Fine Fiber Notes from Nicki

Work In Progress

2012-01-31T10:33:00.001-08:00

Work in Progress 48epi

Here is a close-up of a piece I am working on woven with sewing thread at 48 epi. I did it with a new attachement for the camera in my I-Phone. Details here in a different post.

Beetles at Rest

2012-01-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

Beetles at Rest

Earlier this month I took off my first run at my next series of beetles off the loom. Here's a photo of them resting. The twenty beetles here were too big for my studio desk so I have them hanging off of a watercolor in the study.

Due to the sett and color selection they are much bolder & bigger than the previous series. And after tweaking the designs, they are more anatomically correct...at least from an artists eye; perhaps not from an etymologist's.

As you can see I am weaving four at a time; each in slightly different colors. I will be framing them in two different ways and keeping one set for myself. I took these off so I can perfect the finishing and framing in case I need to modify the size of the final pieces.

Out with the Dust Bunnies

2012-01-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

Guess what I got for my birthday? A Roomba! One of those small circular robots that vacuums your floor without you. This seemed to be a perfect tie-in with my New Year's desire to keep my studio cleaner and more dust free. And perhaps it would also be an enrichment activity for our chihuahuas. How productive - weaving as well as cleaning!

Here it is working in my studio.

Only problem - it sucks up loose thread. Well you say, isn't that the point of a vacuum cleaner? To pick up stuff on the floor - even thread? But think of that thread which happens to be attached to a heddle ... here comes the Roomba...slurp...slurp...slurp... sucking it up...unwinding the thread effortlessly from the heddle... and so quietly until you grab it...or its all gone. Then it moves on....relentlessly.

The Roomba next found a spool somewhere on the floor, a spool obviously out of my sight I noticed later that the Roomba's wheels had turned from black to turquoise. When I turned it over I saw a lot of turquoise thread wounded tightly around each wheel as well as all over the bristles. Clearly, not thread I would be weaving with at any time in the future.

I have one re-cycling/re-purposing habit...I keep, collect and re-use my leftover Sulky thread... well at least those in colors I like. I like blue. So I cut off the turquoise thread from my Roomba, packed it away like my other unusable threads...in Christmas balls. The cleaning today yield two turquoise Christmas balls for next year's tree. I usually don't fill more that one ball every couple months or so. Quite a productive day.

As for the chihuahuas, they don't find the Roomba enticing...but the Black & Decker Dustbuster continues to be their arch enemy.

Sampling is my Rabbit Hole

2011-10-25T13:56:00.000-07:00

Sampling for me is a rabbit hole...

I start off with a new concept and the intelligent part of me says sample to make sure you are on the right track. Then, days or perhaps weeks later, as happened this time, I finally stop sampling; get focused and get back on track using little of the information I gleamed from sampling.

I know I do this...and yet I keep doing it...leaving so much less time to work on designing the layers of meaning in my piece, which is by far my favorite part.

I am incredible excited about a concept I have for a new series of pieces. I started planning backwards this time since I wanted to make sure it would be easy to finish and be exhibit quality. First I bought the frames and planned how to finish the piece...next I bought two potential linens for the warp and weft with the texture I wanted...then I chose the weaving structure which would do what I wanted it to do.... At this point I saw the piece so very clearly in my mind. Ah, now the intelligent part of me said...best to sample to make sure you get the right sett, warp and pattern.

Above you can see the result of three weeks of sampling, warping, changing reeds etc. Over 14 feet of Huck (3, 5 and 7 thread Huck) in a variety of patterns, warps, wefts, setts, reeds, etc. Once I started my curiosity took over. I liked the very first pattern I tried...but I had to try all the patterns in my new book on Huck since I was curious. Then I had to change the sett...the warp...then various combinations of both...

And in the end, I chose to use cotton seine as my warp and weft, which I did not sample. A set of 10 epi which I did not sample. And moved to a table loom instead of the floor loom where I did do all those samples.

And although I am a bit behind schedule, I think it will work just perfectly...

Beetle Coasters 2011

2011-10-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Just finished signing, buffing and boxing my beetle coasters for 2011. I have two dozen ready for sale for the holiday season. Each beetle is a variation of my favorite beetle pattern; all done in colors of the southwest. This is my second year of doing these; and hope to do a different set next year.

I spent a great deal of time getting them 'just right' and now I know I will have a tough time offering them for sale...I would love to keep them all! Each is beautiful as well as useful plus with their own box they are 'no brainer' holiday gifts.

Expect them to climb out of their boxes and be ready for viewing the weekend prior to Thanksgiving... here.

So Many Challenges

2011-09-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

If you are in any artist groups, have you noticed that each one seems to be having a challenge of some sort or some exhibit or another that you need a create a piece for? Seems like so many more than before. I've always thought if you join a group one should participate otherwise why be a member. Since I really like all the groups I am in, I have been quite busy.

Just within the last few days, I have sent in photos of recent pieces to three exhibits and I just finished a small fun piece for the challenge of the Southern California Handweavers group. Here's my challenge piece after playing with the image in my new CS5 package.

For this challenge we were to be inspired by a quote about color...mine quote was by Jules Fieffer, who said artists can color the sky red because they know it is blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we are stupid.

I've always wanted to make a pencil holder for my studio...while on a trip to the North Rim & Bryce I took a photo of the cliffs from the Navajo Bridge... I had an empty loom...some leftover yarn...everything came together in the end.

Life works that way sometimes.

Can You Name this Beetle?

2011-08-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Two Dozen Beetles

2011-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

Now that the That's Sooo Seaside exhibit is up and the opening over, things have started to settle down. Although it was a fun project and the final exhibit was fabulous it was surprisingly much more time consuming than I had ever imagined. Now that it is over, I am happy to say I actually have time to design and weave!

These are some beetle designs I have wanted to weave for quite a long time. They are a simple design with a multitude of permutations in the markings and antennae. I have six done with 18 more to go.

I am creating 24 beetle coasters for an upcoming Designing Weavers Exhibit & Sale in November. This will be my second set of coasters in a hopefully long series. Last year I decided I would create a new set of coasters with a different beetle design every year. Something for the collector in all of us. Last year, I thought I would do a Thailand beetle for the 2011 series but my 16 harness loom is busy on the Beetle Series Take Two project. Looks like next year will be the year for that.

The rest of this beetle material is for a long jacket lapel. I am hoping it will go well with some of the material I wove last year as past of my stash reduction project.

I have re-evaluated and re-stated all my weekly goals; my Woven Wanna Do's, through Spring of next year... one of my near time goals is to weave two of these beetles a week until I am done. Of course, I have other items on the list for the week too...so I am off to weave...

Cheirotonus gestroi at two Setts

2011-06-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have not been weaving with fine threads for awhile. After warping up the loom with yards and yards of warping thread, selecting a design to test, checking the threading, I started to weave a beetle. I then slept wrong and the muscles on one arm didn't like the motion I need to make to weave on my sixteen harness. Hence the break.

I wove yesterday, enough to get to the top of the beetle and decided after a bit my arm did not want to weave anymore. Perhaps this afternoon I'll finish this one up.

As you may recall, I am starting my second series of beetles which I wish to be more vibrant, more realistic yet still artistic and better to view from about five feet away to up close. I've changed the sett from 48 to 40 based on my Red Totems study of sett as well as now have four colors of warp. As I weave I will have four beetles finished at a time; each on a different color warp as well as a different background color. Three beetles will be great but one should be fabulous.

Here you can see the big difference a small difference in sett makes. I used pretty much the same pattern and same types threads for both of these beetles. The new one on the right is woven at 40 epi while the one on the left is one from my first series woven at 48 epi.

I just love this photo. It says a lot so quickly that it would take too much time to describe...

March

2011-03-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

March is a month of taxes and warping. I hope to finish both this month.

I am putting enough warp onto my sixteen harness Ashford to keep me busy all year creating a new set of beetles for my collection. I would have put on more; but that is as much as my warping board would hold. I am planning on this set of beetles to be more brilliant, more colorful,more anatomically correct and include more species from all the families in Thailand.

I will be weaving four beetles at a time; each on a slightly different colored warp for a richer and more varied result. The tabby warps; those on shafts 1 and 16 for me, show more on top than those on the other shafts. Thus, the impact of the tabby warps is much greater from a color blending standpoint. The non-tabby warps are more subtle. I've varied the colors within each beetle's warp yet kept them on the dark side of value.

Next I will be mulling over which technique to use to roll the warp onto the loom...will I swing it over our rafters in the living room... perhaps roll it on my metal skeiner...or come up with a new way to keep the warp tight and not moving while I thread the heddles. While I mull, I work on that other project.

Near Neutrals

2011-01-27T10:40:00.000-08:00

As part of my color study group, I did something interesting yesterday with my Munsell color chips.

I created a palette of colors which are near neutral - just this side of grey - with just a hint of hue.   And included a full range of values.   Here is a color photo of the result; which is not quite true. It looks richer and greyer in person. Also I took a photo in black and white so you can see that this is a full palette of values. What the colors have in common is that they are the lowest chroma/saturation in their respective categories.

Here is how I did it. First I created a column of chips (on the left) that ran from white at the top to black at the bottom - a typical gray scale. Next I selected the chips with the lowest chroma/saturation from my Munsell Color Handbook. Since the Munsell color tree uses 10 hues; I ended up with ten columns of differing hues (red, yellow red, yellow,  green yellow, green, blue green, blue, purple blue, red purple, purple). I lined up the chips within each hue in value order; lowest at the top and darkest at the bottom.

I find this palette absolutely fascinating. The values are the same across the rows.  Each column is a different hue. It never occurred to me the breadth and beauty of a palette of near neutrals. Just the term neutral makes it sound dull and boring. But there is enough value distinctions and color differences to create wonderful designs for a lifetime.

Results - Stash Reduction 2010

2010-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here are the results for my stash reduction project for 2010. This is all the yardage I wove throughout the year; reducing the number of cones in my stash by 8-10. (It may not look like much but this project is simply a filler project for those times when the brain wants something simple to weave.)

There is a hint of purple throughout this grouping; since my goal was to rid myself of six cones of complementary rayon in a muted purple. The pile on the right and the left include several cones of silk. And most fun is the 2/3rds of a cone of a variegated metallic included in the one on the left. All have a nice drape...perfect for light jackets or some sort of wrap.

Looking forward to 2011...I have selected the cones for the next reduction program...mostly cotton boucle' in a southwestern reddish palette. If I get through these I also have a box of 6-8 greens....

A Leading Indicator

2010-11-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

It's time for the holidays so it's time for some woven holiday beetles...

Finishing & Re-Finishing

2010-11-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

I am picky when it comes to hanging my tapestries. I have an image in my mind of how my art should appear when on the wall...and if it isn't right I never like it. And if I don't like it rarely will anyone else see it.

I completed a small tapestry; perhaps eight inches by eight inches back in 2008. It was an experimental piece woven with cassette tape - books on tape for the ATA small format show. I never really took to the piece; due to the nature of the weft, cassette tape, the warp lines were wavy and there was a visible pull in as I completed the piece in what I imagine was hurried boredom. It showed in the ATA exhibit but never again. I could never figure out how to hang it.

Earlier this year I finally 'finished' the piece; by finding an acceptable way for it to hang on the wall. I wrote about it here. After hanging a bit, I realized this was not quite the right solution. It was not hung to last; I really could not exhibit, donate or gift it. The edges of the tapestry began to look sloppy which accentuated the pull in. The Velcro would occasionally fall off and the glass was way too many reflections for a room with as many windows as I have.

So this week I 're-finished' the piece. This time I wired the tapestry to a black wooden board which hangs freely with wire in the box frame. The black board provides a straight edge on each side so the pull in, although there, is not distracting. The glass was replaced with plexi which still allows the sparkles of the material backing the piece to shine through and should allow it to be safely mailed. Having the tapestry hang away from the plexi glass provides a wonderful shadow which changes with the light and gives that feeling of the sun actually hovering above the horizon.

I think I may actually like this piece.

Productive Rainy Days

2010-10-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

The raining weather has kept me from weaving anything where color might be an issue. It's dark enough in my house when its sunny -imagine what's it like when its raining. But I did find other things to do...

No more whining looms in the back studio. I have gotten two looms warped; my small tapestry loom as well as my eight harness Kothe Varpapuu shown to the left. My sixteen harness workhorse is empty yet happy in knowing its neighbor, the Varpapuu is testing different colored warps for the next beetle series which will be done on the 16 harness.

I've warped five different colors of serger thread to do various sampling with the end result being a stack of bookmark note cards for the Designing Weavers show and sale in November plus a decision as to what color warp to use on my next series.

For the first time, I tied on the sewing thread to an existing warp. Normally, I warp from the front filling the reed and heddles one by one. I thought tie-ing on the warp, which I do on other weaving projects would be faster. So I thought - why not try it?

Having done it...I'm not sure which I prefer. It still seemed to take me a couple of days to get it all done...it was so boring making knot after knot after knot standing in one place. I kept taking breaks to relieve the back and the mind. The warp rolled onto the beam with about the same amount of hassle as the other method but the best part was...no errors to fix since all the warping errors were corrected in the previous weaving.

So in summary - exceptionally boring to tie but in the end a faster road to actually weaving.

Now if only the sun would come out.

Avoidance

2010-10-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

So what's in my back studio?

One small naked Shannock next to a box of beautiful dyed yarn...

...three empty table looms awaiting warps of fine threads...

...no wonder I have been avoiding the back studio...

...their cries are getting louder and I fear I must soon enter...

Taquete Gamps

2010-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Here is something fun... taquete gamps in ten colors of warp woven with a 10 and 12 dent reed with one wet finished.

I have always wanted to do this and I finally got the chance due to the convergence of two projects.

The first was the challenge from our local guild - be inspired by a book from our guild library. I selected a book called Color Guide for Handweavers by Joyce Chown and Mary Black where the authors applied color theory to fiber.

The second project was for my color study group; Centered on Color & Fiber. For this period, we were free to select any aspect of color/fiber we wanted learn about it, share it and exhibit it at our local guild festival. I decided to focus on acheiving better results in taquete through weaving a gamp.

I generally weave my beetles with three wefts; generally with a light, medium and dark value plus one colored warp. No matter how hard I beat; the colors of the wefts not on top and the warp color peak out and impact the color of the weft on top. Hence I find it difficult to get the color I really want.

I used three pattern wefts in the gamp; purple, white and red. Not my favorite colors but definately light, medium and a dark value.

I then used a variety of permutations of 'hidden' wefts - those that travel underneath the color which is showing on top. I varied them by value and by saturated vs. unsaturated. Six permutations for each pattern weft.

Gamps are not normally exhibited so I converted mine into free standing pieces. The variety in the colors from the different combinations of warp and hidden weft is quite amazing as is the difference between reeds and finishing.

I am working on a new series of woven beetles and I would like the pieces to exhibit more vibrant and truer colors than my previous pieces. Based on these gamps, I am going with the 10 dent reed and will try wet finishing the pieces. Next I need to select the best warp color - more testing is required.

BOING!

2010-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just did two passes of tabby on my new warp...boing! 17 broken black warps, 3 yellow... 5 dark grey... 2 orchid... turns out the new reed is rubbing, actually cutting the warp! Re-sleying the warp with the old reed and will see how it works...more later...

Today I Feel Like Colour

2010-08-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

I am getting back into the swing of things...I have been warping a loom for a project for my Study Group on colour.

For this project we are free to study any aspect of colour that we would like. Thus, I am going for the jugular and studying how I can improve the color gradations of my beetle series.

I would like to weave the 'final 48'...those I want to show as my Collection of Beetles from Thailand. Everything to date has been preliminary, exploratory, fun and rewarding. But the final 48 I would like to be masterpieces. I would like them all in a similar colour scheme with a full palette of vibrant and exciting colours as beetles from Thailand appear to be.

The first phase should answer these two questions and help me move into phase two of my project for the study group.

1. will 10 or 12 dpi reed provide the best perception of color from the viewers standpoint? I started with a 10 dpi reed way back when but switched to a 12 but can't remember why. Perhaps the old loom was 10 the new had a 12? Just can't remember....

2. what color warp will most sharpen the colours I chose? In particular what warp colour should I use and how will it impact the my other colour selections?

Of course, this first phase will answer a few other questions I have had about colour selection in taquete otherwise why else did I put on 2+ yards of warp?

The second phase required me to come up with something to exhibit at our Guild's Weaving and Fiber Fest in November...I am contemplating a Munsell Colour Tree...three dimensional...of course. More later.

ps my black polyester sewing thread [on the left] was quite uncooperative - breaking in at least 12 places...I never have broken warps...oops until now...if the black keeps breaking it is definitely out of this first phase.

The Road Trip Home

2010-08-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing better than a convertible for the road trip home from Albuquerque.

My Beetles Travel to New Mexico

2010-07-18T13:16:00.001-07:00

If you are going to Convergence make sure to check out the Old Church in Corralles...I have twelve of my beetles from Thailand on exhibit there. Rumor has it some have found a permanent home and won't be coming back to Southern California.

Happy 4th!

2010-07-03T12:02:00.001-07:00

Serendipity

2010-06-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

It was serendipity - I ran out of warp at the same time I ran out of weft. Not a bit of either left. The cones and bobbins are empty. The ultimate in stash reduction.

And no real planning....

The unwashed yardage, seventeen feet 7 inches long and 19 inches wide, is a fox fiber organic cotton warp with a silk weft. Both have been in my stash closet for quite awhile. There are random differing pattern stripes every once and a bit to keep it interesting. I tied on to this warp to a scarf I had woven then discovered it was way way the wrong sett. After replacing the reed and and re-sleying in singles vs. doubles the piece has grown from 8 inches to 19 wide.

The yardage is in the washing machine as I write. I expect the silk should lose some of that gold color and end up with more of a green sheen. This silk, which I bought on sale, is not color fast. It was quite a surprise when I took my sample out of the wash; it went from gold to green. Yes, I did sample so indeed there was some planning.

This is yardage #1 in my stash reduction program. The program is actually a conversion program...converting yarn stash to yardage stash. I have been weaving less than ten years but have quite a collection of cones I have bought with the thought that they would 'weave up nice.' So I am weaving them into yardage and eventually plan to have a sewing marathon...

Weaving yardage is a wonderful break from tapestry and taquete which requires such intense concentration. Plus, none of those cones in my yarn stash would work for either of those two techniques.

Tropical New Warp

2010-05-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

Whew!

Finally I finished getting my new warp onto my sixteen harness loom. I have a project to weave for my Bezold Study Group. What a few frustrating days. At one point I had my DH threading the warps that went through shaft sixteen whileI did the threads in the rest of the block.

The bottom line problem was the color...I could barely see the reds and pinks. Yes, I know it is sewing thread and sewing thread is thin. But I never had such difficulty with the white or black warp I have used before. And since it was tough to see the threads that meant tough to always get into the slot in the white texslov heddles.

That was quite an effort for a couple yards of warp. Hopefully I can design something to make the effort worthwhile.

The colors a vibrant, tropical and fun. And except for the yellow similar in value as you can see in the greyscale photo. More later.

Flower Beetles

2010-05-06T13:11:00.000-07:00

Here is my addition to My Beetles from Thailand Collection. This is a collection of a dozen species of flower beetles. A couple of them I wove both a male and a female specimen. I'm taking a 'beetle break' for a couple of months and will restart weaving my beetles in the summer with the hopes of finishing my collection by year end.

2010-04-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

This is the family of flower beetles I just took off the loom. I wanted to study it in gray scale for awhile before I finish the piece. It will be framed under plexiglass with a black frame and a colored flannel backing.

The colors of the piece, although similar in value, are saturated and bright. There is of course a bit of sparkle here and there too. At different angles the metallic thread does different things; often highlighting a section not readily apparent from a different angle Black is the only dark value; used largely for outlining the shape.

Overall the effect is good; a calming serene feeling - not that creepy feeling that one could get when viewing a collection of dead beetles. The colors almost make one smile. And as in many beetle collection; no one beetle is the focal point yet each can be studied and admired due to its uniqueness.

Can't wait to see it finished, framed, and hung in a gallery with lots of light.

End of a Warp

2010-04-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a sight that I do not often see...the end of a warp...this is the end of my nine yard warp in serger thread I put on over a year ago. Yup - twenty seven feet of black and navy blue polyester serger thread. Apparently, the warp, all ends included measured out to more than a mile of thread. No wonder I rarely see the end of my warp.

I should go and count but I am sure I have woven more than three dozen beetles and a couple dozen small pieces for note cards. Plus, two large family of beetle pieces. One of the family pieces got into the Eye Dazzlers exhibit and will be shown at the Albuquerque Convention Center in July. A collection of my individual sixteen beetles is currently on display in Fiber 2010 West at the SCIART gallery in Camarillo.

I've included a photo of my last two beetles for awhile. These are from the family Cetoniinae - the flower beetles. I think I need a bit of a break from beetles...but still need to weave a few more to take my vision to fruition.

We took a walk today...

2010-04-24T15:57:00.001-07:00

We went for a walk this morning at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve. Whew - so much red-orange everywhere!

Good News

2010-04-19T16:41:00.000-07:00

Two good things happened today - - -

1. My murder mystery kimono was accepted into Convergence's Walk in Beauty Fashion Show. First time I have ever entered something for the runway. It must have been that shimmering chartreuse lining! I can already imagine my trepidation when the model walks down the runway...

2. In about nine minutes, at 5pm , the supplemental application period ends for the California Redistricting Committee. Yes, I was one of the initial 30,000+ applicants. The number of applicants who have made it to this next stage is less than 5,000. Still a long shot, but my odds have improved.

Time to celebrate.

Flower Beetles

2010-04-15T08:56:00.000-07:00

I discovered I had another yard or so of warp left on my sixteen harness ashford so I am weaving a collection of sixteen beetles from the Cetoniinae subfamily; the flower beetles.

Four beetles done with a dozen to go. The colors are bright and cheerful and the weaving has been quite pleasant. My only problem has been when I forgot my only rule of weaving with fine threads - avoid clothes with buttons.

I have two weaving goals this month, substantial progress on the flower beetles & my giraffe tapestry. So far, so good on the first. Today I focus on the latter.

My Twill Lining

2010-01-06T16:52:00.001-08:00

Here is the yardage I have been constructing (lots of cutting, pinning, trimming, ironing, sewing, ripping, re-pinning, re-sewing re-ironing, etc. ) over the last several weeks. It's made of silk and combined is such a way to resemble a twill. I am hoping that on a runway, the model will open the coat to show off the lining and the lights will pick up and reflect off the different textures and show off the twill. It had to be twill since it will be the lining for my mystery story coat. The story woven into the coat is called The Case of the Undulating Twill - a tale of mahjong and murder. The mahjong tiles pictured in the lining are a clue to the mystery.

Still time to finish things this year...

2009-12-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

I have left the holidays behind and am focused on my creative side with a vengeance.

Just today I wove eight inches of taquete finishing two beetles leaving three more for my piece I'd like to enter into one of the Convergence exhibits. It looks especially good. Am looking forward to seeing it off the loom. It's about a yard long so I can only see what's visible on the outside of the front beam.

In addition, this week I have cut out over a hundred squares to piece together my lining material for my mystery story coat and today I finished making my silk mahjong tiles which will also be pieced into the lining.

For those mahjong novices, the tiles in the photo is a winning hand called the Sparrow's Sanctuary. It consists of fourteen tiles all in one suit - bamboos. For all the years, I have played mahjong, I have never had this hand. It's almost a hole in one if playing golf.

For those interested, these tiles were designed so that each tile has a slightly different background color. I scanned the tiles from my mahjong set and spent hours making them look the way I wanted them to look in photoshop. In the end they were printed on silk in my ink jet printer.

Back From Vista La La Land

2009-11-03T15:20:00.000-08:00

I believe I have control of my computer again...after many hours of discussion with India, South Korea and the Philippines.

I have today successfully moved from Vista to Windows 7 and I now feel like that small Asian kid on the Windows commercial just smiling and looking dreamily happy in front of her computer. I even put a flower as my background on the desktop.

Needless to say, there has been little weaving here while in Vista la la land along with a bad back. But things are now improving.

Here's a photo of my continuing search for a line of scarves I would like to create...my Bug Scarves is what I call them. I have yet to find the right combination of yarn, sett, hand and time to weave. Here's a link to one of my samples. It wasn't quite right...nor was the one after.

The blue combination in the photo consisted of sewing thread warp with a 60/2 silk weft. The pattern and sett were nice. No separations. But not exactly the hand I wanted plus it took way too long to weave; 8 round trip passes to complete a square. I am patient but not that much. I had patience enough to complete only three small beetles. No way could I complete a scarf. I could make the beetles smaller but I like the size relative to the negative space.

The olive green and cranberry experiment currently on the loom has the same sewing thread warp but a bamboo weft. It feels fairly nice but one never knows until after you wash it. This is the same yarn I used in my woven mystery story. I should have a lot of bamboo yarn left after I finish some extra material for the sleeves.

This will be a laid back experiment, no rush to finish. But even now, I am not sure I have enough patience to finish a scarf. Time will tell.

At the Movies

2009-10-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Haven't much been into weaving lately... I hurt my back lifting a piece a paper and the pain seems to have sapped the creativity and drive right out of me.

But on a more positive note, my DH and our dogs sat down to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua last night. Tippy, our three year old chi/min pin. mix was absolutely fascinated for about 50 minutes and then slept through the remaining 40 minutes.

We also have a chihuahua that looks just like the one on the screen. LOL.

End of the Warp...But not the End of the Story

2009-09-28T13:44:00.001-07:00

ps - - I just updated the blog with a photo...my computer completely died several days ago ...again...this time data was saved but I had to reinstall all drivers and software...Vista sure sucks! Anyway this is a photo of chapter 10 I believe - where our hero begins to figure out who the murderer really is... I see you missed photos of the Ox Roast and Blood Drive and a few other chapters...oh well...you can 'read' it all later.

Well it was a productive morning...four hours of continuing education for my CFP as well as weaving to the end of my warp. I even had enough time to untie the shoelaces at the beginning of the piece; my least favorite task of all.

This is the loom with my woven mystery story on it. I never knew how much warp was on the loom since I had put it on years ago and forgot about it. But it turned out I had enough warp to weave up to the middle of chapter 11...only a chapter and a half plus an epilogue to go. But those pieces will have to be on a new warp along with a sample to send in with the entry form, a key to the characters and events plus some contrasting border material. I will tie it on...should be quite easy. Tie a new red warp to the old red, a new violet to the old, a new gold to the new, etc.

So before wet finishing I have a bit over 16 feet of yardage about 22 inches wide. I need to check all the edges of the correction tape that I wove in to make sure it won't come out in the wash. I am going to trim the ends of the bamboo weft which hang out the sides so they won't catch on anything. I quickly discovered that weaving in the bamboo ends messed up the pattern and distorted the stripes so I stopping doing that. I just tied off an old color at the edge and tied on a new color. There are lots of color changes and hence lots of loose ends. I will probably serge the edges so everything is nice and neat in the finished jacket....

I'll take a photo post wet finishing. It looks good now however, mostly greens and reds. I would have expected mostly greens and purples...given that the green is the hero and the purple is the villian but the reds look really good.

Ah, they all looks good. Should be a nice piece.

Chapter 7

2009-09-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Chapter 7 was so much more exciting than chapter 6. Have you noticed in most mystery stories about half way through there is some flashback or a long section describing the inner workings of the hero - what haunts her, what motivates her etc. Well, that part, which in my tale is chapter 6, is fairly boring to weave. Plus - I had two broken warp ends...

On a more positive note, here is chapter 7 where at their weekly mahjong game, our hero and her friends work through all the events of the past few weeks. By the third round they are surprised to realize who must be the murderer. Although it is hard to believe, the facts point to only one person -Irma's husband, Max.

As is all mysteries, there is a pivotal moment when the hero realizes she has been heading down the wrong track. This is my hero's moment. The phone rings...

And so begins Act III.

Chapter 5

2009-09-05T17:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of chapter 5 of my mystery story. Tomorrow I work on the word version of the story.

In this chapter the hero is curious about a clue which consists of a list of coded words and numbers. The hero and her helpers work to decipher the list and struggle to understand its significance. As everyone begins to realize the list's implications a growing feeling of fear and dread envelopes the group.

I think chapter 5 will be easier to write than chapter 4. It took awhile to even start writing chapter 4 although once I started it was quite fun. I had to create an entire society of weavers and all the interconnections between each other and the other characters I already created for the story. Plus, I didn't want any of them to be exactly like any of the actual weavers I know. And I seem to know a lot of weavers, being in three guilds and all.

It was kinda fun, but time consuming, to decide on age,names, personality, appearance, unique characteristics, how they talked, what type of weaving they focused on and what they brought to show and tell. The Westside Weavers Society ended up being fairly small but exclusive group; a dozen women and one man; all accomplished weavers. They did vote in one new member at the last meeting.

Writing is such a hoot!

One Done 11 to Go

2009-09-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was inspired over the last couple of days. I designed seven beetles which are now ready for weaving. My goal is to get a dozen done in a fairly short time span.

Actually six are ready for weaving since I already finished one this afternoon. I took a close up photo of the back. It incorporates some of the patterns I displayed in my sampler. I am quite happy with the results. The photo is not the greatest...

What I now need to come up with is a notational system which I can add to my excel spreadsheet to remind me what pattern to put where.

An Analogous Sampler

2009-08-29T14:29:00.000-07:00

Here is the same sampler as I did yesterday but in a dark olive green and the same medium avocado green as the last one. The colors in the photo are close but not true.

As expected the analogous colors merge into one another in a pleasant way.

Now I am off to select a beetle to design where I can try to incorporate these concepts.

A Split Harmony Sampler

2009-08-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a small sampler I did in taquete with three colors of sewing thread. I wanted to see how many shades of purple and green I could come up with by varying the colors coming to the surface in each spot.

I was inspired by the woven tapestry on page 163 of the Fiber and Color book by Lambert. It was a piece done in red and green illustrating small areas of color producing optical mixing and larger areas creating color shifts by simultaneous contrast.

My piece is less than 4.5 inches by 3 inches but was quite complex to weave. There are sixteen permutations I came up with. I wove a solid purple on the edges and a solid green in the middle so I could more easily compare the permutations with the solid color.

This should be useful in improving my textile designs. In some ways the results are obvious...but this sampler is a visual reminder of the variety of shades of a color one can make by varying the quantity of a hue next to another. Plus, with the 'key' it will allow me to easily import the appropriate shade into my designs.

The results are so interesting I am going to do the same thing over in analogous colors of the same values to see the blending of more similar colors.

Chapter Four

2009-08-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am running a bit behind schedule but thankfully chapter four is finally woven...

Chapter synopsis:

Our hero goes to her Westside Weavers meeting which is being held this month at her friend's house. As in most Guild meetings, there is much talk of fiber and other ordinary as well as curious things. She is most surprised to hear that her friend's house was burglarized and a number of items stolen. The entire Westside Weaving group tours the 'crime scene'.

Later that evening our hero discusses her growing suspicions with her husband over a romantic dinner.

Now onto the words...

A Stag Beetle

2009-08-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here's my latest beetle. It's taken awhile to get it done due to all my other projects at the moment. This is a Cyclommatus beetle; one of the varieties of the stag beetle.

I experimented with this one to see the various effects I could achieve with the copper and 'black' I was using. You can see the effects at the edges of the beetle and in the larger portions of black.

Each pixel of color in weaving is composed of two passes of the shuttle with the given color; a round trip so to speak from one side of the loom to the other and back home again. The colors that rise to the surface are the ones you see; I hide the others underneath.

I was able to achieve a darker copper by allowing both the black and the copper to rise to the surface in the same spot.

I was able to achieve a subtle shimmer of copper in the black; like a shadow of copper by allowing the copper to rise to the surface along with the black on only one pass across of the loom. On the way back only the black rose to the surface.

I was able to achieve a mottled black by alternating solid black withe black and copper.

I am considering doing a little sampler so I can see in a more controlled way the impact of the various effects.

Chapter 3

2009-08-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Having finished weaving chapter 3, I have completed the weaving of Act 1 of my mystery story.

In this chapter we learn many curious details about the dead person found by the hero as well as a variety of robberies and thefts occurring through out Santa Monica. The curiosity of the hero grows as she is more and more certain that something isn't quite right. She feels a sense of dread as she commits to finding out what.

Now I am off to write it all down.

My Purple is Blue

2009-08-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

I am playing around with the concept of simultaneous contrast with taquete in order to select the 'right' colors for a piece I have designed.

I haven't put any photos up since I have found it near impossible to photograph the color purple with either of my cameras regardless of the adjustments I make to the camera and light. It always comes out blue. Best I can do so far is to adjust the blues in photoshop but overall the colors are still no where close to true. I need to play around some more with the software and the cameras.

This is the best photo of the actual unwoven colors. I had them shaded from any direct light. They all shifted in color when woven.

Here is my sample woven with a purple background with a beetle in two near complements; adjusted in photoshop.

The hues, values and chromas do not look like they do in person. They have been impacted by the light, the camera, photoshop as well as the principle of simultaneous contrast.

Best to study the concept with the actual weavings in hand.

.

Chapter 2

2009-08-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

Chapter two of my mystery is written and woven. This chapter provides details on the suspicious circumstances surrounding the dead body which our hero found on the way to the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

Chapter One

2009-08-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Just completed chapter one of my mystery story in words and weft.

Chapter One takes place at a party. It's the 25th anniversary of Max and Irma. Max is a successful businessman. Irma is our hero's best friend and fellow weaver. The guest list is a who's who on the Westside of Los Angeles.

Here's what chapter one looks like in bamboo.

Ten Feet Off the Loom

2009-07-31T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here are the ten feet of my labors over the past couple of months on my sixteen harness loom. Fourteen beetles and a dozen bookmarks for note cards.

I decided to cut the warp and take a look. I was starting to get worried that I was getting a bit crazy with my color selections. I had taken a more methodical approach to color selection as to hue, chroma and value and wasn't sure how they would come out. This more methodical approach was moving further and further from the anatomically correct colors of the beetles. However, I like the end results; more vibrant colors and more stunning designs. I will definitely continue along this path.

These are off to the finishing table and the remaining five yards of warp will be reset and be ready for more beetles as well as some experiments with simultaneous contrast.

Prologue

2009-07-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

I have finished my first draft of the prologue for my mystery story. I am planning twelve chapters along with a prologue and epilogue. The heroine, a Westside divorce attorney has a loom in her office where she weaves undulating twills to clear her mind and solve issues on her complex cases.

Yesterday I finished weaving the prologue. Characters are depicted with weft color while a variety of undulating twills depict actions and atmosphere. In the prologue the characters are doing everyday things until a murder interrupts the peaceful atmosphere.

Here's what it looks like in both color and gray scale....and now onto chapter 1.

Characters

2009-07-27T14:26:00.001-07:00

Here are the characters in the mystery story I am 'writing'. Perhaps I will call it the case of the undulating twill.

The sleuth is represented by the lemon grass green on the left with the sleuth's sidekick in olive green. The villains are in the various purples. Friends, helpers and innocents are in the the other colors.

ps. The colors in the photo are close except for the reds on top.

One More Beetle Finished

2009-07-27T14:24:00.001-07:00

Here is the latest beetle I finished...but I must admit I need a break from beetles so I am focusing a bit on my writing in words and weft project.

My Mind Wanders

2009-06-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning finishing up a woven beetle and before, during or perhaps after quite a bit of 'evaew-ing' I came up with two good ideas for the pieces for the Convergence 2010 exhibits.

It's tough for me to weave and have my mind wander...when it does I spend a great deal of time un-weaving. I can't listen to books on tape - even music makes my mind wander. Occasionally like this morning it is tough to concentrate on the pattern at hand.

Ah well, this morning it was worth it...two great ideas for two new pieces.

Heliocopris

2009-05-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

I finished another beetle today, it's a heliocopris from Thailand.

Actually, this time I wove both a male and a female beetle on the same piece. The male is bigger and has horns. You can see the male starting to be wound around the front beam in the photo. I couldn't get a good shot from the top of the loom due to the significant [perhaps excessive?] amount of metallic yarn and the various lights in my studio.

The bright blue piece in the front is one of my experiments with optical illusions in fiber. You are seeing the backside of a distorted checkerboard pattern. I am seeing what kind of optical illusions can transfer successfully from paper to fiber. Between each beetle I do a little experiment in optical illusions. I am making them the size of the opening in the framed greeting cards so I can later use them for that purpose.

Alternating between these two completely different projects keeps my creative juices flowing.

Progress Shots

2009-05-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Not much blogging...but lots of progress on the table looms...a new warp, a half a beetle and a full beetle.

Many more yards to go...

Progress Shot #1

2009-05-26T16:49:00.001-07:00

Progress shot of the upside down tomato plant...

It looked like this on March 28th...

Continuing Education

2009-05-19T16:02:00.001-07:00

I find it quite amazing I can listen to a continuing education web cast on financial planning while taking an occasional note plus weave. This four harness twill stuff is amazing! I can entirely focus on something else while weaving this simple twill pattern. I guess it's like people knitting while they watch TV.

Here's a bit over 2 yards completed, wet finished and drying outside. Looks and feels yummy. Plan to put more warp on...I have a hours and hours of continuing education to complete this year. I figure by the time I have my hours, I should have enough material to piece together a jacket...or something.

On Vacation

2009-05-17T09:26:00.000-07:00

I forgot how delightful it is to weave something that does not require thought.

I picked up an eight harness table loom yesterday from a weaver who had passed away. I had warped the loom for her several years ago in a four harness twill. The entire warp, of unknown length, had not been touched. I decided to weave off the warp. The warp colors were pleasant and I had a variegated weft yarn that worked wonderfully with the stripes in the warp.

I could have just cut off the warp but I am so happy I didn't. It truly is delightful to simply weave. No thought required. No looking at grids to figure out what harnesses to raise. No worrying about color changes. No sticky spools or bobbins. Simply thick variegated yarn on a stick shuttle and a four combination pattern requiring no memorization. I can go more than a foot before refilling my shuttle.

It's fascinating I can actually think about other stuff while I weave and not make mistakes. When my mind wanders while doing taquete I always make mistakes. If my mind wanders when I weave tapestry, I generally stop weaving. I could actually listen to a book on tape weaving this way.

Wow, what a different weaving lifestyle. Kinda like being on vacation from work.

Words and Weft

2009-05-05T17:29:00.001-07:00

There is always great excitement at the discovery of a novel concept.

Remember this scarf?

Right after writing that blog entry I went and warped my loom with seven yards...yes seven yards of bamboo with a basic twill set up. My idea was to weave fabric to make a jacket for a wedding I was going to. I wove one inch of tabby and one inch of an undulating twill then stopped. I have not touched that loom in over a year except to move it to three different positions in our living room. Needless to say, the wedding came and went. I just could not imagine myself weaving seven yards of undulating twill. Or at least I think it was seven yards...I have yet to find my notes on this project.

Now I have an idea to accomplish many things.

Actually weave the warp on the loom instead of cutting it off.
Create something for our guild challenge on upcycling which is due in early October
Create another something to submit for the yardage exhibit in Convergence next year...I have always wanted to submit more than one piece.
Keep me inspired to both weave the yardage and write my first draft of my mystery story
And much later have completed both a novel and a jacket.

Yes, I am quite excited to be figuring out how to structure both a weaving and a mystery to tell the same story.

So cool, one story but two mediums with two different results. The same story in words and weft.

Bugs and Time

2009-04-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

For those of you who like bugs ...Mike Libby is simply fantastic.

Results of the Raffle

2009-04-29T10:35:00.000-07:00

Yes, these are all mine. I won five beverage bags at the CNCH charity auction.

I came in on Sunday morning to find all five of them sitting at my spot in my tapestry workshop. What a pleasant surprise. I had tried to win back the beverage bag I made but it went to another lucky raffle winner. There seemed to be hundreds of beverage bags in the raffle...all different...all quite creative.

I have a jacquard one by Sheila O'Hara, a lovely twill by Judy Calder, a beverage bag made of paper rush done in plaiting wih a twist by L. Oller and a really fun one made of yo-yo's by Kay Tirsheck. My favorite is the one on the left - by Jan Muts called 'Revamped' - created by recycling old calendars, an empty cannister and fruit netting.

Beverage Bag

2009-04-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

I need to bring a beverage bag for the upcoming CNCH meeting. Here is what I came up using my sampler from a Theo Moorman workshop I took. They are to be auctioned off for some charity...I think I'll put a real bottle of wine in it vs. leaving it empty or using the cranberry juice bottle as pictured in the photo.

Long Horned Beetle

2009-04-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo of my first beetle on the new warp.

It's a kind of shake down cruise. I find every warp is a bit different. And this one is no different. The legs of the Pachyeteria dimidiata beetle are a bit elongated due to soft beating which I eventually corrected.

I need each piece to be at least 10 inches long...11 would be better...12 is a bit too long. My technique is to measure before I advance the warp and project how long the piece will be....and adjust my beat accordingly. I will probably have to do a few more beetles before I can stop measuring so often.

Feet Appear!

2009-04-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

Weaving

2009-04-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

I'm off weaving a beetle...life is good.

Loom is All Ready

2009-04-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

The loom is already for weaving. Just need to review my designs, select some colors and away I go.

As you can see, I have two warps so I will get two of everything thing I weave. I will be using two colors which will be common to both pieces and the closure weft color will vary. The pieces will have fringe on both sides so I need a closure weft to keep the warps from shifting around. The closure weft turns on the last warp vs. on the supplementary warp on each side.

There is about 9 yards of warp so this will be quite a production line. I expect this will take perhaps three months to get through. So far I only have one or two designs completed so there will be a lot of designing also.

The process of rolling on the warp was not the best nor the worst experience I have had. Both the first and second warps rolled on at the same time. Most of the problems were in the first, probably before I found my threading process. I take awhile to figure out the best method for threading. Although I always go front to back with sewing thread, it seems each time I warp I do things just a little bit different. Probably depends on where I put the loom, what shoes I am wearing, how I feel and perhaps if its Tuesday.

That warp did stay very neat in that metal contraption. However, going through the reed and heddles did not provide enough tension to keep things straight. It usually does on thicker warp. I kept the leash [popsicle] sticks on the second warp taped to the loom which provided enough tension for that warp. The other warp got a bit twisted. And once there is a twist...it is there for the rest of the warp. Next time I will try to remember to keep them on for both warps.

Now off to the dentist...and then I can design.

1.4 Miles of Warp

2009-04-07T13:37:00.001-07:00

I have a long list of projects I want to complete which happily uses all the same warp; a dark value warp in polyester serger thread.

The last time I put on a long warp in sewing thread was way back in 2007. I had a 20 inch wide warp of sewing thread hung in a trapeze like structure in our dining room which worked out quite nicely. But I have never warped the same way twice and the trapeze deal seemed like an overkill for the width I am putting on. Ah, so what to do?

It is important to keep this thread under tension and the twist going in the correct direction or the threads just twist around themselves and it takes quite a bit of patience and time to wind them onto the beam. I had just put on a short warp on a few days ago where the twist was especially lively. I didn't want a repeat of that experience.

I was intrigued by a comment that Peg made about someone using a niddy noddy for keeping the warp at an even tension. I don't have a niddy noddy but I do have some type of metal contraption I bought at a Guild sale for five bucks. I thought I'd try it.

Here is the result. 1.4 miles of thread all ready to be rolled onto my loom. Sure doesn't look like that much.

I will report back on how easily it rolled on...or not.

A Bit Off Topic...

2009-03-28T16:56:00.001-07:00

My DH got this contraption for Christmas from my sister. It is used to grow tomatoes in small spaces - upside down. Here it is on day 2.

DH has been nursing some Black Prince tomato seeds under lights and heating pads for several weeks and was finally able to plant one of the seedlings in our new upside down planter.

You put water in a dish at the top and there are wicks to wick the water down to the plants roots. It is supposed to be hung at least four feet from the ground and no staking is required. Quite interesting.

I will update in the future as to progress.

PS. in the bottom right is our fava bean crop.

Tapestry Spiral

2009-03-27T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of my spiral tapestry which I have been working on for what seems like forever. It was woven as a tapestry, thirteen yards long and four inches wide with 182 darts of negative space. Once completed the negative space was removed by pulling the warp and closing the spaces. On one end, the original warp was braided and retained. Using this method a wonderful spiral was formed similar to tricolor fusilli pasta or a colorful spiral staircase.

Another view is here along with a description.

When it is opened it can take many shapes. In the top photo it is draped over a cylinder. I am experimenting in how best to show it.

It's first showing was in Riverside at the Color Connects conference where it was draped over a box. It received a first place in the multi-dimensional weaving category.

I have experimented with hanging but gravity seems to take a lot of the 'fun' out of it. It is also difficult to achieve a full shot with any level of detail since it is so long. The braided tails on one end are over six yards long. I just purchased three different sized hooks and will try hanging it like a snake over a branch and see how that looks.

More later...

Half a Dozen Bugs on a Scarf

2009-02-28T13:46:00.000-08:00

I finished up my first bug scarf in taquete & silk... 20/2 silk warp and 60/2 silk for the tabby and the pattern. There are six different beetles each with their inverse on the back side. The piece has fringe on all four sides and from the photo needs a much better ironing.

The drape is not quite like the sample but perhaps it isn't completely dry. The sample seems smoother and silkier. The next one I will do will have a tighter sett. This is at 24epi which is a bit too loose so I will probably try 30 on the next one.

From a weaving standpoint, It took a couple of weaving periods for each bug. What is a weaving period? It starts when I am in the mood to weave and continues until the dogs want to go on a walk or I have to un-weave too many rows. Usually it's about 90 minutes to perhaps two hours.

Spiral Tapestry - almost done

2009-02-21T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have been having a fun time finishing this tapestry. It is probably the first time I have really have enjoyed the finishing process. I am also excited about the end result.

What I am doing here is drying the yellow orange warp in the middle of the photo. I just dyed the white warp that color to match the yellow weft in the piece. I may add a few beads there and that's it.

The warps at each end were twined with my handy four clip fringer. Remember that I pulled about 13 yards of warp through the tapestry so was lots remaining on each end. One side I cut off fairly short. The other end...the one wrapped in plastic...is also twined but the ends are not short. The longest end is probably 6 yards long. It took awhile to twine those puppies. I was standing all the way down the hallway. I keep them wrapped up to avoid tangling.

It's a great organic piece. I tried hanging it but gravity gives it much too uniform look. It is much more interesting just 'lying' around.

Bugs in Silk

2009-02-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

I finished my sampling of a 20/2 silk warp in taquete so I can now start weaving. Here is the first beetle. There will be six different beetle species in a mixture of blue, light blue, yellow and orange. The background, beetle and fringe will vary by section. It's a silk bug sampler scarf.

Before I started I had asked a number of folks what sett they thought I should use to get a real nice drape for a scarf with 20/2 silk in a summer/winter or taquete technique. I got numbers from 18 to 40 epi. "It depends." When I asked on the weavetech list the recommendation was 2/3rd of a twill set-up. ie. 22-28epi. Since I make less mistakes sleying if I use a multiple of 4 or 2 I decided to go with my 12 dent reed and a 24 sett for my sample.

I played around with a variety of 20/2 silk colors for the pattern and tabby weft and didn't really like any of them. My original selection of colors was thrown out quickly. I got out my 60/2 silk which I have never woven with and tried that in combination with 20/2. Then I did some with only 60/2 silk. I took the sample off - threw it in the washing machine and dryer to see how it would wet finish and ironed the puppy. The best feel was the part using 60/2 silk for both the pattern and tabby weft. It was really soft with a lovely drape. So much softer than anything I have woven before. The parts with the 20/2 weft had that heavier stiffer feel which was not what I wanted. The 24epi sett may be a bit too loose I am not quite sure...it does tighen up in the finishing process. I decided to try this set up for one scarf. I have warped enough for two.

So now all I have to do is tweak a few beetle patterns from my extensive collection and weave away.

Warp Ends

2009-02-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

I had taken a workshop with Linda Fry called Gamps Galore. The workshop was a round robin affair and my loom was warped with a summer and winter setup. My loom/pattern was not too popular so I had a bunch of leftover warp.

To keep my sanity, as the days to Color Connects countdown quickly I decided to weave a bit everyday on the leftover warp in a nice friendly beetle patten. Nothing more calming than a beetle. I modified the tie up a bit so there would only be one pattern and used a multi-colored rayon/linen weft as the patten weft.

I designed a quick beetle and wove it over and over again in taquete. I really have never woven taquete in just two colors...I am normally using at least 3 but more likely 4 or 5 shuttles with different colors. It's comforting using only 2 shuttles...and is quite easy to weave. The result is nice since the pattern shows up on both sides - the basic summer and winter concept.

I will eventually use this in a jacket or something like that. I have several cones of complimentary yarns which I bought many many years ago. Eventually I will get to weaving the yardage to go with this piece. That's a longer term project...

In the short term, I am going to try this in silk. I'd love to have a scarf with beetles on it with a really nice drape.

2009-02-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

I finally found some time to work on pulling my spiral tapestry. And this evening I just finished the pulling. Hard to believe that was 13 yards of material!

This piece is going to be exhibited in the Spectrum show at Color Connects - the ASCH fiber conference in Riverside Ca in early March. On the entry form I had to say how big it was. Since I really had no idea of how big it would be I indicated it was smaller than a bread box. It sure would fit in my bread box...at least in this configuration.

It's now resting. Tomorrow I will play with it a bit...then...snipping, sewing, ironing, weaving the ends and figuring out the best way to display. What fun!

Mounting Mr. Clean

2009-02-02T19:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a little something I just finished. This is a tapestry I did way back in 2006 for the ATA Small Format exhibit. The Seaside Tapestry Group did a group contribution to the exhibit called Vintage TVs. If I recall, each of our pieces had to be 4 inches by 6 inches and include some gray values.

My piece was Mr. Clean - the man of the kitchen in the 1950's and 1960's. He's got the huge biceps and the small earring. And there he is winking at you. The cabinet doors can be open all the way, part of the way or be closed. The television portion was woven in embroidery thread. The rest was in chenille.

I finally decided how to mount the piece. It has come off my bulletin board and moved onto its own wooden TV cabinet. The newly constructed TV cabinet has the cutest little feet. Mr. Clean can stand on its own or be hung on the wall. I think it is the perfect way to exhibit this piece.

I am going through all my older pieces and making sure they are mounted the best they can be. Another filler project...as if I need more projects!

Robert Burns

2009-01-25T16:28:00.000-08:00

It's Robert Burns Day, the national poet of Scotland from the 1700's. To celebrate we had haggis, mash potatoes and turnips, peas and a bit of scotch.

We did not follow the formalities of the traditional Burns Supper.

We did however eat haggis.

Our version came in a can and required four minutes in the microwave. It kinda looked and smelled like a lamb flavored dog food. It actually did not taste bad; seemed like a combination of lamb liver, oatmeal and spices. Just goes to show how easy it is to exceed the lowest of low expectations.

I survived haggis and was able to weave another day.

Beetles Out and About

2009-01-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some photos of pieces from My Beetle Collection. These plus others are currently being exhibited at the library at the LA Arboretum. The exhibit will be up until the end of March. They are designed to be realistic but artistic and woven with sulky sewing thread.

The pieces look especially nice coupled with baskets.

The Arboretum did a lovely job of hanging the exhibit.

So check it out if you are in the Pasadena area.

Back to Pulling

2009-01-03T10:06:00.000-08:00

Well, the holidays are over and its time to start pulling again on my tapestry spiral.

Now that I am focusing on this, I have found a good way to pull that seems efficient and as quick as I can make it without making a mess. You may recall this woven tapestry material is over 13 yards long and there are 32 warp ends. That is a lot of warp to pull.

The crossed out boxes on the spreadsheet indicate a triangle that has been pulled. It indicates I am about half done.

I think it will still take several more weeks of pulling before its all pulled. I am alternating between weaving my tapestry of Uranus and pulling this spiral. Both need to get done soon. Then it will have a bunch of finished, steaming, tweaking and mounting.

PS it really is not as neat and tidy a process as this photo would imply...

Drape

2008-12-21T07:25:00.001-08:00

Here is a photo of the silk scarf I decided to keep since it looks really nice with jeans...as you can see it is quite light, airy and is like wearing nothing...not a winter scarf.

Mushroom Foray

2008-12-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

FOR-AY

noun

A sudden raid or military advance.

A venture or an initial attempt, especially outside one's usual area: an actor's foray into politics.

Yesterday, we took to the El Cariso Big Woods in the Cleveland National Forest with the Los Angeles Mycological Society. It was the Society's first foray for the 2008-2009 season. It was our first ever mushroom foray.

Of all the days to foray in Southern California we chose a cold and raining day. The spoils were meager but fun was had by all.

Here are photos of our spoils...

Hobo Scarves

2008-12-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

I took this fun workshop with Brecia Kralovic-Logan on off loom weaving with silk strips.

We dyed various types of silk with Color Hue Dyes, tore them into strips, wove them and sewed them into place. To keep everything together for sewing we pinned the strips to plastic bags which dissolve in water. Once sewed we simply dumped the scarves in hot water and the plastic dissolved. The result was a light, airy and colorful scarf. I like to call them silk Hobo scarves since the silk strips are ripped and rough. Not like a typical silk scarf. They definately stand out when you wear one.

I used the same techniques to make some Christmas presents this year. My sister helped in dyeing the silk strips. It was nice having someone else dye the silk since she selected some colors which I would not have. The Color Hue dyes are so simple to use and work like a charm on silk. We dyed the strips in plastic bags over the kitchen sink. So easy. So fun.

Here are the results of all our labors...

I bought a variety of silk blanks from Dharma Trading and there were enough to make five scarves. I really wanted six scarves for my gift requirements this year so I could keep at least one.

Fortunately, I lucked out at our Guild's gift exchange this year. I brought one of these hobo scarves as my contribution to the gift exchange. The gifts are wrapped without labels so no one knows who gave what. Each person selects a gift in a predetermined order; either an unopened gift or they can take one away from someone who has already opened a gift. In our group, a lot of gifts are taken way. I got to select a gift about 2/3rds of the way through the exchange. Folks were getting a bit tired so I selected my own gift in hopes that no one else would take it away. And I was indeed lucky, I actually got to take home the gift I brought. Not an easy task to accomplish with our group.

Looking at the photo, the pieces look like they are made of plastic due to the reflection from the flash on the high value colors. Actually the pieces are soft and subtle with a variety of nuances from the variety of silk used in the scarves.

ps J,C,P,B,M - do you have a favorite? I'll be wrapping them next week!

An Exhibit Not Viewed

2008-11-11T16:18:00.000-08:00

I wrote an article for the Complex Weavers Journal on My Beetle Collection.

Two of my beetles were on display in Florida during the Tampa Bay Convergence as part of a Complex Weavers sponsored exhibit. Photos of all the pieces are on the Complex Weavers website. I am bummed I was not able to view the exhibit in person - many of the pieces look exceptional.

Now back to my 'weaving wanna do' list...

Conversations in Fiber

2008-11-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

The Southern California Handweavers Guild had their annual Weaving and Fiber Festival at the Torrance Cultural Center on Sunday. I was on the committee that spearheaded the Guild challenge for this year - it was called Conversations in Fiber.

This was the first exhibition of the Guild's annual challenge to its members. Each artist was challenged to have a conversation in fiber with either Georgia O'Keeffe or Piet Mondrian and use at least one of the conference colors from the upcoming fiber conference in Riverside called Color Connects. These conference colors are vibrant and saturated. These pieces will be exhibited again...in a different format at the conference in early March 2009.

Check out the photos. There were some simply outstanding pieces and of course great conversations everywhere! Thanks to all the artists that participated and to Carolyn who displayed the pieces with finesse and artistry.

Tapestry Spiral - 2 more yards done

2008-10-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Another couple of yards are done on my tapestry spiral. I am now up to 7 yards with 6 yards to go. It actually doesn't look too much different than when I had 5 yards done. I find it hard to believe there are so many yards on this...

Studying the photo you can see that the woven part has been removed from the front beam since it got so wide. I have it wrapped around an empty Christmas paper tube between a couple of rulers to keep it straight. When I am weaving, I put a metal pole in the tube to get a nice tension. Seems to work quite well.

The Story of the Hat

2008-10-10T12:49:00.000-07:00

Our challenge this year for the Southern California Handweavers Guild was to have a conversation in fiber with either Piet Mondrian or Georgia O'Keeffe and use at least one of the Color Connects conference colors. All the Conversations will be exhibited at the Weaving and Fiber Festival on November 2 at the Torrance Cultural Center in Torrance California.

I created a hat. It is a 'Little Joe' cowboy hat covered in a mosaic of egg shells with a Mondrian inspired hat band.

These were the inspiration for the colors of my Mondrian Over Easy hat that I recently finished and will unveil to the group on Saturday. These are flowers from a garden down the street - we walk the dogs by these flowers almost everyday. They match nicely with the conference colors.

The band was straight when I wove it but during wet finishing I nudged it into a curve so the band would fit better on the hat.

Using egg shells as a surface design takes a bit of finesse, patience and steady hands. But the result is well worth the effort.

I love the hat. Can't wait for the Exhibit to be over so I can wear it.

If you are in Southern California on Sunday November 2 stop by and check it out in person at the Weaving & Fiber Festival taking place in the Torrance Cultural Center from 10pm to 4pm.

Mondrian Over Easy

2008-10-10T12:35:00.000-07:00

Title: Mondrian over Easy, my conversation with Piet Mondrian

The Conversation

Piet: I construct lines and color combinations on a flat surface, in order to express general beauty with the utmost awareness.

Nicki: I use egg shells to make my lines emerge and metallic thread to make my colors pop but since the earth is round I prefer my curves to your flat surfaces.

Piet: Oh, curves are so emotional.

Nicki: But emotion ignites inspiration.

Piet: Nature inspires me… but I want to come as close as possible to the truth and abstract everything from that, until I reach the foundation of things.

Nicki: I understand. But does that not beg the question- which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Piet: Intellect confuses intuition.

My Color Wheel

2008-10-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

The results of yesterday's dye day.

The colors came out great...a lovely set of saturated colors all in my tapestry yarn of choice.

I've taken a number of dye classes but I think using your own yarn, the yarn you use day in day out, is the way to go.

Tapestry Spiral - progress

2008-09-30T10:04:00.000-07:00

A couple of you asked about progress on my tapestry spiral.

Here's a photo with about 5 yards completed - not quite half done. My goal is to weave two sections a day. It only takes about 20 minutes to do that and doesn't require much thought.

I wrote about yarn selection back in August. Here you can see the red sections are starting to become more prevalent and soon the green will recede more.

As you can see my front beam is almost full so I will have to remove the woven material from the front beam and have it hang down the front while I weave the rest. This was not unexpected and I have a plan on how I will make it work.

The real interesting question is whether there is enough warp to complete the entire design...

Weaving & Dogs

2008-09-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

I felt like I was back in the Caribbean today...specifically the day we sailed from Virgin Gorda to Anegada in the British Virgin Islands. It was a beautiful December day and the trade winds were up. We planned to sail most of the way to Anegada even though it would require some long tacks. We had a GPS so we could track where we were...we would sail...we would tack...we would sail...we would tack...we'd sail some more...we'd tack some more.

After several hours, we got nowhere. It turned out we kept going over the same spot over and over again. The wind was so strong that no matter how wide we tacked the wind would take us back to where we started. A bit of ground hog day on the water. In order to get to Anegada before night we changed our approach - turned on the autopilot along with the engine and motor sailed all the way.

Anegada - a fabulous spot...away from everywhere...if you ever have the chance to stop by - do it.

Anyway, yesterday I got to the half way point on my Mondrian inspired hat band. This morning I wove an inch or two and then decided I had to rip. I just couldn't stand a small imperfection about four inches down. It looked like I snagged one or two warp ends...remember that the warp is thread so it was a tiny, a very tiny imperfection. But boy with every pass of my shuttle the bigger and more noticeable it became.

The thing about imperfections in weaving is that once I notice them they continue to nag at me as I weave. The further I get from the imperfection the more it bothers me and the worse it looks. I know deep down I should just stop and rip & fix when I first notice it...but I often end up thinking - oh it won't show or I can fix it later. This time I had to rip out about 80 passes. Then I had the toughest time fixing it. I re-wove the same row about five times before I was happy. I figured if I was fixing it - I should at least be completely satisfied. I finally said...enough. Time to do something different - time to weave some bricks. Hopefully, tomorrow morning I should be able to catch up and be half way done on the hatband... again.

Today is Wednesday...on Wednesdays I am supposed to work on my bricks. I have been a bit tardy on this project missing several Wednesdays. It's not due until next year...so I figure I have time.

I have now five rows of bricks with many more to come. The colors are starting to brighten as I move out of the browns and into the reds. Each brick has a different design. I get to weave whatever I feel like weaving - no structure. Only rule is that 'no brick is alike'. I finally broke down and created a color selection plan so I don't have to struggle with color selection.

I now find weaving my brick wall to be quite relaxing and fun. Similar to playing with the dogs.

One Quarter

2008-09-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

One quarter of the hat band done...

Selecting a Balanced Palette

2008-09-11T16:48:00.001-07:00

I have made substantial progress on my Guild challenge. As you may recall, the basic challenge was to have a conversation in fiber with either Mondrian or O'Keeffe. I had selected Mondrian and wanted a hat with a bird theme* ...

Well, it's all planned out and in the execution stage. My goal is to complete it by the end of September.

I originally had selected three saturated colors; a vibrant red-orange, a vibrant yellow-orange and a teal. I have since tossed the teal and replaced it with a magenta or fuchsia color - a red purple. While walking the dogs I had seen a grouping of flowers in those three analogous colors and they looked excellent together. So now they will become part of my headband.

Here's a photo of my final colors in Sulky sewing thread.

I designed an initial cartoon as a starting point by simply putting boxes and colors where they seemed 'right' in a self made Mondrian design. I wrote about that here. Later I studied the design and decided I needed to have a better balance of the colors - no one color should stand out and I wanted it to be a bit easier to weave.

To make it easier to weave I decided to have squares the width of the band, one in each color located equally around the band. I would then put the smaller rectangles and squares along with the greater complexity between the squares.

Here is the final design in close to the size it will be once woven. The colors aren't true in the cartoon nor in the photo. It was created in excel. When I am ready to weave I will print it out larger so I can actually read each row and column since they indicate which shafts should be raised for each shuttle of colored thread. [You may notice the proportions don't look quite right...yes...I was a bit lazy. Those squares in the cartoon would have been a bit more square if I had worked on getting the rows and columns in excel to be the same size...]

Anyway, it took a while to get to this point since I took a couple of iterations to get a good balance between the three analogous colors. Mondrian tended to use a lot of white with a few other colors always separated by black. The other colors were always proportionally balanced. I figured if I was trying to converse with Mondrian, this part of the conversation should be balanced.

My first step was to figure out how much of each color I had in the design. Since I did it in excel, it was pretty easy to get. I discovered the red/orange occupied the greatest proportion of the design with the red/purple and yellow/orange having smaller and similar proportions. Whether that is a good balance depends on how visually intense each of the colors are. If they are equally intense then they should be in equal proportions and I would need to alter my design.

I used concept of balance in the Munsell Color Theory Handbook that I have been studying. It says to achieve balance you need a good balance of both chroma and value. For example, if you have two colors - one with a stronger chroma and higher value and the other with a weaker chroma and lower value, you would need to use less of the first and more of the second proportionally to achieve balance.

To determine a numerical value for the chroma and value of my three colors, I matched them to the color chips in my Color Handbook. Multiplying chroma by the value gives a representation of the overall impact of the color. I converted those to proportions and discovered that the red-purple will stand out much less than the other two colors and hence would need to occupy a greater proportion of the final piece in order for there to be a good balance.

I was again lucky. I did not have to re-do my design. All I had to do was switch the red-purple with the red/orange and the resulting proportions were in the ballpark for a good balance. A quick switch in excel, the design was done and I was ready to weave.

Now on to sampling... Here is a photo of my sample where I needed to determine how many colors and strands of thread I wanted to weave with in this piece.

I was again lucky. Using two strands of each of the five colors will yield a balanced weave and provide good coverage for the head band. Therefore, I only have to weave one pass for each row in my cartoon. This makes things so much easier.

This afternoon, I actually started weaving the headband and it looks quite astonishing. I love it. Once I have a few more inches done I will take a photo with my better camera to give you a sneak peak at the work in progress.

* You also may be wondering how the bird fits into this creation...trust me...it does...it too is quite astonishing...more later.

Weaving a Way

2008-09-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been weaving up a storm recently with little time to blog. It has been an extremely satisfying month.

I have woven three tapestries in a series called Deja Vu and come up with two more ideas for pieces in the series. As soon as they are 'framed' I will show some photos.

I have made great progress on my mosaic for our Guild challenge. I still have not yet started the weaving for the hat band...but I reserved September for that part...oh my...it is already September...better start working on that too!

At the next meeting of the Southern California Handweavers Guild I am giving a quick demonstration of the pulled tapestry technique. I decided to show how to make a frame for a picture. It should be an easy piece to pull in front of everyone.

Long ago I bought five small canvases at Blicks...each canvas is 2 inches square. They have been sitting by my desk waiting for inspiration. Well inspiration hit and I am now feverishly making tapestry frames for each one and will then paint something which will go with the frame. The reverse of most people's method.

Here is my first attempt - -

The painting isn't done yet. That is simply magic marker to give me an idea what the a painting would look like in the frame. I will do the final one in acrylics. I think it looks pretty neat. A bit of finishing plus a painting and life will be good.

Yarn Selection Done

2008-08-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

I finished up the yarn dying, selection and preparation for my spiral tapestry.

The piece is basically stripes which alternate between two colors of equal value separated by a lighter value. I needed two colors of similar value since I plan to have the two colors alternate and merge from one color to the other. If they were not of similar values then the eye would notice one over the other and it would be difficult for the two colors to effortlessly merge.

As you can see in the photo above, the values worked out well. As did the final colors, shown in the photo below.

Half a Palette

2008-08-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

I am now satisfied with the red/orange palette that I have created for my spiral tapestry. Here are the yarns that I started out with. They are from my existing stash and are so dull that I doubt I would ever use them again.

I then over dyed them with scarlet. I am simply delighted with the results...

Next I need a contrasting color...I am working on a green blue mix.

Another Beginning

2008-08-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

I am planning a three dimensional piece for the Spectrum exhibit at Color Connects, a fiber conference focusing on color taking place in Riverside California in early March 2009. I'd like it done by January 15th - the time entry forms are due.

The Spectrum exhibit is supposed to reflect your latest and best work...

I am pursuing an idea using the pulled tapestry technique I learned about in June while attending Convergence. I already have put thirteen yards of warp on my loom and woven a sample.

Oh my, thirteen yards of warp...it must be huge! Actually when complete it should fit in a bread box. As if anyone still has bread boxes anymore.

Oh my, I am sampling! Sampling is not one of my standard operating procedures. But with 13 yards of warp it pays to donate a foot or two of the warp to verifying the concept which I have never done before will work. The piece IS supposed to be my latest and best work...

Yarn selection is next...

Brick Wednesday Update

2008-07-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

It's Wednesday again and I was able to fit a couple of bricks onto the tapestry wall I am weaving.

Today I wanted to try out that 'turn on the valley or mountain' concept. I have heard about it but never really explored it. I generally turn whenever to achieve whatever look I want to get...without any real thought about it. Koehler emphasized that you should be consistent in which you chose in each area for the best looking result.

Koehler explained that if you are weaving an area where one color is increasing and the other decreasing, you can achieve two different looks at the point the two colors change. The look depends upon whether you turn the brown yarn around the warp that is up or around the warp that is down. So I wove a brick and always turned the brown warp on the lower warp to see what would happen.

Yup...there is a difference. As you can see, on the bottom half, where the brown yarn is decreasing, turning on the lower warp yields a more ragged look than on the upper half of the photo where the brown yarn was increasing. Interesting.

So let's see...where two colors meet along a line...one color will be increasing and the other will be decreasing. For a smoother line, have the decreasing one always turn on the upper warps [then, of course, the increasing one will then turn on the lower warps].

Hmmm...I think I will need to really focus on this next time I am weaving a section where the concept applies. Not the easiest thing to remember.

I wonder how the line would look if I alternated each time...

A Conversation in Fiber

2008-07-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

For our Guild challenge this year, we have been challenged to have a conversation in fiber with either Georgia O'Keeffe or Piet Mondrian utilizing at least one of the conference colors for ColorConnects, a fiber conference spearheaded by the Association of Southern California Handweavers. It takes place in Riverside California in March 2009 and focuses on color.

So my challenge is fairly simple in concept. Have a conversation in fiber with O'Keeffe or Mondrian utilizing at least one color from a selection of five That's pretty much it -no further restrictions or limitations. Fiber is basically fiber and a conversation is basically that.

I have selected Mondrian. And have decided to create a hat encompassing a bit of a bird theme. I cannot think of anything less Mondrian than a bird. So now I have a challenge.

Clearly Mondrian's focus on proportion is critical to his pieces. The two concepts backing his most momentous pieces are contrast of proportion and contrast of hue. James Koehler discussed both of these in the color seminar I took at Convergence.

Before I do much study into either concept or the theories underlying Mondrian's pieces, I took a try at creating a Mondrian style design myself.

It looks a bit like Mondrian but just not right. Need to work on the mix of vertical and horizontal shapes as well as the position and quantity of the colors. I do like the three colors I have initially selected to use with the white and black. I need however to be open to using the other two possible colors also. When weaving with taquete the colors tend to blend a bit with the warp color as well as whatever is adjacent.

This will be the band of the hat. It needs to be 26 inches long and will be woven in sewing thread. When considering the proportions I need to remember that the viewer will not see the entire 26 inches at once.

More later...

Knitting Sighted

2008-07-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

What? Is that knitting I see?

Yes, this is a knitted scarf I finished upon returning from Tampa. It is basically knitted I-cords which were woven into a scarf. Yes, indeed I do remember how to knit and yes, I did knit in public. I knitted it while on the various airplanes or in various airports over the last several weeks.

I must admit I forgot how to cast off so I used safety pins. When I got to the last leg of my trip I had nothing else to do but play around dropping stitches in different ways until I finally remembered how to cast off. Happily, I had all the I-cords completely finished by the time I landed at LAX.

The idea for this scarf came from Knitting New Scarves, 27 distinctly modern designs by Lynne Barr. I like the book since each scarf is really different not due to color nor yarn but due to its shape or structure.

The warp is simply five I-cords knitted in some silk I found in my stash. The weft is also a knitted silk I-cord but knitted with smaller needles. I originally knitted the weft in an off white silk with number 3 needles. When I wove up the weft and warp, it had to be the ugliest thing I have seen in quite awhile. Even my DH thought it was 'not good'.

My roommate at Convergence said she just bought a little gadget at Joann's which made I-cords by turning a little crank. Sounded intriguing so I bought one. I then proceeded to make yards and yards of I-cord from some thinner purple silk I had dyed for a previous project. Once woven with the original warp - I took the picture above.

Far better than the first attempt and better than the one illustrated in the book. I'd really like something a bit thinner so I could wear it more in California. I have a lot of perle cotton in my stash. I may try that next if [when?] the weaving of my two tapestries gets too frustrating.

Ebb Tide Exhibit

2008-07-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of the Ebb Tide Exhibit at Convergence in Tampa. The blue yardage with the two sailboats and START at the top is mine.

All the pieces were hung down from a rotunda. There were enough pieces to go all the way around. You could view from above or below. From below they had a list of the pieces, names and artists. All the pieces look spectacular.

On the top level they had the samples along with the descriptions. It was a bit hard to view from the top level since the samples and descriptions were right above where the yardage was hanging. I would touch the sample then kind of hang over the railing to get a good view of the yardage. I would then go around the rotunda to get a better view of a specific piece but would be distracted by another sample to touch.

But hey, it made everyone stay longer and enjoy the pieces more!

Shaped Tapestry

2008-06-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

I took a one day seminar with Susan Iverson on shaped tapestry in Tampa. It was quite interesting. Something light, amusing and a bit intriguing. Susan had a tapestry at the Leaders Exhibit of a portrait with three shapes coming oddly out of his forehead - she achieved this with a technique she called shaped tapestry.

My sample is in the photo. I achieved the curved effect by weaving a straight piece with five triangular spacers on one side. Once I took the piece off the loom, I pulled the warp ends so the negative space from the spacers disappeared making the piece curve. The pink 'nose' and two green eyes were achieved with rectangular spacers.

The weaving is easy. The pulling of the warp is clearly the most fun part of the entire workshop. Susan had slides which she should both her own and the work of her students using this technique.

I have no idea what I would use this technique for, but I am glad I took the workshop. It provides a useful tool for my weaving toolbox.

Wedge Weave Bricks

2008-06-18T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo of the bricks from last week and today's Brick Wednesday. This is a nice project since I know I only have to weave one brick on each Wednesday...or I can do more. Last week I didn't feel like weaving. Today I was quite busy packing.

These bricks are my first attempts at an intentional wedge weave. You can see the edges bulging out already and the tension is still reasonably tight. I just noticed on the photo that I have some warp peeking out in places...this must have happened after I finished weaving since I can't believe I would have allowed warp to show as I wove. Perhaps, I will need to beat the yarn in harder so it doesn't shift exposing the warp.

Next Wednesday I will try some virtual brick weaving...I'll be travelling and my counterbalance floor loom doesn't travel well.

Now What to Do?

2008-06-09T12:21:00.001-07:00

I have that post completion let down. You know, that feeling you have when you work super hard to get stuff done for a deadline and then you are abruptly done with what seems like nothing to do. Once complete there is a certain eerie calmness; like floating around in the ocean with nowhere to go.

I have sixteen pieces being shown in a variety of exhibits and galleries in Florida around the time of Convergence. Getting everything finished and out the door to the right place by the right time took what seemed like months. I also had to get a CD made for the National Fiber Arts Exhibit in Escondido. That went into the mail today. I also had a special small secret project to finish...and it's done too.

Now what to do...it's not Wednesday so I can't weave a brick. But someone commented that she works with wedge weave on her tapestries and that got me thinking...perhaps I should weave a brick or two in wedge weave. I have never done wedge weave intentionally before so it would be fun to try it.

Early in my weaving life I wanted to weave a perfectly square tapestry...actually three squares inside each other...I was really inspired and 'into' Albers' squares . Since I really didn't like to sew slits I thought it would be a good idea to weave the three squares on a diagonal to avoid the slits. Looked absolutely beautiful on the loom. But once I took it off however, the tapestry came to life, twisted around and ended up in a pyramid shape.

I couldn't believe what happened so I wove the same thing two or three more times...each time weaving it tighter and beating harder. But it always came out the same. It didn't matter, once I took the piece off the loom it went from a 2-D square to a 3-D pyramid.

In the end I stuffed and sewed them. Here's a photo of them resting next to a carved wooden platypus from Australia. I get a kick out of these pieces every time I see them.

So weaving an intentional wedge weave brick is on the queue for Wednesday. But what to do now?