The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver

The Nature of Things weaves together a life full of happiness and sorrow. In these fourteen collected essays, Tommye McClure Scanlin reflects on her artistic journey and how crafting and life are interwoven, two threads that comprise a larger picture. Readers will find themselves lost in Scanlin's full-color tapestries and comforting writing style as they explore the natural fields and woods of southern Appalachia.

A final part of the book gives an overview of tapestry weaving basics with diagrams and descriptions for setting up a simple pipe loom and weaving a small tapestry sampler. Glossary, simple pipe loom illustrations, and a resource list are included for reference.

Tommye McClure Scanlin is an artist and art educator. She grew up in the countryside of rural north Georgia where her family has lived for several generations. Early on, she knew she wanted to be an artist although there was no formal art instruction available in the schools she attended at the time. Scanlin's artistic spirit has led her through an inspiring career. She has taught at North Georgia College & State University, Arrowmont School of Crafts, John C. Campbell Folk School, and Penland School of Craft. Scanlin is a juried member of Southern Highland Craft Guild and Piedmont Craftsmen and a board member of the Lillian E. Smith Center and the John C. Campbell Folk School. Scanlin and her husband, Thomas, live in Dahlonega, Georgia, in Seven Oaks, the 1871 home built by the founder of North Georgia College, Col. William P. Price.

Philis Alvic is an artist, weaver, and writer. She has exhibited her complex woven wall textiles in over 300 juried and invitational exhibitions. Alvic has written Weavers of the Southern Highlands (University of Kentucky Press, 2003), Crafts of Armenia (USAID/IESC Armenia, 2003), and over 100 magazine articles. As a short-term consultant for crafts development and marketing, she has worked on projects in fourteen different countries. Alvic is a founding member of the Kentucky Craft History and Education Association and is the on the Board of Weave A Real Place.