Madi Snow: Confetti Weaves

Stepping into the dorm room of Baylor sophomore Madi Snow, there is an overwhelming sense of being welcomed, both by Madi’s smile and her colorful room. Lining the walls of her room are intricate, handmade weaves that she created herself, as featured on her Instagram @confetti.weaves.

Madi began weaving last March, and what began as a way to decorate her room has evolved into a form of self-care, as well as a budding business. She has ambitions to set up an Etsy shop soon and participate in craft markets.

Madi’s weaves can take anywhere from five to ten hours depending on the size, and they are inspired by many things: art, flowers on Instagram, boredom in class, or the yarn that she grabs. When she makes a piece for someone else, she takes some of the downtime of weaving to pray for that person’s space. Sitting down with Madi to learn about her weaving, it was not difficult to sense how much she loves creating art in this way.

Tell me a little bit about the technicalities of how weaving works.

You take a frame loom, and then you take non-stretch cotton, and this is called the warp string. Then you do what’s called warping the loom…and then that provides the framework for the weft strings…With the weft, you go over-under…You do the over-under and you just build up fibers, and you can do more geometric stuff or more organic shapes.

What originally got you interested in weaving?

I always loved crafting, and I love art, but I’m not great at traditional art, like painting and stuff like that. I saw a wall-hanging that I really loved online but couldn’t afford it…so I looked up the frame looms, and a starter kit was like $70, and so it was like a birthday gift…It took me about nine hours to make my first one, and it’s super tiny and weird and terrible, but I just loved it so much. I was definitely hooked from then on.

What is the most challenging part of weaving?

I think trying new techniques. I recently started turning it into more of a business kind of thing. I’ve started to set up an Etsy shop that I haven’t launched yet. [Because] weaving definitely takes a lot of time and a lot of technical skill that I’ve built up, [one thing that’s challenging is] valuing my own work and knowing how to price and market and things like that.

What are the aspirations that you have for your business?

A lot of weavers don’t do a lot of custom pieces because weaves do take so long, and they don’t necessarily like being fenced in by what a customer wants, but I love doing custom pieces. I love working with somebody to make something beautiful for their space because I love homemaking, and I think that’s really really special. I really hope that I get to do it long term.

What is the most rewarding part of weaving?

I think definitely having people love their weaves. I made one that was super intricate, and it was I think one of my favorites that I’ve ever made. There were a lot of new techniques there, and it took a lot of time…and the person that I made it for just loved it so much and got another one and recommended some friends…I love when I get a photo of somebody’s weave in their new space where they hung it. So I think just making something beautiful and something that has a lot of care woven into it…I think that is my favorite part.

What keeps you weaving?

There’s definitely a personal aspect to it…I have a chronic pain condition, and so, especially this last year, I have spent more time in bed than I would prefer. It’s really hard to feel like that time is productive, and it also just brings my pain level down to work with my hands and be near all these textures and be creative and be making something. So I think really the thing that keeps me weaving is a love of it for its own sake and a love of finding new things and discovering more and learning more, but also it’s such a practical way to manage my pain and also be productive in that time in a healthy way.

Tell me about your favorite pieces.

I think a lot of my favorite pieces have to do with me becoming more confident and more creative.

Is there anything else that you want people to know about your weaving?

I don’t really think so. Just that I love it.

Written by: Greta Gessert

Photos by: Avery Owens

Edited by: Josie Gruber