Little big touches of Saori

I wasn’t sure what I would learn at Saori no Mori on this stay. But, as usual, it exceeded my expectations.  The small things here and there at every turn join up into one big joy of ‘what is cloth?’ and what is our role in bringing it to life.

This cloth here is bending the idea of width.  It doesn’t have to stay the same thoughout the woven length but can ‘bend’ in and out, then back again.  When you get weaving you eventually feel just how much yarn needs to be in the shed to prevent edges being uneven or pulling in. This amount varies greatly depending on what you are weaving with. For example, in tapestry and weft covered frame loom weaving it is quite pronounced. In cloth weaving it is less so.  It’s nice when you get it and it just flows. Not that I’m worried about edges particularly but skill in this just happens as you experience and learn more.

Now take that amount of perfect weft amount for your next row and add a bit more…perhaps by making the angle of the yarn higher or the arc higher, just a bit.  Weave a bit more like that then add just a bit more again.  Continue as you need to increase the width of the fabric, then reverse the process to return gradually to the normal width.  You can measure to prove the process if you’re inclined.

Well that really gets some life into the cloth.

The second photo is Hiromi’s top with a little ruffle. This is a mini ruffle added at the edge of the cloth while weaving.  Just adding a handful of threads to the edge and weaving it with a much looser tension created a very different styling to the wider warp ruffles. Another little Saori touch.

I had time to go a little crazy with the wiry yarn. This is plied directly on the  bobbin winder turned spindle.  So instantly I got this crazy yarn with slubby, wiry bumps everywhere.  Of course, this seemed to weave up pretty quickly and I soon had the more than four metres to create a garment.

So off to the sewing room to learn about the new bias style cutting method for creating bias garments with our handweaves.  Under the gentle guidance of Hiromi  I stitched up a poncho in the afternoon. I have so many Saori style clothes a the moment I think I’ll need a new cupboard. But so enjoyable is it to weave and wear your own cloth that I’ll never complain about it.  When I see store bought clothes now in catalogues they look so ho hum.

The sewing machine at Saori no Mori is an older metal Singer. It was inset in an industrial style table which I think helps when you are sewing miles of cloth.

These are just a few of the small touches of Saori when you get the opportunity to immerse yourself in creating cloth for a few days. Bringing a cloth to life.

I have a few workshops to finish 2016, which are full, but as I do have cancellations I am happy to place anyone interested on a waiting list. Workshops for 2017 will be listed when I plan them out 🙂