Summary

Warping mill used by Anna Apinis whenever she was preparing a new weaving. It was made by her husband Ervins Apinis when they settled in Sydney in the early 1950s. It is used in conjunction with the countermarch floor loom and the unplying machine. Ervins was actively involved in helping Anna with her craft and designed many weaving devices used by her.

Anna attended weaving lessons in Liepaja in Latvia from 1930 to 1933 and had a loom constructed for her with wood scavenged from bombed-out ruins, during her time in a Displaced Persons camp in Memmingen, Germany. She used her loom to weave ancient Latvian designs using the threads from old scraps of fabric. Anna brought her loom to Australia when she migrated in 1950. She became one of the few suppliers of fabric for Latvian national costumes in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, and exhibited her weaving nationally. Anna kept her cultural traditions alive through her daughter Anita who continues to weave and is involved in the Australian Latvian community.

Physical Description

Vertical wooden frame with a wood and metal stand, painted burnt orange, and two sets of wooden warping pegs.

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