The Online Weavers computer workshop is developing all sorts of new ideas using filters and various photos for inspiration.

Basically I start with a photo. For the top image I used a photo of my own textiles, then modified it with filters and colour adjustments. I’m then able to cut and paste slices of the design into a new canvas. For the top image I used a profile draft image from Fiberworks to create the little diamond shaped Hmong motifs and I used a separate canvas to create the black and white striping, then pasted the stripes into the image.

But wait! there’s more. You don’t really need an original image at all.
As you can see at this site you can start off with just a cloud effect then render, colour and filter it like mad. I also tried Haberdash textile filters on the bottom two designs. The purple one is just the inverted colour of the green one.

Are they weaveable? I think this process has many functions. One is purely for inspiration, to develop colour and texture ideas to base a design on. Another is to develop an idea based on your knowledge of weaving ‘rules’. These rules will be different for everyone depending on the type of loom you have. For example the black and white stripes in the first photo would be made using a warp faced (very close sett) textile with one end black one end white. The coloured sections would require warp painting or some type of inlay. The diamond Hmong motifs would be picked up by hand or loom controlled if you have enough shafts.