LOWER LAKE, Calif. – This year Sheila O'Hara and her weaving students dedicated their section of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum's annual quilt and textile exhibition to Laura Simms.

Simms, a longtime Lake County resident and one of O'Hara's students, died at age 50 on Feb. 3.

“I am very grateful to Laura Simms,” O'Hara said. “She was the person who got me started on teaching weaving classes here in my studio in 2001 in Lake County. With her encouragement I started buying secondhand looms for my classes.

“I met Laura thanks to Holly Brackmann who taught textile art and art history classes at Mendocino Community College in Ukiah for 36 years,” O'Hara recalled. “Holly introduced me to Laura and all her students. Laura found out that I had taught weaving classes at San Francisco State University and College of Marin from 1996-1999 before I moved to Lake County in 2000. She then called me every week for 6 months to ask when I was starting class so she didn't have to drive 75 miles one way to Ukiah.”

O'Hara continued, “She took 149 classes in my home studio over a 10-year period. She was in my first home studio class in Lake County on Feb. 15, 2001, and ended with her last class on April 15, 2010. On May 14, 2010, I went over to her home to help her put her manual dobby loom together, peg up a pattern, put on a warp and thread it to weave. True to Laura's style she soon moved on to other different looms after a short while. Laura had more looms go through her hands since 2001 than any one I know. We affectionately called her Laura 'Loomatic' Simms. She is most likely now up in heaven happily weaving away on a magical loom of some sort. Her energetic, happy, generous, fun loving spirit is surely missed but we are carrying on with her enthusiasm in mind."

O'Hara is an internationally known weaver who has been teaching weaving classes in her home studio in Lower Lake since 2001. This year one of her tapestries was purchased by the Denver Art Museum.

 

She also gave lectures at the de Young Museum in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and in Squaw Valley at the Conference of the Northern California Handweavers.

Starting in 2003, O'Hara and her students have included their weavings along with the quilts in the annual Quilt and Textile Exhibition at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum.

They are pleased to have such a great museum to display their work and be able to meet with the public at their receptions for the past 11 years.

Aug. 10 was no exception. A crowd of people enjoyed seeing spinning demonstrations along with beautiful tapestries, tablecloths, dish towel, shawls and scarves all woven with a great care and attention to details, colors and textures.

Featured artists include members of the Clear Lake Quilt Guild and Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild, weaver Sheila O'Hara and her weaving class students (Janis Eckert, Pam Perry, Suzanne Britz, Ellen Hardenburger, Sylvia Anderson, Shellie Taylor, Goldie Pitre, Hana Musgrove, Lorna Rochmann and Nancy Nestegard).

Don't miss the 20th annual Quilt And Textile Exhibition, which continues through Aug. 31 in the Weaver Auditorium of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum.

For more information, contact the museum at 707-995-3565 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or O'Hara at 707-994-0790, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.sheilaohara.com .

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Visit the museum online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Museums/LowerLake.htm .