Last year, DDA received a vintage Leclerc 4-harness loom as a donation for use within our activity and engagement programming. Over the past 6 months, volunteers from the Greater Vancouver Weavers’ & Spinners’ Guild have generously given their time and expertise to assemble, repair, and install the loom at our Arlington group home in what has been coined the ‘Loom Room’.
President of the guild, Susan, along with guild member Jeansen and her husband, Salvador, worked from disassembled parts that arrived on-site to identify the loom and find assembly instructions to rebuild it. As this particular loom had been well-loved and well-used by its previous owners, many pieces needed replacement, cleaning, and repairs before assembly could be completed.
Not only was the team extremely enthusiastic in taking on a challenging task that will give new opportunities and experiences for DDA residents, but they also connected the staffing team with educational resources: sharing their knowledge, community connections, and even donating a collection of weaving-related books, which have become the foundations of a weaving library at the site.
Weaving has shown itself to be a therapeutic tool for individuals recovering from injury or illness. It encourages both gross and fine motor movements (including complex coordination between feet and hands), can be used as a self-regulatory tool with its predictable, repetitive movements, and teaches a number of personal development skills including step-by-step task completion, which can be applied to daily life-skill activities.
DDA would like to extend a huge thank-you to the Greater Vancouver Weavers’ & Spinners’ Guild, and to our wonderful volunteers for supporting the development of enriched experiences within our residential programs. More information about the guild can be found on their website: http://www.gvwsg.com/
