Weaving Demonstration at the Vēveri Open-Air Museum, Latvia

It was refreshing to take our weaving activities beyond the studio once again. The Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum and Linda Rubena invited IIDA Studio to demonstrate a mechanical dobby loom during a public weaving event. We were warmly welcomed and hosted by Dace Gaile.

The event, attended by approximately 500 visitors, focused on the art and traditions of weaving and took place at the Vēveri Open-Air Museum. Established in the 1970s, the museum preserves the historic Vēveri village, where seven traditional farmhouses and craft buildings stand in the picturesque landscape of Vecpiebalga as outstanding examples of Latvian vernacular architecture.

The museum's collections include traditional weaving tools from the Piebalga region, handmade blankets, and samples of handwoven linen fabrics. One of the most memorable features for me was the traditional kitchens with large chimney hoods, where wood-fired stoves were burning in several of the houses. After spending the first day demonstrating weaving in heavy rain, with our legs soaked and covered in freshly cut grass, those warm kitchens became a welcome place to recover.

The journey itself added to the adventure. Travelling through remote gravel roads without knowing exactly what to expect made the experience even more memorable. We even received a friendly warning—and an impromptu lesson in local traffic rules—from a local police officer after briefly finding ourselves on the wrong road.