Name of Person: Genevieve J. Hardy

Ya'a'teeh, Ms. Genevieve J. Hardy is a Dine woman and a traditional wool dress weaver from Fort Defiance, Arizona. Her parents are Dennis and Mary Hardy. Ms. Hardy's Maternal Grandparents are Emma and Charlie George and Paternal Grandparents are Lillie Joe Yazzie and Dan Hardy. Both her maternal and paternal grandparents were weavers and homemakers. Her mother Mary is also a weaver. She has seen them weaving and enjoyed the wonderful experience to have spent time with them.

In her youthful days, after returning from school, her mother would always be weaving, there were times when she made mistakes. Her mother would ask her to undo it for her while she prepared the evening meal. Ms. Hardy soon realized that she could help her mother even more by weaving up to where her mother had left off. Genevieve never knew she would turn out to be a weaver, but she was always an artist, in sewing and making all sorts of arts and crafts, the ability to make it was so easy for her. So one day Genevieve at the age of thirteen decided to setup a loom while everyone went out to town. She did everything right so far, but stopped and tried to remember what was next. Just then her mother entered the room and said, “Don’t just stare at it, hurry up and bind it,” she gave her mother a blank look and right away her mother took the spindle and started to twist the binding that was needed. The loom was completed while her mother just watched her. Her mother (Mary Hardy) complimented on her success and said you will always be a weaver, because you started this on your own and I am proud of you.

Ms. Hardy background covered all the basics in Middle school, home economics with the basic cooking, sewing, crocheting, knitting, needle point, embroidery, which taught her the survival skills in a home. In high school, she took 4 semesters of drafting and clothing. With the two classes, she grasped the knowledge of putting things together (3 dimensional drawings) in her mind and learned the art of fashion, since lines and contours had a lot of play in ones outfit. She used this knowledge to perfect her work in making outfits.

Since, then Genevieve had two daughters and a son, whom she loved sewing outfits for them, the way she used the right colors, lines they were very beautiful. Genevieve also knew that no store bought or ordered dress will ever be the best for the way Ms. Hardy designed her daughter’s dresses. She also shared with her nieces and other relatives.

Towards her daughter’s years of promotional exercise in kindergarten, 5th, 8th, senior and college graduations, she decided to weave their rug dresses (Biil-ee). When friends, relatives and the public seen her work, she knew and often said, “I would rather be known for the Lady who has woven this Biil’ee, then my talents to be hidden in someone’s home on the wall or furniture.” Since then, Ms. Hardy has put her sewing machine aside and was most interested in weaving more dresses, and new items such like shirts, vest, & saddle blankets.

Now that she is a grandmother with a beautiful granddaughter or in other words “pretty grandma”, she has already made her granddaughter a rug dress and knows she will make many more for her and others. Ms. Hardy just recently completed her studio with eight weaving loom set up with all different sizes (like spider woman) and welcomes anyone who would like to learn the art of weaving.

I used natural plants to dye the wool that I'm going to used to make the dresses, vest, shirts & saddle blankets. However, when time is short to dye my materials I buy my wool at the store.