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Archive for March, 2010

Mar 30

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Lighting up the shadows

Shadow weave is on the loom at the moment and just cut down. It was nice getting into a rhythm with the two shuttles and teaching your hands to do place them quickly. Slowly at first, then working up a speed of sorts.

This is a weave I’ve done before and really like it. It has an African kente cloth feel because it is sectioned with large cells of different designs. I’ve used 20/2 handdyed silk at 24 epi and the drape is lovely even though it is technically a plain weave.

 

 
When I’m weaving at the loom for periods of time I’m finding that I need better light….getting to that age I guess. I purchased a Daylight lamp from Scissorman (Ott-Lite 13W task light) not thinking that it would be of any use at all on the loom because it was a table lamp but my husband attached it with the slots underneath made perfectly for a loom lighting situation. Here you can see the slots.
See here how Dave attached a screw to the castle of my Toika loom – Cosmos.
I can just place the secured screw into the slot at the bottom of the table lamp. Initially I wasn’t confident about it’s ability to stay up there but it worked.
Here is the light attached to the loom and shut or off.
When I open the light up it is on and gives great daylight showing true to life colours and helps with the details in weaving for those of us who need it! No excuse to get weaving now.

 

In another post I mentioned the weaver Laverne in reference to Bolivian/Sth American back strap weaving. She now has a group in Weavolution and you must check out her blog. The pick up designs are amazing and very inspiring. You don’t need a fancy loom to create breathtaking beauty you just need to grow the skills in yourself.

Mar 30

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Bamboo and Chairs?

The bamboo photo is the most ‘ordinary’ one to my thinking and presents the greatest challenge for exploring ideas for textiles. Trying to relax into enjoying.. perhaps impossibilities, unreasonable weaves and perspectives.Encouraged by Amanda, to develop weave structure based on the photos I’ve now started looking beyond the inital and superficial stripes implied in the photo. What other ideas could be drawn from behind the bamboo curtaining. 

Building a digital mind map below with freemind pointed to more explorations.
I also wanted to try using a technique from Edward de Bono to create new pathways of thinking. This technique involves having a selection of any words – nouns or verbs – and selecting one to start thinking entirely differently and unexpectantly about a topic. Sort of breaking out of my normal patterning in my thinking.The word ‘chair’ came up. How is chair connected to the design problem with the bamboo photo?…comfortable, functional, sturdy, western, collective – gather in groups. The chair as furniture defining how a people use their bodies for comfort and relaxation and also determining the clothing development of a culture. What clothes are imagined with bamboo or an intermitent covering. A translucent weave with areas of opaque weave/fibre. A partial cloth allowing air between….it goes on…..I think I’ll have to come up with another less boring word!

Mar 14

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Pics to Picks – It’s a start

After receiving my design photos for Pics to Picks from Meg, I started having a play around, happily selecting from my new big box of prisma pencils grabbed at an Eckersley’s sale. They’ re so beautiful to use, I can feel the pencils gliding over the paper inside my heart. That sounds funny, but it’s the same feeling I get when weaving or even touching some textiles.I guess the design process is easier when the images I’ve received are so luscious. A mix of colour, form, and perpective. I’ve made a few initial, and obvious,  observations on the images.
I love coffee ….and cake, but it’s the mix of rich, maybe Moroccan feel of the colours which make this image. The distinctive and leafless branches remind me of lace or needleweaving possibilities. Or ways of using an inlay weave or brocade to create the shapes.
Movement, children, colours blurred and not quite tangable. Ikat blurring? A three dimensional form, with subtlety built in one hue.
Bamboo….my favourite plant for humans besides the coconut tree. It can be used for everything including yarn for weaving/knitting. Behind the bamboo is perhaps someone working or cooking…..doing…. The bamboo could be represented as striping on cloth or somesort of double weave base.Just some cursory ideas on the photos. I’m going to work in a scribble book first then may use photoshop…..not sure…very undecided really. I found this most interesting site though through Alice Schlein. The textile blog reviewed the textile designs of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.I like seeing design work in progess or unfinished. It looks untidy and sort of possible and gives me some confidence that I may be on the right track with my playing…

Note: Mackintosh used different grids as a basis for his geometical designs, Pattern Design by Lewis F Day is a good place to start for this.

 
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