When she was almost 40 years old, Adriana Zdircea (43 years old) simply reinvented herself completely, in the professional field. Former cook, she had learnt fabric from the beginning, on an 80 years old loom. She has never woven something in her entire life, tried again and again, undid what she had woven, and the result became better and better after a lot of practice. Today, 5 years after, her wonderful, traditional carpets, pillows and small shoulder bags are ordered in Romania but also in Italy, Spain, Turkey or Germany. And Adriana is very happy with her choice – she is working every day with passion, dedication and a lot of love.

She was staying her with her newborn girl when she thought about doing something – and her first thought was to make “cozonac”, a traditional Romanian cake – because she has worked as cook and in pastry for many years. But her husband had a better idea – that has turned into a passion that changed her professional life completely.

“Let’s try to do some carpets” he has one day told her, smiling, with wonderful memories of his grandmother weaving at the old loom. So they have taken the old loom from the barn and started practicing – from his memories, at the beginning. “Then I have searched for an old woman to teach me” Adriana remembers, laughing – her little daughter was in her arms and she was trying to learn.

Practice and passion

A lot of practice followed – she has never counted how many times she weaved and undid. “I did it, undid, did it again – and always thought that if they are not how I would like them to be I will use them inside my own house”, she remembers, smiling.

She has improved her technique with a lot of hard work and patience, knowing that you can become good only with a lot of exercise, in time. “At the beginning, someone has to support you, financially, you don’t have to start with the idea that you have to earn a lot. You have to work hard, money come much later. I was very lucky, I had my husband’s support. It was very hard at the beginning, uncertainty, not to have done something wrong”, Adriana says.

Grandmother’s carpets, with love

She became better and better, then she started going to her first fairs, created a Facebook account, her clients recommended her – and her small, heartfelt business started to grow. Besides the carpets, she has also started doing decorative pillows filled with straw and small traditional shoulder bags – everything handmade, with the highest quality materials.

“For the carpets I use only cotton 100%, they are practical, useful and easy to maintain”, Adriana says. But there’s much more than that – they look and are exactly like those woven by our grandmothers, they are not only extremely beautiful but also come with childhood perfume and so beautiful, precious memories.

“Clients love them because they are easy to maintain, but many buy them only because they remind them of their grandparents, they find them useful and good looking. They tell me – I have seen these at my grandmother, I have grown up with them”, she says.

Clients all over Europe

Adriana’s clients have between 27 and 50 years old, “but especially young people up to 35 years old, they have a different vision, they combine modern with traditional”, she says. She recently presented her products during an event that took place in a multinational company – and people were impressed.

Her clients are both from Romania and abroad – when we talked, she was just working on an order coming from Turkey. But she had also sent carpets to Italy, Spain or Germany – just a few examples. “One of my german clients told his son he will offer them to his grandmother, to admire them and put them on the verandah”, she says.

Woven with hands and with heart

I also have in my own house woven carpets made by my grandmother, just like those made by Adriana – and that’s another reason I have simply fallen in love with her creations. But once talking to her, there’s something more – the love for what she is doing felt in every word, not a job but a passion turned into a small, heartfelt business.

“I’m doing them with so much love, I feel relaxed when I’m working”, she says. She remembers, with emotions, some reactions of her clients – the lady who said “Oh, my God” and worshiped when she has seen her creations, deeply surprised and happy that there’s still someone who is doing such traditional carpets. Or the person who came to three different fairs just to see them. Or that old couple who stopped in front of their stand, at an International Tourism Fair. “The woman was around 70 years old, they stopped, asked my husband who is working on the loom and he told them – my wife. They did not believe him, so I started working – they were so surprised because we are young, they congratulated us”, she says.

Now, she knows she has found her way, and will never give up weaving, no matter what. Because, beyond work, it became a part of her heart. “Going to fairs is such a pleasure first of all because you meet so many beautiful people. I will never give up doing this”, she says.

You can find Adriana’s products on her Facebook page, HERE

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Do you know a very special person? Someone who has followed his dream, built it piece by piece, with passion, energy and lot of soul? An usual, simple person who did something in life, who you can identify with, who can be, for others, a source of inspiration? Tell me about that person and let’s tell the others his/her beautiful story. Write me at specialstories00@gmail.com, here, on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.