Kay Flynn – The Woodside Weaver
By Sara Kaderlik and Liz Douville
I met Kay Flynn years ago when a friend gifted me her 4-shaft floor loom. She told me to contact Kay as she had a studio in town and taught classes. I contacted Kay and made an appointment to visit the studio. She lived at the Woodside Ranch and this was the namesake for her business, The Woodside Weaver. This is a neighborhood in Bend, Oregon tucked into the ponderosa pines on small acreage. With my husband in tow, we drove to meet Kay. Her studio was over the garage at the top of a long flight of stairs. At the top of the stairs we were eagerly greeted by Missy, her border collie. The studio was filled with looms and yarn with a woodstove in the center for heat in the winter. Immediately I was enchanted and overwhelmed. Kay asked what my weaving interests were. I explained I had no background and needed to get started. I told her what loom I had and she suggested warp and weft yarns. I liked Kay instantly. She was direct, no nonsense and had a sense of humor. Over many visits I gleaned weaving knowledge and inspiration. I never had a chance to take a formal weaving class from Kay but our friendship and many visits together have provided me with so much knowledge. She is my weaving mentor and I continued to learn from her every time we talked.
She moved to Florida in 2021 and we kept in touch. I asked her then if I could interview her about her weaving career in hopes I could provide our guild members an oral history of Kay’s influence on the weaving community in Central Oregon and abroad.
I asked Kay how she was introduced to weaving. Kay saw an ad in the newspaper for a weaving loom. She bought the loom and faced her questioning husband Jack who asked: “What are you going to do with that?” A weaving shop opened in town and she started taking classes.
This was 1966 in Los Altos, California. Soon after Kay was already teaching weaving and went into partnership with the owner of the weaving shop. She also opened an art gallery adjacent to the shop. At the time Los Altos had no art community and Kay was pivotal in supporting the growth of art there. She helped form the Handweavers of Los Altos. She was full owner of the weaving shop for 5 years.
Kay moved to Bend in 1976. Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild, or COSW was the fiber arts guild here in Bend when Kay arrived. Local weaver Dee Potter restarted the guild in Central Oregon in 1972. It’s origin dates back to the 1950s and is still going strong today. Kay eagerly joined the guild and weaving community. When Kay and her husband built their home they included a 1200 foot studio space above the garage. Kay networked and taught classes and ran a retail business from her studio until 2015.
I asked Kay who her biggest influences were on her weaving career. She named Theo Moorman and Jean Wilson. You can see their influence in many of her pieces.
Kay has been commissioned for dozens of handwoven installations and home décor over the years. The project she is most fond of was a three-panel installation that was originally commissioned by an insurance office in town. It was moved to her church later during a remodel.
Her favorite brand of loom to weave on is a Gilmore. She currently weaves on an 8 shaft. She says it fits her well (she is 5’7”) and is easy to warp. Her favorite weaving technique or pattern is Theo Moorman tapestries. She enjoys all weaving patterns and says twill is the most versatile as you can “cover the walls, the floor, you and the dog” with it!
I asked Kay what advice she would give to new weavers or weavers of today. “Weave everything you can”. Try lots of different projects: pillows, rugs, table linens as this will expand your knowledge and skills.
In 1996, five weavers, along with Kay formed “The Society for the Preservation of Hairy Twill”. The group of spinners and weavers came together with their common interest in fiber and merchandising. There was also a common interest in promoting the sales of handwoven articles. A newsletter titled “Down the Rosepath with Hairy Twill” was a fiber art play on words. “Rosepath” referring to the weaving pattern and “Hairy Twill” suggesting a textured fabric made of a hairy yarns.
Seasonal sales were held at various local venues. Publicity included display ads in local publications plus an extensive mailing list. Unfortunately the public wasn’t ready for the price point as compared to what the public perceived as being able to purchase from a department store.
It became evident that more public education was needed to promote all aspects of the value of handspun yarns and of handwoven items. In view of the limited financial success it was decided efforts would be more valuable in continuing to volunteer for public demonstrations sponsored by our local Central Oregon Spinners & Weavers Guild.
Anyone who had contact with Kay benefited from her generosity in sharing her knowledge and her materials. Her inspiration is missed as is the wonderous world of colorful “threads” in her shop.
In 2002 another opportunity to support the production, education and exposure of fiber arts in Central Oregon came to Kay and two other guild members, Mary Wonser and Linda Davis. Their paths crossed with Jeanne Carver, of the renowned Imperial Stock Ranch (est. 1871), and more recently Shaniko Wool Company. At the time Jeanne had started the Imperial Stock Ranch Yarn and Fiber business and was looking for a way not only to locally sell fiber from her sheep but also the meat. Jeanne attended a Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Show and Sale and met member, Mary Wonser. Jeanne was impressed with the skill level of guild members to turn her fiber into handcrafted items. The four of them forged a productive relationship and helped create
fabric with the wool from Jeanne’s sheep and in turn helped her grow her business and have a greater exposure beyond Central Oregon. Kay wove a piece with Imperial Stock Ranch fiber that is still on display at the Imperial River Company in Maupin, Oregon.
Kay has traveled to over a dozen countries and studied each culture’s weaving history. This too has expanded her knowledge and appreciation for current weaving practices around the world but also the history of weaving and its impact on the cultures. She has woven for private collections throughout the western United States as well as in Ireland and Israel.
It has been a great walk back in time talking with Kay about her weaving career and I can only hope to accomplish half of what she has learned. I encourage fiber artists to meet and learn from your peers, whatever their background, as everyone has something to share. Learning about weaving history both recent and ancient preserves this art form and connects us to so many cultures and techniques.
