I have had so many students over the years who made me laugh with their tapestry ideas. Gayle Weikert was one of the best. She was one of my very first tapestry students in 2014 and over the last 11 years, she has been a part of my life in those glancing ways that adds a spark to your week and reminds you that life is worth living.
Gayle’s tapestries were very often hilarious. They were all, to my knowledge, quite small. She loved to make puns and jokes about all sorts of things. For example the title of the tapestry below is Try Again.
Gayle Weikert, Try Again, tapestry weaving
In April of 2022, Gayle texted me to tell me she was excited that her tapestry, American Gothic 2022: The Farmer and Her Wife had been accepted to a show at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center. The photo below is herself next to her tapestry with a detail of the tapestry following. Gayle was always committed to equality and she found humorous ways to express that repeatedly.
Gayle Weikert and her tapestry American Gothic 2022: The Farmer and Her Wife, displayed in a show at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center.
Gayle Weikert, American Gothic 2022: The Farmer and Her Wife, 4 x 4 inches, tapestry
Many of her fellow students experienced her weavings as I frequently use them as examples (with her permission) in my online classes. I find her translation of forms to simple woven images excellent and her humor can’t be beat. Here are a few other examples of her work.
Gayle Weikert, Lydia—Before the Light Turned Green
Gayle Weikert, Feeling Blue
Gayle Weikert, Happy Cat
Gayle even made her exercises for class fun and sometimes they had funny titles.
Gayle Weikert, class exercises: bottom “Can’t see the Forest for the Trees”, top ‘Fish”
Gayle Weikert, tapestries from Warp and Weft, Part 3
Gayle Weikert, Shell Shock
Gayle Weikert, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
I know the students Gayle shared classes with will miss her as will the few really good friends she made in those classes. I only knew Gayle through her tapestry work, her strong support of her fellow students, and her occasional texts either sending support for some new political upheaval over the last 8 years or images of her tapestries. The last text I got from her was a few days before she died. It was a gluten free cookie recipe. Thanks for thinking of me Gayle.
I think that today Gayle would want us to remember to smile but she would also say to fight for equality and never give up. Probably she’d also say, keep weaving!
Gayle’s obituary is HERE. It is a lovely tribute to a kind woman who clearly touched many people. I hope to be remembered so fondly one day.
“Among so many things, Gayle’s family will miss her unwavering support, fudge brownies, gentle strength, and full laugh. They will miss losing to her at Scrabble and other games; receiving newspaper and magazine clips by mail; getting text messages with videos from “Dancing with the Stars;” her show, product, and book recommendations; and sharing all of life’s news with her. And they will miss seeing the light of her smile, especially while in a good library.”
The banner image at the top of the post was from one of Gayle’s samplers from the Warp and Weft course.