Dear weavers, fiber friends and colleagues,

For those of you who are not familiar with the project, osloom is a project aimed at creating an open source electromechanical thread-controlled floor loom that will be computer controlled. osloom will be a Jacquard style loom which unlike traditional floor looms which allow for basic patterns to be created, Jacquard looms allow for the individual control of each thread which in turn allows for photographic imagery to be woven. Jacquard looms like this exist commercially but they are very expensive (upwards of $60,000) which puts them out of reach for individuals and small educational facilities.

The osloom could be produced way more economically than that and truly revolutionize what the studio weaver could accomplish. The idea of a DIY open source loom is one that not only artists could benefit from but many individuals and learning centers could gain a resource by building one of these looms as well.

The project looks forward to whatever help you can provide and couldn’t come to fruition it without it and for that I thank you.

● Spread the word. Have a blog? Or know a friend who might find osloom interesting? Know of a forum or list that may be of interest? Forward this email to anyone that may be interested. Spread the word, and let us know if you need more information!

● Join. Join our mailing list at osloom.org, our Facebook group and follow us on Twitter. There will be contributor opportunities available after the May 1st deadline. We will spread the word via all the above mentioned channels once they are online.

● Keep us in the loop. You may be in the know of opportunities that osloom could participate in or benefit from. You may know of lists or people that we should talk to. If that is the case, your suggestions are welcome and please keep us in the loop.

Sponsorship opportunities are available, if you know of a company or institution interested please let us know!

Warmest regards,~margarita benitez

If you require additional information about osloom please visit osloom.org or contact me at osloom.org@gmail.com.

tel. 312-469-8381
email: osloom.org@gmail.com
http://www.osloom.org