Many folks know the basics about Ruth Dabritz the weaver: that she learned to weave from Ruthie Clark in the 70’s; that she formed a partnership with four others in 1981 to create Ruthie’s Weaving Studio & School; that she directly or indirectly taught people how to weave and spin; and that she successfully passed the baton to the next generation that continues to teach weaving at Ruthie’s Weaving Studio.
That doesn’t tell the whole story. Ruthie Clark didn’t want to teach Ruth Dabritz how to weave; it was only because of Ruth’s superpower of being quietly persistent that Ruthie finally relented and agreed to teach. After the partnership was formed, the student sign-in book shows that Ruth impacted the lives of 517 people. Some, like Barbara Setsu Pickett and Linda Hendrickson, became internationally-recognized teachers, weavers, and lecturers. Others, like Blythe Jensen, never dreamed they would become production weavers. Still others, like Melody Ruth and Monica Shanahan, became teachers themselves. Ruth changed the course of so many lives, and always for the better.
As a weaver, Ruth was gentle but tenacious. She could calm a flustered student by saying “in weaving, you can fix almost anything” and then would help fix the problem no matter how difficult or time-consuming. She was adventurous and courageous, whether traveling to Laos and India or getting a new computer-aided dobby loom or draw loom. She happily welcomed and supported new weavers, continued mentoring those who were more experienced, and was generous with encouragement and sharing her knowledge with everyone. She wasn’t judgmental – there were no “bad” weave structures, just different “good” ones. She rarely complained – some projects were just a bit more challenging than others. She loved seeing students, joyfully announcing each one as they entered the studio: “There’s ANNETTE! … It’s JUDY … There’s REGINA!” I cannot recall a day that she did not laugh.
Ruth was fiercely yet quietly independent, donning her white hat and heading out the door to walk or catch the bus home from the studio — our feared “where’s Ruth?” moments when we had to intercept her to drive her home. She could be as routine as a straight twill, eating the same vegan burrito at lunch, or as playful as tumbling blocks, wearing those crazy pants. Ruth was understated and humble; when someone would inquire about her piqué pillow or 12-Days of Christmas piece, she’d softly say “I wove that” and completely skip over the part about how difficult it was or that only a master weaver could do it as well as she had.
But weaving was just something Ruth did as part of a life well-lived. We at the studio knew Bob and her large – really large — family, her garden and gardeners, her church, her love of good food at potlucks – especially the desserts, and music. She had a fully-integrated life, with all its pieces woven together into a beautiful tapestry.
Even more, Ruth was a role model who showed us that we can all weave a richly textured, colorful, and joyful life.
First, start with a strong foundation loom of faith;
Next, measure a warp of a loving family;
Sley your reed with generosity and kindness toward others;
Thread with quiet humility;
Beam with even tension;
Weave with gusto;
And finally, wet-finish your cloth with tears of laughter.