Crafted by Hand. Guided by Tradition. How Our Warp was Woven.

Photo by Thomas Neff, July 2018

Selenium-toned silver print from 5x7 negative

A woman stands beside a large wooden weaving loom in a room filled with textiles and craft supplies. She wears a T-shirt with a printed quote and poses with her hand on her hip.

Our story

Elaine Therrien, known to many as Laina and a few still as Elspeth, is the founder and owner of Wood-n-Woven, with her Husband Tim Therrien. She does the Woven, he handles the wooden; making custom handcrafted wooden decor, toys, and art.

Of Abenaki descent, they hail from New England but consider Eastern Montana home, having lived here for more than 30 years total. Laina opened her original shop in Terry in 2015 half a block from the old Terry Meat Market, and has since built a studio that houses 8 looms on her property just across the train tracks from the center of town. A master weaver, her area of expertise is in historical reproduction, with weaving patterns dating back to the middle ages, and has worked with everyone from Renaissance rein-actors and faire enthusiasts to museums for historical reproduction. She holds a special place for weaving Tartans.

Multiple spools of pastel-colored thread arranged in a row on a wooden surface.

Woven with Purpose

In 2000 Laina Therrien ran an Upholstery business in Marshfield Vermont, out of the old School House Commons where the community center, library at the time, several local artisans also had studio space. During this time she met and became friendly with Kate Smith, the Master weaver who ran the Marshfield School of Weaving with a smaller studio in the school house.

By 2001 Laina was learning to weave from Kate and found it to be far easier on her body than the upholstery work, with unexpected therapeutic benefits that have aided in her recovery from service related PTSD after her service prior to the Gulf Wars.

Three generations are now represented in the studio, her daughter, who is also a weaver, and her granddaughters who are tentatively exploring and learning the craft - for now.

The Benches - Terry Badlands

As seen out the studio’s back yard.