Expressive Weaving :The good stuff:
 |
I’ve been a bit quiet lately working hard on four long silk drapes. I swear I will NEVER use floating selvages again as they slow up and frustrate the weaving all over the place. I recently read on Weave Tech that I could use long eyed heddles in some way to overcome this frustration and the shafts will do the work for me. I’m going to work this out for the next run. My peg plan art has moved beyond the virtual and into a real textile and it is working out beautifully. However, I can’t wait to get it off the loom to really see it. This is the real test of success or failure – the touch, drape and wear test.
|
|
My peg plan art weaving up and around the cloth beam |
|
 |
|
| Woven Shibori with brights (clickable) | |
|
Reading through some old Weave Tech messages for 2001, I came across this salient post by Frances Dorsey which I would like to quote: "I don’t think fibre is any more limiting than paint or marble when addressing any concern. Every medium has its own “cargo” and will evoke a particular range of reactions in a viewer. This has to do with innate responses to formal material aspects like hard, soft, reflective, absorbent and so on. Then there are the social constructs we attach to certain disciplines ie women’s work, domesticity, body and so on. But, that doesn’t mean that one material can never address a particular issue; just that the maker has to understand that the material is going to carry a certain amount of communication with it, above and beyond composition and subject matter. The key is in recognising what you want to say and in understanding whether the tone you wish to use is appropriately supported by your choices of media. In theory you can talk about anything using any material and the will work like a dialect or language." It’s wonderful how someone can write something so well and what could I possibly add! Does a functional woven textile create meaning in a weavers work? Does a woven textile evoke reactions in the maker, wearer or viewer? I particularly like how Frances has suggested that fibre as a material can work as a language. I use fibre as an expressive language for myself but have always felt that it isn’t self evident as perhaps a cement sculpture would be represented. The functionality of my work, its wearability and material softness, is filled with ideas of change and uncertainty rather than certainty and durability such as a scultpture gives. But, as Frances has pointed out, fibre as a creative material is capable of addressing any issue or communication if we can have a better understanding of the social and emotive signals that weaving and fibre evoke. What do other fibrey creators think? |
|
Wow! Beautiful weaving and I feel your frustration with floats. Can you direct me to the WeaveTech article that tells you how to circumvent them?
I’m still thinking of answers to the questions you have raised here. I do believe the colors we choose to work with in our weaving acts as a language to reflect our moods and possibly even our personalities. I also think that more than just the function of the piece creates meaning meaning in a weaver’s work. The choice of fiber has a lot of meaning to me, but it does go hand-in-hand with the function of the piece. Am I going to use soy silk for a dish towel?
I have been thinking about making my own wedding dress from bamboo and soy silk because of the beauty and feel of the fiber (being a renewable resource helps too!), but how it should be woven still remains a mystery to me. “That” pattern that says me just hasn’t jumped out at me — of course, the boyfriend is still waiting to ask me which is fine because I also plan on spinning the weft for the darn thing! So that gives me a few years to work out the kinks.
As I write this I’m realizing how much I associate my choice of pattern to the function of the woven piece and how interconnected they all are to me.
I hope I haven’t gone too far off topic. Thank you for raising these great questions.
Hi Kaz,
First of all, thank you for your encouraging comment about my new loom. Next I want to say that I am very impressed with your silk drapes!
Your quote from Frances is really meaty stuff. I accept that fibers and textiles produce a response from a viewer, wearer, or user. What I’ve been wondering is how I as the maker / creator can influence that response. Perhaps if I could figure out what exactly I’m trying to say, then I could figure out how to say it.
Hi Kaz, I have been thinking about the Weave Tech message all day and knew that I would have a response. (Let me not forget to swoon just a little over your latest weaving!)
Threads woven, stitched or knotted have been used as a language in many cultures since (maybe not the dawn of civilization)but for a mightly long time. That we think about fiber and weaving as a language is an echo of these ancient weavers. I am saying “we”, but I don’t know if you agree. Much of my weaving is about translating messages into woven cloth. Usually it is a message dictated by the recipient of the cloth, so weaving for me is all about communicating with thread. I recently came across this website: http://www.wmm.com/filmcatalog/pages/c473.shtml
If I heard about it from you, forgive me. It is about a secret language(embroidery)called Nu Shu developed by women in feudal China recently rediscovered.
I don’t believe it is self evident to the world in general why we weave at all. Last week there was a 3 hour PBS special about crafts in America. I was happy to see a show like this, but there was virtually nothing about loom weaving mentioned. Oh yes, they did say that the whole arts & crafts movement was started by a textile designer. And they did mention in passing the industrial revolution, but fine craft in weaving means baskets. I hope it isn’t the same in Australia.
I have to stop now, although this is a topic I can talk about endlessly.
Wow, what heartening responses. When I hear about others deep feelings towards the fibre work they do I’m really invigorated about my whole weaving process and the reasons for doing it. Bonnie that link is very interesting, and I found a bit more info on Nu Shu here.
http://www.crystalinks.com/nushu.html
Chinese women were forbidden formal education for thousands of years. In order to communicate with one another, they developed a secret language all their own and passed it on to their daughters and granddaughters. They communicated by weaving Nu Shu characters into cloth or placing them on paper fans. Here they used the textile to communicate. The cloth contained language and was a vehicle for it.
I, also, could go on and on if only someone would listen! Leigh, I find these type of things difficult to say but easier to weave.
Christine the solution to the dreaded floating selvages involved using long eyed heddles on some shafts and the Weave Tech entry is in June 07 somewhere. Also bamboo would be a great choice for your wedding dress – highly unique and expressive. How do you choose a pattern in relation to the function of a piece? I was thinking waffle weave for a baby blanket or tea towel because of loft and absorbency or were you more reflective – and meaning the actual ‘feel’ or meaning of the pattern?
Thanks for your comments – I really enjoy them.
Kaz
Hi Kaz, Your use of colour is exquisite! I am inspired every time I see your weaving. I feel there is a huge gap in my weaving knowledge but boy would I love to bridge the gap! When I see you work I know it would be worth it. Do you dye your own yarns?
Great quote. There is no limitation in anything if you don’t see one.
Hi, Kaz,
I hope your trip to the sports store was successful and that the salesperson both knew what you wanted and had ‘em in stock!
Your silk is gorgeous (drapery or yardage?). If you can sacrifice one shaft for the selvedge, you can let the shaft do the lifting instead of manipulating the floating selvedge by hand. Doesn’t need to be a long-eyed heddle, just lift on one pick and don’t lift on the next. When we use a floating selvedge in the traditional manner, we alternate over on one edge and under on the other, but that’s not really necessary. All that’s required is for the state of the end to change between picks (up to down, or vice versa).
Keep up the good work!
Sandra
How do you use the clips? what is a temple? I am learning new things thanks to you. The cloth looks great. I used to warp a little extra and sample at the beginning, that way I could see if I wanted to change the plan. If I did, I had allowed extra warp for my experiments at the start. It is important to be free and creative, not to restrict yourself.