Bhutanese motifs and a wee bit of ikat
This started out as a simple ikat experiment with some lovely terracotta dye that I got in the US but then I decided to add some Bhutanese motifs with supplementary wefts that I had seen on a textile in a friend's collection. The ikat experiment has given me lots to think about in terms of improvements for the next piece but I am very happy with the way the Bhutanese patterns came out. I used an inlay technique so the designs cannot be seen on the back of the fabric. This was a lot of fun to make! I am not sure if I will sew it into something or just keep it as a sample. Who knew that learning to weave tiny supplementary motifs on hatbands here in Bolivia would lead me to Bhutan! More on my blog.
Handspun alpaca cell phone pouch
This is the last of my first sample batch of handspun alpaca yarn and the second project I have made with it on my backstrap loom. I saved all the left over warp from the first project and used it as supplementary weft for this one. I had just enough yarn left to make this cell phone pouch and decorated it with supplementary wefts. The motif is a scroll that I saw on an Indonesian textile at Conevrgence last year. The scroll was repeated across the width of the textile. I stacked the scrolls and went alternating and inverting them and in doing so created this new design. I made a drawstring closure for the pouch
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Band with Huni Kuin Graphism
This pattern can be found at Laverne Waddington´s blog backstrapweaving.wordpress.com. She adapted a Huni Kuin graphism that I´ve used in a scarf (see Huni Kuin Scarf by Telaranha at Weavolution). See also this same pattern used in a very pretty bag she has woven. Huni Kuin is an indigenous tribe from the North region of Brazil.
Brightening the southern winter
I made some cheery bookmarks with Guatemalan sun and flower motifs in a supplementary weft patterning technique I learned in Santa Catarina Palopo. It is a single face technique which looks like embroidery but which does not show on the reverse. The 50 wpi cotton warp makes a nice thin fabric ideal for bookmarks. Part 2 of the tutorial on these techniques is on my blog this week.
Silver Brocaded Tablet Weaving
This project is my first attempt at silver wire brocaded tablet weaving. The pattern was drafted from the Birka finds (#22). The black silk is from my stash. The tablets are alternately s-and-z threaded and are turned continuously in one direction until twist builds up and then reversed.
The wire used is 2 strands of 34 guage fine sterling silver wire.
Guatemalan colors
I learned to weave this single-faced supplementary weft patterning technique in Guatemala. My teacher, Lidia, lives in Santa Catarina Barahona near Antigua and I spent 4 days with her learning to weave, shopping for yarn and meeting her friends and neighbors-a wonderful experience. Women in this area weave their own blouses and use bright and lively colors. I chose a more subdued beige for my ground color and a few earthy tones mixed with some brights for the patterning. The large stars and plants are woven in a double-faced technique which looks like embroidery. I used this piece as the inside cover of my notebook where I have detailed all the warping and weaving instructions.You can see Lidia above in her gorgeous handmade blouse and with some of the pieces that she sells. The piece that I wove with Lidia has been used as the lid for my tool box (see photo)
Guatemala book covers
Learning to weave on a backstrap in Guatemala-what a fantastic experience!! Whenever I travel and learn a new technique or structure I make a book when I get home with warping and weaving instructions. I try to include step-by-step instructional photos as well as pics of my teacher, her work, her village and family etc. These are the covers for the book on single-faced supplementary weft patterning which I learned in Santa Catarina Barahona and double faced patterning-which looks like embroidery. The bird is the double faced one. Lidia, my teacher, had the patience of a saint and is the best teacher I have encountered in all my travels. The cover with the burgundy ground weave is the single-faced patterning that I learned in Santa Catarina Palopo on Lake Atitlan. Here my teacher, seventeen year-old Carmen, taught me to weave many little bird, plant and human figures in supplementary weft patterning. The additional photo on my project page is the inside cover of my notebook.Also pictured are my two weaving teachers in Guatemala andt there's a picture of me at home weaving the inside cover piece.
Detail of the single-face supplementary weft patterning (with the wobbly selvedges typical of a new weaver of this technique!)
