The older generations proudly carry on the knowledge of their beloved figures regarding manual skills. This knowledge needs to be disseminated and shared, given today's homogenization and standardization of goods. Barbara Costantino She's a woman who's been weaving her whole life, an activity that has always been rewarding and nourished her creative side.
A family art passed down
As a child, Barbara Costantino would curiously observe her aunts' work on the loom. This context embodied this nuanced skill, which Barbara has mastered and continued for 50 years. She is the only artisan in the Catania area who still makes carpets on the loom. Born in 1945, she works from her home in Mascalucia. The loom she uses is a legacy from her aunts, and even before that, from her grandmothers. It features two pedals, a type ideal for making Sicilian rugs.
For several years, Barbara held a workshop in the afternoons (14:30–16:30 p.m.) at Catania's middle schools. It was a project called a workshop-school, funded by the city. The artisan brought small looms to the schools for the workshop; an activity that was lost due to health restrictions. An honorary member of the Delfare association in Catania, she is among the creative figures who attracted the most attention at the craft exhibition. Christmas at the Minorites, open to visitors until January 8, 2023. She is present with the loom that serves as a demonstration.
Barbara Costantino and her business
Each type of fabric consists of thewarp and plot; First one is prepared, then the other. The entire process consists of intertwining these two sets of threads and thus giving rise to the creation. To prepare the warp, three people are needed, one who turns the beam, that is, a part of the loom, another person holding it, and the weaver guiding it. The warp threads pass through the heddles, held by the shuttle, that is, the wood that makes up the loom. The heddles are then passed through the comb and attached to the fabric beam.
The loom is ready, and the process of making the carpets begins. The two-pedal loom used by Barbara Costantino has two beams, one for working the warp, the other for the entire fabric. The two pedals are also essential for moving the heddles, which work 100 threads with one pedal and 100 with the other, thus creating the weave. The artisan weaver uses any type of fabric, such as wool, cotton, silk, linen, raffia, and, in general, any type of yarn.
Carpets as works of art
Barbara Costantino He creates in relation to the ideas that cross his mind; the catalog is his mind. All types of decoration emerge from his essence and are therefore represented in his textile creations. The motifs are varied—geometric, floral, multicolored, and in bright hues—a tribute to Sicily. The rugs can also be used as wall hangings and headboards; their versatility is also evident. Depending on the workmanship, that is, the size of the final product, the looms are joined. For example, sheets were once joined because the looms were too large to handle them.
A typology of handicraft A truly unique piece, requiring patient and meticulous work. It's essential to remember it, especially since almost no one actually works with a loom. Barbara Costantino has always done all this with love and dedication, bringing out her whole soul, as well as the origins of her family background.
