ashley's bag: a beautiful heirloom

a simple home-spun cotton sack with words of a mother's love.

_____________________

My great grandmother Rose
mother of Ashley gave her this sack when
she was sold at age 9 in South Carolina
it held a tattered dress 3 handfulls of
pecans a braid of Roses hair. Told her 
It be filled with my Love always
she never saw her again
Ashley is my grandmother
Ruth Middleton
1921

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This sack of "negro cloth" (durable, rough-spun cotton) was given to Ashley by her mother, with a few necessities and mementos.

weaver as shaman

Weaving is an ancient art, linked to ritual and ceremony in ways we never expected.

There are many textile motifs still in use today that can be traced back to the first known artworks created during the Paleolithic period. It has also been suggested that textile production (weaving) is a sacred act.