Distinctly Montana Magazine

50 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 DEB ESSEN HANDWEAVER INDUCTED 2010 Owner of DJE Handwov- ens, Deb Essen has been weaving for over thirty years and teaching her craft for nearly as long. Hailing from Minne- sota, Deb aspired since childhood to learn the art of handweaving, and began spinning yarn and weaving through the Minnesota Weaver's Guild before moving to Montana in 1996. Once nestled in the Bitterroot with her family, Deb delightedly found herself in the com- pany of skilled fiber artists in every direction. Over the course of two years, she worked toward the first level of Certificate of Excellence through the Handweavers Guild of America, an experience that honed her skills in weave structure, design, and the application of color theory. She enjoyed it so much, she continued onto the second lev- el and eventually wrote her first book, Easy Weaving with Supplemental Warps, which was published in 2016 and ex- panded and republished three years later. The joy Deb finds through her own learning process was also what inspired her to start teaching. She puts her natu- ral inclinations for structure and color experimentation to use as a teacher, putting together starter kits for students that include a textile design, warp (the fibers stretched onto a loom through which the remaining fibers, or weft, are woven), yarn, and directions. "I found early on that I am NOT a production weaver who puts on a seven-yard warp and weaves ten dish towels," Deb writes. "My love is creating the design and weaving up about 18 inches so I can see how it looks and then I actually have to talk myself into weaving the rest of the project!" Deb's willingness to experiment is key to her artistic de- velopment, but she also credits her growth to Montana's weaving communities. Suffragist Mary Meigs Atwater is credited with the revival of traditional handweaving in the United States, an endeavor that started here in Montana. While living in Basin around 1916 where her husband ran a mine, Atwater researched traditional weaving patterns from Appalachia, wrote books on the subject, and taught what she learned to other women in Basin as a means of fostering their economic independence. She also started publishing the Shuttle Craft newsletter and correspon- dence course and helped found eight weaving guilds throughout the state, the Missoula and Helena branch- es of which have operated continuously ever since. Visi- ble threads run between Atwater's early correspondence courses and Deb's own teaching methodology, with the kits that she mails to students across the country. DEB'S WILLINGNESS TO EXPERIMENT IS KEY TO HER ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT, BUT SHE ALSO CREDITS HER GROWTH TO MONTANA'S WEAVING COMMUNITIES. MARTY ESSEN CHRIS AUTIO PERRY BAUCUS

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