Vintage Coat pattern (S8509 from Simplicity) and got to work. I selected black satin fabric for the collar and cuffs and a bright yellow fabric for the lining.”