Clasped Warp and another Weaverbyrd Workshop

The lovely Weaverbyrd showed me a new technique this weekend: Clasped Warp.

I had a go at it. I apologise for the awful photos. At this time of year my house becomes very dark.

As you can see my warp is red and black. With mostly red weft. I used a variegated chunky wool at either end as an experiment.

It was really easy to do! It looks like it should be more complicated but it was a surprisingly simple process. I want to play with it more and make some structured patterns.

Also, I made a weaving I am really proud of, based on my Day of the Dead sketchbook. All these photos were taken by Cherrie Stevens. She is (as you will notice) a far superior photographer to me.

There are still elements I need to add to the piece, so bear in mind its still a work in progress. The colour pallette wasnt quite as planned, but I can always do another piece on my loom at home.

I had a great time again. I'm so pleased that I learned how to make windows in the cloth and as you can see I have a floating warp going up through the weaving. Its the bright blue wool on the right, for those who don't know what I'm talking about.

I like it a lot. So much colour fun! I really enjoyed just picking up any colour I wanted and weaving it in. I even used a couple of yarns with sparkle in them. :)

Weaving, weaving, weaving...... Pt.1

Since my last post, I have got myself a lovely loom. Actually, it was bought for me by my partner (even more awesome). Its an Ashford Knitters Loom (50cm), like the one I used on my course but 20cm's bigger. This is ace 'cause it means I can make a piece of fabric up to 50cm in width.


It looks like this. ^ It folds up so I can carry the loom around and weave pretty much anywhere (if i can figure out how to do it properly).

I have warped 4 times so far, 3 times successfully. One attempt was thwarted by a particularly difficult wool, I didn't know until I had finished warping and started weaving that it wasn't going to work. I swore at it a lot. Warping is still a bit of a struggle with only 2 hands but I seem to be getting the hang of it.

My first project is going to be a cushion for my partner once its washed and sewn. I call it the 'Hobbit' 'cause I warped up while watching the film and Rob (my partner) is very fond of LOTR.

I had a go at clasped weft and adding bits into the weave. Its pretty cool for a first go.

My 2nd project was a shawl for me during the autumn/winter time. I based my palette on the film 'Chocolat'. I love the brilliant colour's of Vianne's cafe. I wanted something comforting, rich and bright. I made it predominantly out of a nice brown wool from my local shop Jenny Wrens Yarns . I had a great time picking out yarns.
 I found out, after running out of wool, that you shouldn't start a piece using remnants of wool you find in charity shops. You cant get the wool again unless it has a label, so you shouldn't base a whole project on it! I wont do that again. You will notice on the pictures that I started with a lovely dark chocolate brown, but had to change to a lighter shade because of this incident. In this piece I varied the colours on my warp so I could create small blocks of colour within the piece. I also added skull beads to enhance its Mayan feel.

As you can see, I need to weave in the ends and wash the piece. I haven't been able to wash them yet because of a sprained knee, but I am itching to do so.

I will write about the 3rd piece in pt. 2 of  'Weaving, weaving, weaving.......'.

Weaving Workshop 24th - 25th July 2013

This week I did something amazing. I went on a 2 day Saori weaving workshop run by the lovely Cherrie Stevens in Felixstowe. I had a great time; I got up early and grabbed a coffee on the way to the studio. I sat on the beach and stared at the sea before wandering over to Cherrie's studio, it was well lit and beautifully decorated with her own weavings and creations, as well as gorgeous pieces of fabric from other cultures. I received a warm welcome and met the other women on the course. 

My loom was already warped and we were all shown how that was done (we didn't do it ourselves, as it would have taken forever), we were also introduced to the philosophy of Saori (follow the link to find out more about it) and then we got into weaving. The course fee included materials and Cherrie really had some ace materials. The wools, fibres, fabrics, beads and oddments were all fabulous and I felt really well catered for. During the 2 days (2 mornings 9-1pm) we learnt a few techniques to make interesting textures within the weave. 

Have I mentioned how much I loved it? I loved it. I really did. I don't think I have allowed myself to be that relaxed and creative in years. I just played. Just played with materials and techniques. Its not the most perfect piece of art that I have ever made, but it is a excellent piece of evidence. I have evidence that I have relaxed, learnt loads and most importantly that I had a really great time. I simply cannot recommend Cherrie's course enough.

I based my colours and textural ideas on Australian Aboriginal art. I have always loved the earth tones, textures and patterns.

I'm the one in the middle. See how pleased I am?

The whole thing.

A detail. The buttons were bought for me by my lovely friend Emily from Australia.

Another detail. Check out the lovely pieces of fleece.

Another Vessel

 

The 2nd vessel. I think this one looks a bit like earthenware. It has a green base and varying browns for its upper parts. Its kind of hobbit-y.

 

 

This ones even more sturdy than the 1st one as it has a high wool content, as opposed to acrylic/acrylic-wool mix. It was mostly made from my Grandmas stash of harsh thick wools. It has made a wonderful object.

 

 

I love the texture. It reminds me of the patterning on Anglo Saxon clay pots.

The whole thing looks very ancient and East Anglian to me, which is pretty cool.

 

 

Watch this space for more experimenting.

3d textile experiment

 

Im playing with textiles again. Right now I am making vessels with wool and thread. This one is made from bits of wool nobody wanted anymore and so it is a medley of crazy colours.

 

 

They are really fun to make and I have ideas for taking it further. My lovely Dad reckons they would make good soup bowl cozies, or using this method, make some hats. My lovely friend Anthony reckons that they would make good boob cozies.

 

 

I really enjoy the texture and solidity of these vessels. Im working on another right now that looks like earthen-ware. Its fun.