LOWER LAKE — Sheila O”Hara and her weaving students dedicated their section of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse annual Quilt and Textile Exhibition to Laura Simms, a longtime Lake County resident and one of O”Hara”s students who died at age 50 on Feb 3.
“I am very grateful to Laura Simms. She was the person who got me started on teaching weaving classes here in my studio in 2001 in Lake County. With her encouragement, I started buying second-hand looms for my classes,” O”Hara said.
“We affectionately called her Laura ?Loomatic” Simms. She is most likely now up in heaven happily weaving away on a magical loom of some sort. Her energetic, happy, generous, fun loving spirit is surely missed, but we are carrying on with her enthusiasm in mind.”
O”Hara is a weaver who has been teaching classes at her home studio in Lower Lake since 2001.
Starting in 2003, O”Hara and her students have included their weavings along with the quilts in the annual Quilt and Textile Exhibition at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, she said.
Featured artists include members of the Clear Lake Quilt Guild and Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild, as well as O”Hara and her weaving class students: Janis Eckert, Pam Perry, Suzanne Britz, Ellen Hardenburger, Sylvia Anderson, Shellie Taylor, Goldie Pitre, Hana Musgrove, Lorna Rochmann and Nancy Nestegard.
The 20th annual Quilt and Textile Exhibition will continue through Saturday at the Weaver Auditorium of the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Museum, located at 16435 Main St. in Lower Lake.
For information, call the museum at 995-3565, email llmuseum@co.lake.ca.us, call O”Hara at 994-0790 or email sheila@sheilaohara.com.
The museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Museums/LowerLake.htm for information.
