This Spotlights honor our members as part of our 75th Anniversary Celebration!
- by sandy mclain hochmuth
Jodi remembers being fascinated with weaving when very young and living in northern Wisconsin. On Sunday drives with dad, they’d visit the Chippewa Indian reservation. Jodi was intensely intrigued by Chippewa artwork, from beads and necklaces to rugs and blankets — but was especially drawn to their woven art pieces.
She began weaving in 2012, the year of the dragon. Jodi purchased her first floor-loom, logically naming it the Dragon. Jodi hasn’t wavered since (love, passion and appreciation remains unabated), but it was a rocky start. With no experience and no weaving friends, Jodi tried to “slay” the Dragon alone. As Jodi did battle, her family encouraged her while threading, untangling and untangling again her starter towels, scarves and chair seat fabrics.
Frustrated by failures and inefficiency, in January of 2020, Jodi sat at Dragon and promised “I’m going to slay you one more time, and if this isn’t fun, I’m going to sell you to someone that can make beautiful things.” Covid, in a weird way, helped. During the shutdown Jodi lost all three jobs, the ability to kickbox at the gym AND her family was home every minute of every day. Jodi found an escape, reconciling with the Dragon, and wove placemats, towels, table runners, bags – with any threads she could find to dress the Dragon. She fell head over heels in love with the process of weaving. She promised Dragon that she would find resources to help her make fewer mistakes. Google pointed her to IPWG, and she joined on Zoom in April. Shortly after, Jodi purchased Aija, her 8-shaft floor loom, and Chase (eldest Grandson) begged for and claimed ownership of the Dragon.
Weaving at the Ward home is a family affair. Her husband is a woodworker in his spare time, and makes benches, shuttles, looms, and anything else Jodi dreams up. He and their oldest son help her dress the looms and she loves the extra hands. Youngest son helps with design, color and size. The Grands, when they were little, were rocked to sleep by Gram on her loom bench. As they’ve gotten older, they’ve found that throwing shuttles is great fun. Chase has become as passionate as Gram about weaving, sharing with anyone who will listen, family, friends, and teachers. Chase loves to attend the IPW outreach events whenever possible, and at the age of 13 is currently learning how to split shaft weave.
With each weaving project Jodi learns more. She now has more successes than failures. Her many looms are rarely empty – her most hated thing in weaving is an undressed loom. And she’s created expectations. Each November her family asks if she’s making them a new towel for Christmas.
Although Jodi hasn’t had a particular favorite project, there is one that came from her heart. When her first grandchild was on the way, she was given the rocking chair her parents had rocked her to sleep in when she was a baby. Of course, she then wove the fabric to add her own touch to the seat of the chair, and has proceeded to sit and rock her Grands to sleep.
Last year in May, Jodi broke her arm and was home for several months. She had tons of time with little to fill it. She challenged herself to weave a small purse using three separate structures, three separate skills: plain weave, four by four twill, and color and weave. Dressing the loom with one arm was painstakingly slow, but the purse produced a great surprise bonus, taking first place at the Sandwich Fair. When Jodi completed the 2023 IPW challenge, her husband asked, “Who are those for? Can we keep those please?” Now those towels proudly hang on the oven door – and they’re not just “display only”—they are used, laundered and rehung on the door!
Illinois Prairie Weavers Guild 