52 Ancestors: Textile - Mom and the Howells line

I couldn't tell you how long I've been fully aware I was Welsh in descent. Possibly it's just something I've always known. My great-grandmother Nain (Eliza Jones) was very proudly Welsh, though she lived most of her life in Canada, and kept up correspondence with her cousins still back in Wales in the Welsh language. So it's something that's always been there for me.

However, when I started to dig into my family, in family documents and also some documents I've found online, I learned that this branch of my family, the Howells/Gabriel line, were from before my great-great grandfather's line, were known for their weaving. His father's profession is listed as weaver in Gabriel's birth record, among several others. He also owned a farm, so most records list him as a farmer, but family lore says that for generations, the Howells were known for their weaving. 

My presumption is that this weaving talent traces our line back to France and our Huguenot ancestors. Again, I have no proof of this except that I have read several pieces in an attempt to track down possible ways to identify this likely ancestor that mentions the Huguenot talent for weaving. 

This skill is something that even existed down to my mom. When she went to college, her degree was in textiles, and in weaving. Through my teen years, and even into my early adulthood, my mom had a full-sized loom in our house that she used for a time before it was finally given to family friends who could use it when she was no longer able. I still have strong memories of the notebook she made of different styles of weaving, and the effects they could give, and I remember her using that loom in my childhood, too. In particular, I remember a set of pillows she made with some of the woven cloth she'd made.

Short one this week, but an aspect of my family I'm very fond of. And someday, I hope to use this to prove our connection to the Huguenot heritage I have been told we have. Also, if any of my Gabriel or Howell cousins out there have done your DNA test, I'd love to hear if you got any proof that our line may have come from France. As of now, my Welsh DNA seems to be purely Welsh, so we may be too far descended from that ancestor for any of us to inherit it, but if anyone did get some, I'd love to hear about it.