The Coral Gables Times

The Tods Shown At The Loom

'His' and 'Her' Jackets for Tods Have a Very Special Meaning

By RAYMOND LANG Times Reporter Osma and James Tod have "his" and "hers" jackets. But that's understandable when you know that Mrs. Tod, in her fifties, has been hand weaving for the last 25 years. Whatever it is, from towels to dresses, if there's a thread in there somewhere, Mrs. Tod can sit down and weave it on one of 15 looms in a studio off her kitchen. In fact, when Mrs. Tod, then a widow, married her husband, a widower, two years ago, she taught him to weave. They live in a Spanish style house at 319 Mendoza Ave. Not too long after, Mrs. Tod wove 7 1/2 yards of red and black wool material. She took it to a tailor and asked him to make a jacket for Mr. Tod. The tailor said all he needed was four yards for the one jacket. So . . the "his" and "hers" jackets. Mrs. Tod said last week that hand weaving today is one of the most pursued hobbies. Almost one million people follow it, she said. "You can make anything for yourself and your home," Mrs. Tod said, "anything in the line of threads." She teaches women to weave in her studio. By the time they leave the first class, they've made something, said Mrs. Tod. "I had one lady who came here with her sister," Mrs. Tod recalled, standing among her looms, "and when they walked out they had finished a towel. "And one lady cried. She said, 'I can't believe it, the very first day I finished something.'" A woman can weave anything, such as rugs, dresses (Mrs. Tod has made some of her own), stoles, matching towels and curtains. Advantages to weaving are many, said Mrs. Tod. You've actually made something yourself and it cost you less than if you had bought it. And you can make the article, maybe a man's necktie or scarf, any color you want. You can learn to make tables also, from material such as pine needles and palmetto leaves. "The first thing I wove," said Mrs. Tod, "and I still have them, was a tea set with napkins to match. These things last as long as you do. "You do something like this," Mrs. Tod went on speaking affectionately of weaving, "and you get something back. It's like a garden." Mrs. Tod has written more than 300 articles on weaving and a host of books, one of which, "The Joy of Handweaving" is in its fourth printing. Mrs. Tod became interested in weaving while a student at Wellesley College near Boston during a summer art class. Mrs. Tod's parents never knew how well-suited their daughter's Scandinavian name, 'Osma,' would be. The name means, "Worker with the Hands."

Our Nurses Need More Help; You Can Be Their 'Arms & Legs'

Learning to be the arms and legs of a nurse are the principal jobs of a Red Cross nurse's aide volunteer, according to Mrs. Lorin Nelson, vice chairman of the Dade County Red Cross Supporting Services. The Supporting Services, which includes the uniform volunteers, is conducting a crash campaign, at the request of the American Red Cross, for more volunteers. "They want us to be prepared for any emergency which might develop from the Cuban situation," Mrs. Nelson said. Most of the volunteers are mothers and housewives. The age limit is 21-55. "I definitely feel the home nursing and first aid training received through the volunteer program, has made me a better mother," commented Mrs. Nelson, who has a 12-year-old son. "You learn how to take emergencies in your stride, and do not panic when one occurs in your own family." Mrs. Lorin, who lives at 4211 Anderson Rd., became a nurse's aid in 1957 at the VA Hospital. She then advanced to unit chairman, which made her responsible for all the nurse's aides in the VA Hospital. Since July she has been in administration work at chapter headquarters, 5020 Biscayne Blvd. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer may call headquarters for information at PL 1-6661, and make an interview appointment. The training program requires 40 hours. Twenty hours are spent in the classroom and 20 on the floor in either Jackson or the VA Hospital under the supervision of a registered nurse. After the training program is completed, the aide must spend three or four hours each week on the floor, or a minimum of 150 hours per year. The nurse's aides take temperature, pulse, help feed the patients, and make beds, with and without the patients in them. The Gray Ladies write letters for patients and give out comfort articles such as cigarets, bedroom slippers, and shop for the patients in the hospital canteen. Staff aides help the doctors and nurses in a clerical capacity and in the library. Help is needed desperately in the arts and skills devision, Mrs. Martin said. These workers have set up a day car center, which is in the experimental stage. One of the first in the United States, workers at the VA Hospital help people who can live at home, but need to come to the hospital to learn a craft which will bring them an income. Mrs. Martin feels the volunteer Red Cross work is very rewarding and those women who have always dreamed of being a nurse, find it a good substitute. MRS. NELSON . . . MORE WORKERS ARE NEEDED

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