Oral History Interview Peggy Mastropaolo

Partial Transcript: Today is April 10th, 1985. My name is Teka Ward. I am interviewing Peggy Mastropaolo. We are at 710 West Main Street, Louisville, Kentucky. Our topic is Lou Tate and the Little Loomhouse.

Segment Synopsis: Ward introduces the interview by giving the date, her name, her interviewee's name (Mastropaolo), their location, and the topic.

Keywords: Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Peggy Mastropaolo; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Kentucky—History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Weaving

Partial Transcript: As we begin, I'd like you to tell me something about yourself.

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo shares her background as an artist and an art teacher. She also recalls the first time she met Lou Tate, which was when her Girl Scout troop visited the Little Loomhouse. Later, when she was teaching at Shelbyville High School, she visited the Little Loomhouse again, this time to learn about weaving so that she could teach her own students.

Keywords: Centre College; Drafting; Liberal Arts; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Miniatures; Open houses; Shelbyville High School; Sue Kendrick; The Little Loomhouse; Vegetable Dyeing; Vivian Hyatt

Subjects: Art teachers; Arts; Batik; Coverlets; Dye plants; Dyes and dyeing; Education, Humanistic; Girl Scouts; High schools; Kentucky—History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Miniature craft; Pottery; Textiles; Universities and colleges; Watercolor painting; Weaving; Woolen and worsted drawing

Partial Transcript: What kind of a technique did Lou Tate have when she was teaching you how to weave?

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo describes Lou Tate's teaching style as sort of rambling. She would start off by giving all the different names that a pattern could be called, and then often tell about where she had learned a specific draft. This leads Mastropaolo to talk about Lou Tate's travel in order to collect coverlet drafts. She describes that many of the drafts Lou Tate collected were just rolled up and stored in the walls in her cabin. She goes on to describe Lou Tate's teaching method in a little bit more detail.

Keywords: Bachelor's Button; Canada; Cape Breton; Cat Track and Snail Trail; Chariot Wheel; Drafting; Drafts; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Snowball; The Little Loomhouse; Warp; Weft

Subjects: Coverlets; Coverlets--Private Collections; Kentucky—History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Private Collections; Weaving; Woolen and worsted drawing

Partial Transcript: Teka Ward: You said that you went to some of the open houses.
Peggy Mastropaolo: Oh yeah.
TW: What were they like?

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo gives one reason behind the open houses at the Little Loomhouse as being a reason for everyone to bring food and gather around food. Lou Tate liked to eat, but she wasn't much of a cook. She describes how the regulars would stick around after the open houses and have a meal together. She also talks about the kinds of activities that went on at open houses, including spinning and dyeing. Mastropaolo talks about teaching dyeing in school as well. Some of her students would even come out to The Little Loomhouse for dyeing lessons. She talks specifically about the chemical process of dyeing. She speaks proudly of one specific weaving and dyeing demonstration she did at the Little Loomhouse. Lou Tate would also allow Mastropaolo to borrow looms and supplies from the cabin for her teaching purposes.

Keywords: Betsy Dienes; Bottom House; Broomsedge; Brother Kim Malloy; Chrome; Copper Sulphate; Dogwood Festival; Ed Dienes; Esta; Iron Sulfate; Iron Sulphate; John Prentice; Lily of the Valley; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Mordanting; Mordants; New Zealand Spinning Wheel; Open houses; Ralph Calvert; Sarah Bailey; Shelbyville, Kentucky; Shelbyville, Ky; Sue Kendrick; The Little Loomhouse; Tin; Vegetable Dyeing; Vivian Hyatt; Wisteria

Subjects: Alum; Bloodroot; Cooking (Walnuts); Copper sulfate; Dye plants; Dyes and dyeing; Ferrous sulfate; Goldenrods; Iron; Kentucky—History; Lilies-of-the-valley; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Marigolds; Mordants; Spinning; Spinning-wheel; Tomatoes; Walnut; Weaving; Yarn

Partial Transcript: Your interest in Lou Tate has continued after she died. Why is that?

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo describes some of the negative memories she has of Lou Tate. She says that Lou Tate would sort of lead people on, especially when it came to buying looms. Mastropaolo believes that was because Lou Tate felt that if she sold people looms, they may not come out to spend time at The Little Loomhouse anymore. Mastropaolo moved away before Lou Tate's death, and did not get to see her for several years before her death. Later on, Mastropaolo got involved with The Little Loomhouse again. She volunteers one day a week and helps to teach classes. They talk about continuing Lou Tate's tradition by continuing to teach young people weaving at The Little Loomhouse.

Keywords: Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Open houses; Sally Moss; Sue Kendrick; The Little Loomhouse; Top House

Subjects: Kentucky--History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Renovation (Architecture); Teaching; Weaving

Partial Transcript: You went out there first in the 50s as a member of the Girl Scouts. Then you returned early 1970, maybe 1969, as a teacher then yourself. What are your memories of Lou Tate, first as a child and then as an adult?

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo does not remember much specifically about Lou Tate from when she visited The Little Loomhouse as a child, but she does talk about what she thought about Lou Tate when she returned as an adult. She describes Lou Tate as being very interested in her research and in teaching children. She remembers that she did not get along as well with adults, but that she was constantly concerned with continuing on the Little Loomhouse after she was no longer there. She also recalls that Lou Tate was constantly concerned about the development of the subdivision above her property which was causing erosion on the hill.

Keywords: Land Development; Lawsuits; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Possum Path; Rug yarn; Subdivision; The Little Loomhouse

Subjects: Actions and defenses; Erosion; Housing development; Kentucky—History; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Property; Research; Teaching; Weaving

Partial Transcript: You've even taken the weaving show on the road, haven't you?

Segment Synopsis: Mastropaolo talks about helping out to take a weaving demonstration around town to different events. She ends by expressing her thankfulness that Lou Tate allowed her to experiment with weaving and dyeing in any way that she wanted to.

Keywords: Farmington Historic Plantation; Kentucky State Fair; Lou Tate; Lou Tate Bousman; Louisa Tate Bousman; Louisville Water Tower; The Little Loomhouse; Warp; Weft

Subjects: Agricultural exhibitions; Exhibitions; Kentucky--History; Looms; Louisville (Ky.)--History; Weaving