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~ Jean Williams, Handweaver

jeanweaves

Tag Archives: Fiber Arts

Left, Right, Left, Right

25 Friday Oct 2019

Posted by jeanweaves in Rug Techniques

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Fiber Arts, Weaving

My left hand doesn’t know what my right hand is doing. Seriously. My right hand can do things my left hand can’t even pretend to do. I know this is common, but my directional challenges became very clear during my on-going exploration of unfamiliar weaving skills.

Some techniques are very directional. To make a ridge slant right or left, the yarn has to follow the right path. How I pull it around a warp thread can change the slant of the knot.

Soumak is one of those methods. Soumak is a decorative, hand-manipulated technique often used in rugs but I’ve heard of it used in wall hangings and other textiles as well. It goes way back in textile history and shows up with many forms.

There are two wefts in soumak: the soumak weft and the ground weft. The soumak weft wraps and crosses the warp but is mostly decorative, thus the need for a ground weft for stability. Peter Collingwood presents several variations of soumak in his book The Techniques of Rug Weaving.

I wanted to try my hand at double soumak which makes a nice, thick ridge and, if worked in more than one row, will form horizontal v’s.

Going right to left went smoothly: forward over two warps, back under the 2nd one and then over the 1st one and snug it down, a figure-8. The row progressed well. Right up to the turn at the left edge, where I had to move the yarn up and start working left to right.

For the life of me, I could not flip the technique to move left to right. My wraps kept going in the wrong direction, which was apparent when the v’s didn’t form. Time to walk away from the loom, and think about what my hands were doing.

Forward over two warps, back under the 2nd one, then up over and around the 1st one, crossing the 2nd one, a left-handed figure-8. Repeat. Take mistake out, try again. Repeat. It only works if the hand follows what the mind is telling it to do.

It’s taking some practice and concentration, but the left hand is starting to catch on.

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Focus, Focus, Focus!!!

04 Tuesday Oct 2016

Posted by jeanweaves in Planning, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, Fiber Arts, Weaving

I have to confess – I was not an exemplary student. I recently found some of my old grade cards from elementary and high school. A solid B student. Nothing outstanding. The reason? Focus!

It seems like I always aimed to just finish the assignment fast rather than to finish it well. I’d exalt if I completed the paper first, but then be dismayed at the red checks and corrections I had to make. I missed details because I wasn’t paying attention. How many times did my teachers have to call me back with “Pay attention!”

Even in my high school sewing class, I chaffed at waiting till the teacher approved one step before she let me move on, but she saved me from later frustration by pointing out mistakes that I could still correct.

Planning in the works

Planning in the works

As an adult, I sometimes show the same lack of focus. There are so many exciting fiber arts to play with—spinning, dying, twining, knitting, tatting, book-making, the list goes on and on. And within weaving itself, there are lots of different directions I could go—domestic, artistic, fine threads, rugs, linen, cotton, silk, wool…

I’ve always admired those weavers who focused on a technique until they learned it, really learned it, and could explain what the threads are doing. They sample carefully, documenting their process, and can then repeat what works and avoid what doesn’t. They are not “jacks of all trades, masters of none”– they stick with a technique until they master it. That is the weaver I want to be when I grow up.

At our recent weavers guild meeting, one of our members shared her samples from an on-line tapestry course she is taking. Every sample showed a different technique, executed with precision. I’m sure she had to take out some as she was learning, but she stayed with it. What a great inspiration!

Other members shared what they learned at various summer classes and conferences—Convergence in Milwaukee, a felters symposium, a rep weaving workshop. All these events are opportunities to focus on one technique, one skill, to break open a discipline that can be studied further at home. That’s the real challenge of a workshop or class—to continue learning after the last session and to make the technique my own. That takes focus.

For me, it means looking at what equipment I already have, what weave structures I keep coming back to, and getting to know them really well. I have two Glimakra looms; what more can I learn with them? Those looms have drawloom attachments; there’s so much more that those can do than I am currently using them for!

So in this late-year review of goals, focus is right at the top of my list. I plan to pay attention to what the threads on the loom are doing, and delve deeper into each weave structure.

It is never too late to learn!

What are your goals for the rest of the year?

Another Sale for the Books

17 Tuesday Nov 2015

Posted by jeanweaves in Weaving Inspiration

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Columbia Weavers & Spinners Guild, creative inspiration, Fiber Arts, Textiles, Weaving

Felted Bird House Ornaments

Felted Bird House Ornaments

What a weekend! Lots of work, but oh so worth it!

The 26th Annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale for the Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild is over. We had a great turn-out and lots of laughter and camaraderie throughout the three day event.

It’s an exhibition because we enjoy showing the community at large what we do and how we do it. There are demonstrations for two of the three days and we invite people to try their hand at the loom and the drop spindle. And it’s a sale because we want to share the work of our hands. It is so important to pass along the fiber passion to others.

Towel Display at the 2014 HES

Handwoven towels sorted by color

Over the years, the popularity of various crafts has waxed and waned. When I began weaving in earnest, in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, weaving was very popular and we were blessed to have a weaving store in town for classes and supplies and a dedicated weaving school not too far away. There were numerous weaving publications and books available, and weaving yarn was relatively easy to find.

Rugs Felted and Twined

Rugs Felted and Twined

The store has since closed and the school moved to the west coast. Conferences are still enthusiastic but smaller in scope. Knitting and crocheting are now the crafts du jour, and while I miss some of the availability of weaving events, I appreciate other fiber arts too! And it makes me value those exciting opportunities when I do get to talk about weave structures, fiber twist, yarn sourcing, and finishing tricks.

We are heading into the busiest time of the year for many. I hope you get an opportunity to enjoy a fiber event in your neighborhood before the end of the year, and a chance to share your fiber passion with a new learner.

An Uplifting Weekend

10 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Weaving Inspiration

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Columbia Weavers & Spinners Guild, creative inspiration, Fiber Arts, Handweaving, Towels

Our  local guild’s Holiday Exhibition and Sale has come and gone. What an inspiring weekend! I am always awed by the variety and quality of artwork that all the members share.

Ornaments, Cards, and Felted Playset at the 2014 HES

Ornaments, Cards, and Felted Playset at the 2014 HES

We had a lot more wall art this year, felted pieces as well as hand-made paper. One of our members needle-felted playsets for small hands — adorable landscapes for ducks, hedgehogs, and turtles. Another member repurposed linen clothing into scarves dyed with rust (yes!) and embellished with stitching; so creative!

And of course, we had a colorful collections of towels that seemed to fly out the door. I selected an exquisite Scandinavian-style linen towel to come home with me. Yes, we some of our own best customers!

Towel Display at the 2014 HES

Towel Display at the 2014 HES

 

 

I am also humbled, knowing that a guild like this is something to be treasured. Not everyone has this kind of support and inspiration, not to be taken for granted. I wish all weavers were surrounded by an inspiring, encouraging fiber family, if not locally, than at least over the net.

May your fiber connections bring you inspiration as the fall quiets into winter. Stay warm!

This is it!

06 Thursday Nov 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Uncategorized, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Columbia Weavers & Spinners Guild, creative inspiration, Fiber Arts, Handweaving

Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild Holiday Exhibition and Sale 2014

After months of threading, weaving, hemming, meeting, and planning, this is it — our local guild’s annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale is here!

We’ve been doing this exhibition for 25 years now. Out of a guild averaging 100 members, 20-25 usually submit items to show and sell. Many other members have demonstrated, greeted, answered questions, and generally hung out at the museum for the weekend. We enjoy each other’s company!

Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

And this is one of the ways we reach out to our community to show them what we do and how we do it.  Many people have only a vague idea of what weaving, spinning, felting, or paper-making involve. This is our chance to show them. It’s a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.

There’s everything from handwovens (of course!) to alpaca fiber, ornaments to jewelry, baskets to handmade paper. If you are in the Columbia, Missouri area this weekend, stop by to see what we have. Details are at http://www.cwsg.missouri.org/holidaysale  We’d love to meet you!

A small selection of handwoven towels. Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

A small selection of handwoven towels. Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

 

Handmade Paper Art. Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

Handmade Paper Art. Photo by Rebecca Bergfield

 

Looking Ahead

19 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Weaving Inspiration

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

creative inspiration, CWSG, Fiber Arts, Spinning, Weaving

The Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild is presenting its 25th Annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale this November. When we started in 1990, our goal was to build community, to education the public about fiber, and to learn better marketing skills.

Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild Holiday Exhibition and Sale 2014

Columbia Weavers and Spinners Guild Holiday Exhibition and Sale 2014

Many members have participated in the HES as the guild itself has grown, and we have definitely built lasting friendships as we have worked together on this event. It takes a lot of planning and many hands to publicize the exhibition, make an inviting display, and demonstrate throughout a weekend. We plumb all our other skills, from record keeping, writing, marketing, and teaching, to pull it all together. (Many participants have “day jobs” in addition to being fiber artists.)

Over the years, we’ve had Girl Scouts, 4-H club members, college students, football fans, people of all ages and interests, come see the demonstrations of weaving, spinning, twining, felting, and knitting. One loom is warped for anyone to try.  It’s fun to watch people tentatively throw a shuttle for the first time and figure out how the cloth is formed.

And we continue to learn ourselves. How do we present our handwovens? What color is featured in the mass market each year? What is the best way to finish the fiber so the customer can more clearly see what it is? What makes a good display?

One of my favorite parts of the Holiday Exhibition and Sale is seeing what everyone else is making. There is so much talent out there, so much creativity, that it fires the imagination! Just look at what can be done!

So if you happen to be in Columbia, Missouri November 7, 8 or 9, stop by the Boone County Historical Society Museum and be inspired!

The Joy of the Process

14 Monday Apr 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Tatting, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Fiber Arts, Tatting, Weaving

I had an interesting conversation with my mother this weekend. She met two women at a community presentation who gave a program on tatting.

Tatting is a form of lace making. When I was a child, my grandmother told me tatting was a dying art. That was all it took for me to try to learn how to do it. I don’t recall my grandmother tatting—my great aunt was the tatter in the family—but she knew how to point a child in the right direction! I learned the basics of rings and chains after a fashion, then set it aside.

Tatted Ornament

One of my first finished pieces of tatting!

Fast forward to 2014. I mentioned to someone in my guild that I kept trying to tat, but not really knowing what I was doing, didn’t get much beyond a few rings. She organized a tatting class over two Saturday mornings and now I’m on my way again. Thanks, Ginny!

It seems that one skill leads to another and then to another. Some weavers spin in addition to weaving. Spinners often knit and crochet. Weavers and spinners sometimes dye their own fiber. And those with wool sometimes felt it. I surprised a fellow guild member recently by admitting that I spin. It’s a tactile activity that soothes the soul, and I enjoy it. Like I enjoy tatting, knitting, and crocheting. And I’ve even tried my hand at making a booklet. It’s the joy of the process, the joy of working with my hands.

Like my grandmother challenged me long ago, I challenge you to try something new. Pick up a craft you haven’t tried before or return to one you’ve set aside. Rediscover the joy of the process and working with your hands!

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