Stepping into Amy Lund's studio and gallery, located in a historic grange at Tiverton Four Corners Mill Pond Shops, is a bit like stepping into the past and the future all at once.

Because this is a working studio, one can actually see textiles from the very start as raw products, then to pieces in their various stages of readiness, and then to a multitude of beautifully mastered, hand-woven scarves, table linens, rugs, blankets and more. To your right, there is a room with many looms that Amy uses for her own work and to teach students of all skill levels the art.

Right now, there is a wonderful offer to come and make a scarf for the holidays where the loom is all set up for you and you are taught to weave your own masterpiece.

At Saturday's Gallery Open House, Amy featured Newton, MA artist, Hetty Friedman. Hetty's love for weaving dates back to her youth. She created a career and founded the organization Crafts for a Cause all around what she loves - weaving. How many of us can say we have found a way to make a living doing what we love to do? Hetty often hand paints her yarn, combining richand unusual colors to her pieces.

Crafts for a Cause's latest project is a partnership with a Fair Trade weaver's cooperative in Guatemala. There, Hetty teaches Mayan weavers new techniques and helps them market their work. Exciting designs are coming out of that endeavor and many of these pieces are available at Amy Lund's studio.

When asked how long it takes to weave one of these beautiful scarves, both Amy and Hetty laugh and tell me the scarf is the easy part. "The scarf may take two hours or so to weave but it can take anywhere from a half day to an entire day just to set up the loom!"

Hetty has combined her artistic skills along with her industry experience and passion for weaving to contribute to other communities both near and far. For more information about Hetty, her work and her organization, please visit www.craftsforacause.org.

You can find Hetty's work at Amy Lund's Studio & Gallery at the Mill Pond Shops in Tiverton and many more locations such as Clothware in Cambridge, MA, Left Bank Gallery in Wellfleet, MA, and at the Decordova Museum in Lincoln, MA. 

Visit www.amyclundhandweaver.com for more information about Amy, her studio and gallery, the many wonderful local artists she features in her studio, and the classes she offers.