TULSA -- One thing you won't see in every house is a loom, but that's exactly what you'll find where Sarah Sullivan's dining table should be.
"My loom was sort of my advantage over other people trying to do similar things," Sullivan said, "because it's a piece of equipment that not a lot of 20-year-old girls have."
Sullivan, who grew up in Tulsa, said she learned to weave in college at the University of Kansas, where she took several advanced weaving classes. Because she enjoyed the craft so much, she ended up buying herself a loom as a graduation present.
"I actually, oddly enough, had a little weaving in a student show in the Gilcrease (Museum) when I was nine," Sullivan said, laughing, "so I haven't changed much."
She said the loom gave her an edge when she decided to start a business last year, choosing a name for it as fun and colorful as the things she makes.
"The name of my business is Sully String," she said. "I like that it kind of implies Silly String in a way, so it's just kind of fun and whimsical. It's kind of how my work is."
The work she produces often comes out looking like confetti. She hopes that the bright colors and geometric shapes add some personality to her customers' homes.
"If you like looking at it and it makes you happy," she said, smiling, "then I did my job."
The woven home goods that she makes include wall hangings, pillows and placements, but she would like to keep expanding her line.
"Anything that can be woven, I am exploring," Sullivan said.
She'd like to focus full time on her weaving, but right now she can only make most of her things before and after her day job at a salon.
"I work (on my weaving) early every morning and work until I have to go to my job, and then when I come home," Sullivan said. "I don't have much of a social life anymore, but it's fun. I like doing it."
The sacrifices seem worthwhile, however, because she said she's starting to see the future come together, much like the pieces on her loom.
"The goal is for this to be my main focus no matter, and then see where it goes from there," she said. "Each day seems a little more fruitful than the last, so I think it can only go up."
To see Sullivan's designs and learn more about Sully String, follow this link.
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