My mother”s handcrafted Navajo Rug

I had been really stuck in the house approximately a month now and during this time I decided to make my house feel cozy and bring elements of my childhood in my living room. I had envisioned taking objects my family gave to me in California. My mother was a huge weaver and in the 70’s to 80s this was a huge craze for all crafty people. My mother prized her loom and created this gorgeous Navajo rug based on a Navajo design.

Growing up we had a beautiful living room with many western themed paintings, bear rugs and antlers and a saddle on a fake horse. I knew that my great grandfather hinted and these items made their way in my childhood.

Now married to a wonderful man from Wyoming I can relish the fact a western themed dining room would be alright with him.

My husband had to drive to Wyoming to take care of dad during this horrific Covid 19 and make sure he had proper care.I was stuck in house alone and decided to reupholster the chairs paint the wall and rearrange furniture to make the house be homey. I have been wanting to do this forever now I have the time to change the room by cosmetic means:

paint the entire room.

After reupholstering 4 chairs I pulled a strap muscle on my chest and inflamed my muscles to a painful symphony. I was happy at least the chairs were finished.

Then came the part of restaining the table and chairs which took a day. The the ceiling painted white and refresh the color and give the white a try over the yellow. My ceiling looked like stained teeth of a smoker. Most people thought it was yellow due to smoking, which always prompted me to say, this house is decorated in the 70’s when everything had a yellow hint to it. I then after four days painted the ceiling and managed to get enough paint in my hair that I had to wash it every day.

All the trophies Rob collected with his dad were collecting dust resurfaced and my paintings I collected over the years were then put back up with care.

All I needed to finish the dining room was my mother’s Navajo rug. I could not figure where it was for days which started me to panic. I looked on my sewing room and looked in every fabric drawer which is several. I could it could of been under the stairs which I knew would be painstaking work. I set my Sat to forgo enjoying the day of sunlight and go where no man has gone before under the stairs on crawl space. After 5 hours of lifting boxes and uncovering boxes and rearranging boxes no sign of Navajo rug.

I was set on having the dining room perfect for Easter so I exhausted from collecting dust in hair and face looking forlorn in my attempt to to find my mother’s beloved Navajo rug I looked at Rob and just sighed that I really wanted an element of my mother in the room and that Navajo rug never turned up.

I then thought which runner could use to decorate the table for Easter . Then it hit me like a comet lands on the earth that is where the Navajo rug is where the linens and table runners Are stored. Why did I both think of that before. I emptied the kitchen utility space looking for essentials for table napkins and table cloth. A heap of table cloths were on the kitchen floor as I pulled out linens after linens to find Navajo rug. To my delight I found the rug in its glory, still reminisced of the colors of the 70’s yellow brown and black and a mustard yellow at that.

The glory I had obtained the found object I had been looking for the last touch on my dining room. I draped my mother’s Navajo rug on the cabinet with dishes and sighed with relief, it’s done! My dining room is my sanctuary my womb and my memories of a better time and a happier place.

When I am in the dining room I feel comforted by this wonderful rug it helps soothe my feelings of a uncertain time and keeps my mind at ease. I am so glad to have found her Navajo rug I feel at peace even through this Covid 19 crisis. I do feel mentally safe due to childhood memories and know my mom is near which is only a phone call away.

The beautiful part of the dining room is it’s cowhide covered chairs ( not real fur) and Rob’s trophies alters as a child and Buffalo Bill posters all encorporated in a cohesive design that was both memory laden and safe and brought back memories.

My coworkers said it looked sexy, which made me giggle since I never referred a dining room as “sexy” Indeed I will take the compliment especially from this particular person who I know has excellent taste.

The big surprise to me is to see how much stores like Cost Plus and World Market or a Penny Mustard or Ethan Allen were selling these cowhide chairs fake fur (faux fur) for $250 each and mine were self reupholstered for the alarming price of $30.00 and paint was $30 and wood stain for furniture was $8.00 and the steep blue tooth speaker was $15.00. The studs on the chairs were only $24.00 for 4 boxes. The grand total of the redecorating the dining room was $108.00. I am currently unemployed so this is a huge savings and it looks amazing and less than design on a dime.

My mother’s rug loomed handmade Navajo rig really was the cherry on top of e sundae and completed the look perfectly. I am so happy to have found this treasure that was free but so full of love. This Navajo rig is priceless and I can daw added the right amount of 70’s yellow and orange to give it a bit of nostalgia and modern.

Since this completion my strap muscle healed and I am eating in a beautiful room I think is also the word “sexy” modern, nostalgic and unique. Finite my Italian mom would say. I think she loves it as well.