Linn Hise

Hand-woven Table Runners, Placemats and Handbags

After working for ten years in more traditional occupations that ranged from insurance agent to picture framer to nanny, I came to the conclusion that I needed to either work with my hands or sing for a living. Weaving came into my world when I was introduced to Penland School of Crafts in the summer of 1999. I took a class particularly because it was billed as “basic” weaving. Basic was a word I could handle. Little did I know that there is nothing basic about weaving; I fell in love with it. Blending colors and patterns and the relaxing motion of weaving came naturally to me and I’ve been hooked ever since.

There is a great satisfaction in weaving and working with textiles of any sort, whether it is looming, stitching, beading or sewing. The first time I dressed a loom I got the sense that people had been doing it since the beginning of time, the same feeling I get when I work soil or knead dough. There’s no telling how many weavers have been in my family before me, but there’s certainly something in me that leads me to this place. The feeling of a soft finely woven scarf, the piece with that added touch of beads and the way colors interact with one another never ceases to capture my attention.

As of late I’ve moved from mostly weaving to being more of a textile artist, incorporating surface design and weaving into many of my pieces. Manipulating the fabric to yield beautiful results, sometimes planned and sometimes unexpected, is part of the creative process I learn about every day. There’s so much to learn about this ageless, constantly evolving medium called textiles, and, for me, there’s never a happier moment that when I take that cloth off the loom, and it’s turned out better than I imagined.

Linn England Hise grew up the youngest of four daughters to Bob and Mary Ann England. Her mother Mary Ann is also a crafter in the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree program.

Linn and her husband Ralph welcomed twin sons, Thomas and Deren, into the world in November 2007. The family lives in Spruce Pine.