Threads of a legacy

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HANCOCK COUNTY — In a screened-in porch drenched with natural light sits the loom. Possibly built as early as the 1860s, the beams of the rocker-arm barn beam loom have been rubbed soft with the wear of gentle hands moving across it countless times.

It’s here where Thelma Ford of Greenfield feels closest to her mother and grandmother. As she weaves fabric strips, pulling the rocker arm forward to tuck each row tightly, her feet working the pedals below, the effort turns into a soothing rhythm.

Sometimes Ford will ask, “OK, what color should I use now, Mom?” as though the woman who taught her was still standing in the room. Ford said sometimes, she feels as though she might be.

“I just get such a warm feeling knowing my grandmother and my mother loved what they did,” she said.

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It’s a pastime — part hobby, part business — she’s enjoyed nearly her whole life, as she

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“Artists among us” is an occasional series about creative people with Hancock County connections.

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