4§4 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



December, 1908 



its grand and lonely moun- 

 tains should have inspired 

 such a weird mythology. 

 One of their most famous 

 hangings is called the 

 "Maid of Lecoe." Tradi- 

 tion tells us, in ancient times 

 the maid was beloved by a 

 giant horseman, who inhab- 

 ited a nearby mountain. 

 Alas! his love was unre- 

 quited, and this giant of 

 primeval times was taught 

 the lesson, sometimes 

 learned to-day, that it is 

 painful to love and not to 

 be loved in return. When 

 he found out his love was 

 not returned, he shot an ar- 

 row at the Maid of Lecoe, 

 but another giant, Toye, 

 rushed to the assistance of 

 the maid and flung his hat 

 to ward off the shot from 

 the angry horseman. This 

 hat, tradition tells us, meas- 

 ured a thousand feet in 

 height. As the arrow 

 pierced it the sun god arose, 

 and, with his eyes, turned 

 the entire group into stone. 



The arrow stands to this day on a little island not far from 

 the mountain Toyehatten (Toye's hat). The hole in the hat 

 caused by the arrow is about 75 feet wide and rises 700 feet 

 above the fiord. Not far away the horse and rider can be 

 seen, petrified while riding through the water. 



Those who wish to make a good income out of tapestry 

 weaving would do well to take up this craft seriously, and 

 go to New York for a few lessons. It would be best to con- 

 fine themselves to the use of the Norwegian cartoons, with 

 their historical association, and as there is such a demand 



The principles of tapestry weaving can be learned on an improvised loom 



where so many people spend 

 their vacations and where 

 already much good work 

 has been done in the revival 

 of various hand crafts ! 



The opportunity having 

 arisen for the knowledge of 

 this beautiful craft being 

 obtained, it is to be hoped 

 that American women will 

 take it up with their usual 

 enthusiasm and develop it 

 into a common industry, es- 

 pecially in the isolated 

 mountain regions, where 

 wool is readily obtained 

 and can be carded and spun 

 by hand by mountaineers.' 

 The need for directing 

 misplaced energy was never 

 greater than it is at the pres- 

 ent time. What a boon such 

 a craft as this would be to 

 a farmer's wife, who has 

 also to provide her quota 

 to keep the home going! If 

 such an industry could be 

 introduced it would be a 

 good substitute for the 

 cheap garments given out 

 to the farmers' wives to 



make, and paid for at starvation prices, they being obliged 

 to accept the work, as there is little else they can do in con- 

 nection with their other duties. At present this field is un- 

 touched, so that this is an excellent opportunity for pioneer 

 work in this direction. 



The value of such work scarce needs argument nor urging, 

 yet there are other aspects of it, quite as useful in their way 

 as the monetary returns that may be gained from much of 

 it. One of the most important of these is the development 

 of the sense of beauty. Mere residence amid beautiful sur- 

 for Norwegian tapestry, they would find a profitable market roundings does not always develop a sense of beauty appre- 

 through the Norwegian Government. But if a girl only ciation. The broadest fields, the grandest hills, the most 

 wants to create a charming 

 industry, which she could 

 carry out after her own 

 ideas, she can work on the 

 same lines on an inexpen- 

 sive hand loom with ordi- 

 nary wools, or even cotton 

 yarns. 



Many beautiful pieces of 

 tapestry are woven from 

 Japanese designs, and any 

 of these can be copied by 

 those who are not clever 

 enough to make their own 

 designs. There is no rea- 

 son why this industry should 

 not be developed into a 

 community industry, if wo- 

 men with splendid energy 

 would start such an under- 

 taking. What a boon such 

 an industry would be to 

 those who are far removed 

 from their kind, in lonely 

 districts or among the vil- 

 lagers On the Eastern COaSt, Ancient Norwegian panels 



superb outlooks, are often 

 unappreciated by those who 

 live among them for the 

 simple reason that they are 

 always there, have always 

 been seen, and are, in sad 

 truth, somewhat over-famil- 

 iar. But put the loneliest 

 soul at the work of creating 

 beauty and there is a per- 

 sonal change that is often 

 of the most far-reaching ef- 

 fect, and which is ever de- 

 lightfully wholesome. Tap- 

 estry weaving offers exactly 

 this opportunity, offers it in 

 charming form, offers it in a 

 remunerative way. It is a 

 work that needs more than 

 simple looking into, but 

 which cries aloud for delib- 

 erate encouragement and 

 actual working. At all 

 events, here is a novel style 

 of craft work that affords 

 interesting opportunities. 



