This presentation tells the story of how a mid-19th century Jacquard machine made for the Irish linen damask industry made its way to Scotland and Vermont. The process of restoring that machine to weaving figured linen damask is followed with an in-depth look at recreating a piece of 17th-century linen, from painting the point paper to punching the Jacquard cards and the operation of the loom itself.

Justin Squizzero’s earliest memories of his grandmother are also his first memories of wool. An avid spinner, weaver, and dyer, Justin’s grandmother taught him how to spin yarn on a great wheel while he was still a child and by his teenage years his interests grew to spinning flax and weaving. In 2007, while working at Plimoth Patuxet Museums, Justin spent several winters at Marshfield School of Weaving, learning traditional weaving technique. In 2013 he left the museum field and returned to Marshfield to weave for Eaton Hill Textile Works, and in 2017 started his own business, The Burroughs Garret. In 2023, Justin became director of Marshfield and oversaw its transition into The Newbury School of Weaving. Justin weaves linen damask using a 19th-century Jacquard loom and has exhibited his work internationally. Through teaching he is dedicated to rebuilding a connection between today’s weavers and the handweaving tradition that existed before the 20th century. 

This presentation is sponsored the Friends of the Jackson Public Library.