Do you ever feel like there is something missing from your home décor? Something that could liven up the living space, make it feel more inviting and warm? Well…as awesome as the Wonderbus is, we found something that completed it. We made a rug.
But not just any ol’ rug! Together, we handmade this statement piece out of Pendleton wool strips on a loom. A loom! Never did I think I’d find myself “looming”, or weaving if you will, but there we were, chatting it up with Elsie as she taught us some magic.
What a great experience to do together when I went to visit Quade while he was stationed down on the Oregon Coast for a month. He heard about Elsie’s from some new van friends he made so of course we went to check it out. We pulled up to her shop, Elsie’s Discount Roving, and made our way upstairs to the loom weaving room. Four big looms and countless bags of Pendleton wool filled the room, how were we ever going to narrow it down to one pattern!? Luckily, Elsie is probably one of the nicest ladies you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Besides being the best weaver I know (and I now know three, which might include Quade and I) she is the most accommodating, helpful and friendliest hostess. She let us bring some material and rugs down to get an idea of how the pattern might look in the van. This is a big decision, after all it is the statement rug.
We settled on a striped pattern full of reds, blues, browns, whites, greys, yellows…you know, something crazy and fitting! 😉 After some practice rows Elsie pushed her little weaving chicks out of the nest and we slid our first row of our marvelous wool. Back and forth we wove, making sure to step on the correct peddle after each pass through. It’s tricky business if you don’t pay attention!
All the while Elsie entertained us with stories of past customers, her experiences at the fair, how her late husband tolerated her hobby and her praise of how well we were doing. There wasn’t a dull moment during the entire experience. In fact, it all went quite quickly! Who knew weaving was our calling!? Now we have this fabulous Pendleton rug, it’s warm and thick and makes for a great lounge spot when we want to kick back and enjoy the view out of the side door. Come check it out sometime!!
Who is Elsie and where can you make your own rad rug? You can find her at Elsie’s Discount Roving near Depoe Bay on the Oregon Coast, right off of HWY 101. It is only $60 for not only a rug, but an entire experience; it is definitely worth it and we both highly recommend it!
*Stef*