In line with our 2010 national weaving subject of "new fibers" in The Netherlands, I managed to get hold of some grey polypropylene. I was told that this material is fire extinguishing and used for the backing in the carpet industries. Not that I have any fires in mind but I was intrigued by the strength and the lightness of the material. Also it does not absorb any water and that is why I thought of weaving something for outdoors. I could do with some new cushions on my patio table seat. As a second fibre I choose a black ribbon of 3mm alcantara.
In Väv-4 of 2002 there was a suitable design for the cushions I had in mind. However, I struggled to beam the polypropylene warp on the loom (see photo) but once under tension - no problem at all. The alcantara was not really suitable as a warp and that's why I made a separate warp on "my" trapeze (see photo).
The weaving went very fast. The samples I made earlier showed that there was hardly any, to no change to the material before and after washing. I decided not to wash it. The sewing was no problem. I made three cushions and I am happy with the results, it matches all that's in the patio.
Wow! Fantastic! So nicely documented and photographed. And I must say, your patio is *very* inviting. I loved the photo of the warp not tensioned! (That looks like a quite squirrelly material in the photo, so glad you had a plan to deal with it and it behaved for you when under tension.)
SO glad you posted this delightful and professional project!
Sally
Thank you for the compliment Sally. The material was indeed a challenge for me and I really enjoyed the project. Els
These are just a perfect example of wonderful work.
Twelve years ago I wove some outdoor cushion fabric from nylon, and stuffed them with polyfill. They've sat out in the sun and rain and -40 temperatures, and a few have been dragged around by the dogs. But they're still going strong, though a tad faded. So you and your guests can expect to enjoy these for a long time.
Thanks for posting this.
Bonnie.
I love your trapeze solution, very clever. And the cushions are beautiful!
Don't know if I'd like the material, but it looks cool. I like the look of the pattern and the fact that they are cushions.
