Rural Missouri - March 2023 - 49

by Sarah Joplin |
T
info@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
he weave of every family is unique. In the case of
Carol Leigh Brack-Kaiser's clan, three generations
are intertwined by the very act of weaving. With
independent yet collaborative fiber art businesses,
each family member specializes in a different aspect of
weaving, contributing his or her personal talents and
strengths.
Carol Leigh's early love of weaving became entrepreneurship
when she began selling potholders to neighbors.
Her skill set expanded, and she built her first loom out of
an orange crate to earn a Girl Scouts badge. Little did the
matriarch know when she wove her first potholder at the
tender age of 5 that fiber art would not only yield the very
pattern of her life but also imprint on her descendants.
While studying at the University of Missouri in the
1970s, a craft studio spinning instructor enlisted Carol
Leigh's help with a natural dyeing demonstration and historic
reenactment at Arrow Rock. For 13 years she honed
her skills, enthralled with the methods. Her eldest daughter,
Bex, attended as well and became known as " the dyer's
daughter " or " the weaver's daughter. " Bex would go on to
start her own knitting business.
By 1981, Carol Leigh had joined the Columbia Weavers
and Spinners Guild which hosted the Midwest Weavers
Conference. There she learned new techniques within the
craft. Inspired, she resumed her 1970s business called
" Carol Leigh's Specialties, " this time selling hand-spun,
nature-dyed yarns and handwoven items.
" Business developed steadily as I branched out and
started selling at fairs. Customers were fascinated by the
weaving process and asked if I offered classes, " says Carol
Leigh. By 1986 the home-based business evolved into Hillcreek
Fiber Studio with expanded loom and spinning wheel
classes as well as fiber art supplies. Her husband, Denny,
grew increasingly involved in operations and management
and has been integral to the studio's success over the
years.
Steadily, fiber art has taken a central role in shaping
Carol Leigh's family. During a workshop where Carol Leigh
was weaving with hand-spun yarn, the instructor shared a
primitive triangle loom from a Renaissance fair. Intrigued,
Carol Leigh collaborated with her son, Carl, to build a
wooden commercial triangle loom and patent the Spriggs
Adjustable Tri-Loom which adjusts to nine sizes.
" I enjoy innovating, having unique products and working
with family, " says Carol Leigh.
Carl's " Spriggs Creations " Etsy shop now offers adjustable
triangles, squares and rectangles along with other
looms and tools. Building textile equipment has become a
fundamental part of Carl's persona and he has tailored his
life around his work. His wife, Jody, is also a fiber artist
and art educator.
Top: Carol Leigh demonstrates the continuous strand weaving
method. Right: Carol Leigh uses natural plants to create her unique
dyes. Here she checks a batch of fibers accepting a blue hue.
MARCH 2023 | RURAL MISSOURI 49
Rural Missouri - March 2023

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