Thursday, April 9, 2015

Room for Discovery in Fibers and Weaving

Do you ever put so much pressure on yourself to work on a project, that it becomes a burden?
I tend to do that, and the project gets pushed to the side and forgotten.

Here is a quick pic of a stash of various silks and fibers I have been collecting over the years (I'm not about to throw that stuff out - it's good for "something" - that project in the back of my head).


 And these stringing materials - LOVE them and have lots!
Picking up some Tapestry needles at the sewing store - done that a couple of times...


So as a kid - I loved knotting, braiding, twisting, tying, weaving natural things...
I grew up in the 80's and my mom was big into cross-stitch (oh embroidery thread - how I adore you! Especially the Magenta and Peacock blue colors...)

So as a "grown up" I wanted to try some weaving.
While on a very restricted budget, and refusing to go out and spend any money unless I really knew this is something I want to do, I went to Pinterest to look up some weaving practices.

It's been a while, but I think I searched things like: loom weaving, handmade loom, weaving for kids, nature weaving, and such (you get sucked in and hours later - there are ideas everywhere).

So this cardboard loom - made with an old cereal box and masking tape worked for me and my allowance for self discovery.

First I Wrapped hemp around in the long direction 8 times (I think an even number is what you need to make it come out right) - the ends are just temporarily taped with masking tape on the back - nothing special.
I left a tail - just incase I need that for when I figure out what I will be doing with these (bracelets???)
Then over, under, over, under...
Back and forth.
Add on more - hide the ends in there.
Tie a knot on the last string at the end.


For me - this was completely experimental.
I wanted to see what happened with different fibers in the warp and weave positions.
And how are pattens made.
This just barely touches the iceberg - seriously...


And always - if you think you are going to work towards making something wearable, you should make sure to do a skin test to see if any of the materials will poke or scratch, and avoid using them if your weaving is to be wearable.


So now that I have fiddled with my small, cheap looms, I can see about getting something a bit more sturdy. And I get to see about finishing these - so check back for that post.

PS - I watched Jill Wiseman's DVD on Kumihimo with Beads - and the finishing the ends part has my brain thinking in terms of how to finish something like these. It also makes my bead making brain think - what kind of ceramic component can I make? But that is a whole other issue...

2 comments:

Patti Vanderbloemen said...

I used fiber cording only once in a project - it was for a Bead Soup project, and I was gifted some cording. While I am fascinated with the prospect of using fiber in projects, I am so slow in getting there!

Now this project is tempting! As I read your post and looked at the completed weave, it very much reminds me of an old rag rug that my grandmother made (didn't everyone's grandmother make these?!) The weave is truly remarkably simple - but it looks so complex! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you used a piece of cardboard for your loom! This is so inspiring!!

Marsha of Marsha Neal Studio said...

I think that some of the things you are exposed to as a child help form our outlook as adults. Happily this type of fast loom allows us time to be creative and fiddle with stuff we have lying about. Discovery IS the key for this project...

Now shaking off my hands to figure out how to end them. lol...

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