Anka: I think after working with other pick-up techniques, it would be easier.

Małgosia: Maybe! It was my first pick-up technique and I would get upset over tiny mistakes. Not that something completely failed — just that everything looked beautiful, a big lovely motif, and then suddenly one glaring mistake! That was the worst.

Anka: Do you recreate old traditional patterns?

Małgosia: Yes, I recreate old traditional patterns and I’m slowly trying to document them. I’m preparing to create something larger next year.

Anka: A catalogue?

Małgosia: Yes, I hope so. It all depends on how many commissions I have, because that’s my source of income. Everything else is for pleasure. But to create for pleasure, you need to earn money first. Behind you is one of those old patterns — I call it “little flowers.” The pattern on the lampshade is also old. I don’t remember its original name. Some kind of flowers, squares… They’re often very similar structurally, differing mostly in size.

Anka: Do you modify them? Take an old element and weave it into something completely new?

Małgosia: Yes, I try to do that. As I said, I make a living from multi-shaft weaving — I create babywearing wraps and scarves. And when someone comes to me and says, “Make something different,” it would be a shame not to try! A shame not to weave in a bit of brocading, to pick up something with a slat, and add an insert of that pattern. It’s usually just an accent, not the main focal point — unless it’s for a competition. This year I took part in the Magia Tkania competition, the final was in Łódź. There were several themes: elixirs, “immersed in magic”… I chose the last category and a book about Harry Potter. I made a large brocaded motif with a stag’s antlers. But that was specifically for the competition. The wrap was well received and sold quickly. Normally, when someone says “make something, but don’t go wild,” I create much smaller decorative elements.

Anka: Does it still make sense to learn traditional weaving techniques?

Małgosia: Yes, absolutely! What I do originates from those traditional techniques. Everything started somewhere — with little diamonds, herringbone patterns, the simplest basics. All later patterns draw from those foundations. It would be a waste of life not to experiment with other patterns and just repeat the same thing forever.

Anka: Can traditional textiles still be appreciated today? Or are they seen as outdated?

Małgosia: I’ve encountered two opinions. Some people think only old textiles with old patterns are beautiful, and that modern textiles with traditional patterns aren’t appealing. Others love traditional patterns but in modern textiles or modern settings — “great for a bag,” “perfect for a lampshade,” “lovely as a scarf.” So there are two groups. Textiles have definitely made a comeback. Of course, some older generations still don’t respect them — because for them it was everyday life. They only remember the hardship: mothers and grandmothers sitting at looms all autumn and winter.

Anka: And the whole family involved in winding and spinning…

Małgosia: Yes, children had to wind bobbins. For them it was associated with something unpleasant. But others, even from older generations who didn’t grow up with it, truly appreciate it — they see it as handmade art worth investing in. Some people buy large woven works and hang them instead of paintings. Perspectives are very diverse. It’s like fashion — it always comes back. When I was young, I wore flared trousers. Now kids wear them again. It will be the same with textiles — sometimes traditional will be in fashion, sometimes modern.

Anka: But it’s no longer embarrassing, right?

Małgosia: In Poland generally — yes. But in the Podlaskie region, it’s still sometimes seen as embarrassing. People say, “My grandmother had that in the attic — why would I buy it? Some rag? It gets dusty, how do you wash it?” I’ve really heard such opinions.

Anka: Do you use a computer to design patterns?

Małgosia: Yes — computer, phone, tablet. I use everything available.

Anka: Any favorite programs?

Małgosia: I use WeaveIt. I bought it years ago and just keep transferring it from phone to phone. On my computer I use FiberWorks. I can set the threading and treadling, and the pattern repeats automatically. I immediately see if there’s a mistake. Sometimes I copy a pattern from a book and something doesn’t work. I check every thread — maybe 130 threads — and everything seems correct. Then I input it into the program and discover there’s a printing error. Without the software, it would be much harder.

Anka: But that’s for multi-shaft weaving only?

Małgosia: Yes. For pick-up weaving, I use graph paper.

Anka: How would you like to be described? Weaver, craftsperson, artist?

Małgosia: It honestly doesn’t matter to me. But I don’t like overblown titles like “designer.” If someone introduces me at an event with a long list of titles, I think it’s too much. “Małgorzata Kiełkucka, weaver” is enough. The word “weaver” is very important to me. For the first three years I never called myself that. I didn’t feel I deserved it. Only when entering a competition and having to tick the box “weaver” did I think: wow, I am a weaver! I believe being a weaver implies a high level of knowledge. I’ve been weaving for over eight years now, and I’m very proud to say I’m a weaver.

Anka: Is there a quality essential to becoming a good weaver?

Małgosia: Determination. Without it, someone might weave once and never return to the loom. I know people who just attend course after course but never sit down to work independently. I couldn’t live like that! After my sejpak workshop, I had a million ideas. It doesn’t have to be only symmetrical folk motifs — the possibilities are endless. Once I needed a plain weave section in a multi-shaft pattern that didn’t produce plain weave. So I picked it up manually with a slat. For three days, I managed to create just 15 centimeters of plain weave. Pure determination!

Anka: What’s the hardest part of weaving?

Małgosia: Designing custom echo weaves to match a client’s expectations — combining colors and patterns correctly. There’s so much calculating and sketching. I sometimes go to bed thinking it’s perfect, then wake up and before brushing my teeth I’m downstairs redrawing the design. That’s the hardest part.

Anka: And the best part?

Małgosia: The weaving itself. Preparation takes weeks — discussing colors, patterns, wefts, decorations; winding, dyeing, washing, dressing the loom… When the warp is finally on the loom, I know that if I sit all day, by evening I’ll weave that first centimeter of cloth. That’s my goal. I sit there all day, like a little goblin bent over the loom, with only short breaks — just to throw the shuttle twice in the evening and see if everything works. And then I’m happy, because I know the next day will be full of weaving!