TLD™. My wife. The Lovely Deb. Before she became a full time book reviewer for Kirkus she got a Masters Degree in Writing for Children from Simmons College. And before this, Deb was a Licensed Massage Therapist for a decade. And a Body Talk practitioner. And a Reiki master. Energy work etc etc. And before all of this BUT after yet AFTER another career as a film producer, TLD™ was a maker. Deb spent a decade maybe more creating period correct woven baskets and fabrics. The former were often made from materials that came from a tree that Deb helped fell. The latter were always woven on one of her two 18th Century looms, the yarns from materials spun by her before weaving commenced and correctly dyed (when appropriate) after the items came off the loom.
These images? Deb was invited to The White House. That White House. TLD™ was a celebrated crafts person for most of a decade. Her output, limited as it was, earned her repeated honors (five. straight. years.) on the Early American Life Magazine’s annual list of The Finest 200 Craftsmen in America. One year, the Clinton administration aligned with EAL to bring the wares of some of these makers to Washington DC to be displayed through the holiday months. In one of these pictures, Deb is staring at the Christmas tree on which one of her baskets is hanging. After all the formalities ran their course, the items Deb made became part of the permanent collection at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Ya. I love The Lovely Deb. More than that, I’m so proud of everything she’s done.
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