H. FAQ 8 – How should I sit when I am weaving??

Carme and Estela — Carmelita in Santa Catarina Barahona sits with her legs tucked under, a position that I find almost impossibe to maintain. Estela in Cabanaconde, Peru sits with her legs outstretched.

I am afraid that I can’t tell you how you SHOULD sit when you are at your loom but here are some pictures of different ways that weavers choose to position themselves.

margarita and nebaj — Margarita in Huancayo, Peru sits cross legged, another position that I can't manage for any length of time. In Nebaj, Guatemala some weavers sit in a small chair which tilts back and has a back support. This looks pretty good to me.

felipe and otavalo — Both these weavers in Ecuador use something against which to brace their feet which I find very effective and comfortable. Felipe is weaving a belt in Salasaca and the weaver on the right from Otavalo can be seen pushing against blocks of wood with her feet.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Here is Antonia at Convergence 2010 seated on the hard floor with her legs stretched out and perfectly comfortable.

I wove in a kneeling position at an earth Day demonstration once and was having such a good time that I forgot that normally I can’t manage this position!

ju-at-her-loom — Ju Nie sits on a mat on the floor, legs outstretched and braced against a large cardboard roll. I guess that in Vietnam she would have used solid trunk of bamboo against which to brace her feet.

My favorite position is on a cushion on the floor with legs stretched out and with something to brace against but each person needs to experiment and find their own way. Remember to take a break at the slightest feeling of discomfort. Walk around and stretch your legs and maybe try another position.

One thought on “H. FAQ 8 – How should I sit when I am weaving??”

I like to sit in a chair, too, since sitting on the floor for any length of time kills my back. For my feet, I have a medela nursing stool that I got as a gift when my son was born. They usually cost between $20-$30 USD.