She has conserved Civil War flags, old quilts, stage curtains designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright for Taliesin East, and many other textiles. One job was preserving inaugural gowns from the 1880s worn by the wives of Arkansas governors. She also worked on a series of tapestries woven in Europe in the 1700s honoring Phaeton, a figure in Greek mythology.“ Every piece has its own story,” she said. While working on one tapestry, she realized the wool in it probably came from sheep overlooking a medieval village, and it was likely woven by candlelight. And when working to conserve Civil War flags, she would look up the regiments which carried them.
“ We can’ t pass by what history can teach us,” she said.“ It repeats itself, sadly at times.”
One quilt she was working on recently is of handspun wool, colored using natural dyes. It was made in Indiana in the 1830s and currently in a private collection. To conserve it, she has found cloth that is a close match, and uses root from the madder plant as a natural dye. Madder has been used since ancient times as a dye, and would have been available in 1830s Indiana. Her efforts were rewarded with dyed fabric which is an almost exact color match to the old quilt.
Sarah has lived in Brown County for 42 years. Born in northern Indiana to a pair of teachers, she lived in various locations around the state, including Nashville, before moving to New Mexico, where she lived seven years, marrying David, a builder, and opening a bakery.
“ I always wanted to be here in Brown County again, even as a sad nine-year-old who had to move away,” she said.
“ Textiles happened when I moved back here and was looking for something to do with my hands.”
She took a spinning class at Yarns Unlimited in Bloomington, which led to weaving and knitting and working at the store for 23 years. Suzanne Halvorson, who owned the store, introduced her to Harold Mailand, a textile conservator in Indianapolis. Soon, Harold and Sarah were working together in the textile conservation business.
But that is only one part of her weaving business. From her studio on Clay Lick Road, she weaves dishtowels and other creations, and has been a member of the Back Roads of Brown County Studio Tour in October, cancelled this year because of the coronavirus. Because of the cancellation, she has a stock of about 75 dishtowels on hand, as well as whimsical creatures made on wire bodies using the thrums, or leftover parts of her weavings.
Sarah and David have four children: daughters Chelsea, Sarabeth, and Leslie, and son Teddy. All are artists, she said, mixing common sense with an artistic ability.
Sarah’ s conservation work not only keeps historic pieces in good condition so that young people can learn from them, also they become a learning tool for Sarah.
“ When you handle an old textile, you learn a lot about how it was done. It’ s a lot of fun finding a new technique that’ s been long gone because it’ s handwork.
“ A lot of handwork is logical. It’ s lasted that long because someone thought it out. It’ s logical and it made sense.”
Sarah can be reached at < sarahnoggleweaving @ gmail. com > or 812-320-2916. •
Nov./ Dec. 2020 • Our Brown County 37