Lynn Caldwell signed up for her first weaving course at Northern Illinois University thinking it would be a practical skill for a Textile & Clothing student. One class was all it took. 

She was hooked, and for years she sold handwoven apparel and accessories at art shows and galleries across the region. That early spark grew into a creative life as artist, teacher, arts administrator, and member of a deeply artistic family. Weaving has been at the center of it the whole time.

Caldwell works exclusively with natural fibers and has expanded into inkle and card weaving.

"It's all about the textiles," she said. "I find incorporating these bands into handwoven fabric and commercial fabrics can create unique accents in garments and bags."

Most of Caldwell's pieces start with a visual spark, like a beautiful piece of fabric or an interesting color 

"Then I dream of what I could do with that — Looking at what it might want to be," she said.

She has always created functional pieces, but now she creates more bags and fewer apparel pieces. Recently she's been combining fabrics and handwoven bands to create bags of myriad styles — mixing fabrics and colors to create one-of-a-kind pieces.

Although Caldwell started with traditional weaving, she discovered Kumihimo at Fine Line Creative Arts Center in St. Charles. A form of Japanese braiding, it uses traditional, weighted, hardwood bobbins called tamas to hold, manage, and tension threads while braiding on a stand, like the round-top braiding stand called a Marudai. 

"I love the rhythm that comes with handweaving or Kumihimo,” she said. “The dance of the treadles, the throwing of the shuttle or the movement of the tama."

Ask Caldwell what drives her work and the answer is immediate: color. Flowers, birds, walls of yarn — any of it can set something in motion.

Her grandmother shared that same pull toward textiles, earning a living as a custom dressmaker and spending her spare time knitting and sewing. 

"I like to honor the hands that went before," she said. "Knitting isn't a big strength of mine, but sewing and weaving are."

Fine Line Creative Arts Center itself is a constant source of inspiration. As Executive Director, she spends most of her working hours there, surrounded by some of the most creative people she knows.

"Working at Fine Line is living with inspiration," she said. “The people who I talk to every day are some of the most creative people I know. I think we all inspire each other. It's nice to see what someone else has done that might inspire a different direction for me."

Caldwell first became involved in Fine Line through the Uncommon Thread Wearable Art Runway Experience, a national competition that seeks the best in wearable art. For an apparel weaver, that show was a natural fit. 

The year after she first applied, she was asked to volunteer to run the boutique. After Fine Line's founder passed, she was also asked to be on the textile faculty teaching Kumihimo. 

"I had always loved Fine Line since college and when the ED position became available several years later, I decided to apply," she said.

It’s been 20 years, and she’s still flourishing in the role. 

"It's been quite a journey," she said. "When I started, we were still recovering from the passing of our founder and were understaffed. Over my tenure, I have brought together an amazing team to help run Fine Line. I have been dubbed an 'Art Instigator', and one of the most rewarding things is to facilitate other people's art experiences."

Caldwell still teaches. In addition to Kumihimo, she has added inkle weaving to the mix. After all this time, she still finds it inspiring. 

"I think one of my favorite parts of teaching is when students get excited about what they have created," she said.

Her work is available in the Dempsey Artisan Shop in the Barn at Fine Line Creative Arts Center.

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

Not signed up yet? Subscribe here.