Lola Magdalena is an “inabel” (Ilokano handwoven cloth) maker. She started to develop her skill in hand-weaving cloth at the age of 16 in the heat of World War II. Her aunt introduced her to this traditional art of weaving using a simple contraption. But to produce fabric of quality and beautiful design takes years of honing one’s skill through practice and patience. “Patience is needed in this job, because abel-weaving is really hard,” says Lola Magdalena, who is practically self-taught in terms of creating patterns such as the “kusikos” (spiral forms similar to oranges), “inuritan” (geometric design), and the most challenging “sinan-sabong” (flowers).  Magdalena has been relying on her instincts, practiced hands, and innate skills for years, starting at the age 16 when she learned the art of weaving from her aunt. She was never formally taught but picked up the art on her own by copying the patterns. At that time, every girl in her village knew how to weave, and there would be an informal competition among her cousins and friends as to who could weave the finest, who could be more consistent. Her father bought her her first loom at the age of 19; he obtained the sag’gat or hardwood himself and gave the task to a local craftsman. Her first loom lasted her at least 30 years, sustaining her through years of marriage and motherhood. When it was beyond repair, she considers herself lucky to have been able to buy a secondhand one. Today, there are few locals who have the skills to put together a loom similar to the ones Magdalena uses: a sturdy wooden frame with three-foot pedals with wide horizontal beams to support the warp and an even longer lengthwise frame to keep the threads in place. It is different from the backstrap loom traditionally used in the Cordillera, where the warp is anchored to a stationary object on one end and to the weaver’s body on the other end.