Get in touch with usIn the last 35 years, weaving in Türkiye has all but disappeared. Once, entire villages were known for their looms. Nearly every home had an old-style shuttle loom for personal weaving, while larger commercial looms buzzed in nearby workshops. As modernization crept in, both the looms — and the weavers — began to vanish.
What many don’t realize is just how central women once were to this tradition. Women weren’t only weaving for the home — they were the teachers. Young women followed their mothers, and young men learned by growing up in households where weaving was a way of life.
Today, that legacy has nearly vanished. In most workshops, women are no longer behind the loom. If they’re involved at all, it’s usually on the edges — threading warps, tying fringe, or sewing hems.
But there are rare and remarkable exceptions.
Meet Ayşe Teze (Auntie Ayşe).
Small in stature but towering in presence, Ayşe is one of the most experienced weavers in her village — and one of the only women still operating a full-size commercial shuttle loom. She’s deeply respected. When the men have loom problems, they come to her.
On Jennifer’s last visit, Ayşe was working on the blanket-size version of a design we call 7 Wonders (you can read the story behind that piece in A Patriarch’s Wish Fulfilled). She spoke of how proud she felt to be tackling complex projects again — the kind of weaving that once made her craft so revered.
She also shared her frustrations about the younger generation:
“I don’t understand why they spend all their time on the computer and phones,” she said. “They should be doing something useful with their time.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Ayşe Teze is a living link to a time when weaving was passed down like a birthright. Her passion, precision, and principles are exactly what this craft needs to survive — and, if we’re fortunate, to thrive again.