FOSS Web fabric module

http://www.fossweb.com/modulesK-2/Fabric/index.html
FOSS Web fabric module

This is kewl.  8-]

Rainbow Sky Mini-Tapestry

Teaching my pin-woven mini-tapestry class at the upcoming fiber frolic, and the theme is color.  So I'm revamping my blue sky mini-tapestry:

To add a rainbow:

Same buttons and beads and textured fibers, with the addition of a swath of added color.  I'll have to make sure I have primary colors, or at least rainbow-y colors.  I may work up a sample and begin weaving the rainbow section on it.

I have an idea to add white to the section that passes over the cloud so it can look transparent, or at least pastel.

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Ok, here's the upgraded cartoon:

Printed cartoon is a tad sharper (this is a screen capture).  Smallered up the stars and moon 'cuz the button and beads are about that size.  Cartoon is only meant to be a guide anyway.

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Check out the link below for detailed images of the weaving process in this previous blog post:

http://wefttomyowndevices.blogspot.com/2009/05/blue-sky-mini-tapestry.html
Blue Sky - Mini Tapestry

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Foam core board - 20" x 30"

4 looms per board (8 pieces, doubled) - 7.5" x 10"

Cartoon:  5" x 4 1/4"

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Winding yarn bobbins.  Looks like I've hit all the color groups.

Already have these supplies:

graph paper
cartoon
tapestry needles
pins
long pins
skewers
floss


Still have to cut down the foam core boards and make up the looms.  And gather up my sample pieces.


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Alas, I had to cancel.  Maybe next time.  I'm certainly well-prepared (one might say over-prepared).  ;- j

I think I'll see about having a fiber bee at Schuyler House some weekend and teach it there if anyone's interested.  Therese, Steph & Jan might all be interested in playing.

A Rainbow Runs Through It

Sent Therese my class proposal for the upcoming Fiber Frolic (Mar. 3)

A Rainbow Runs Through It ~ Pin-Woven Tapestry ~ Ellen Shipley

Let’s add a rainbow to our starry sky.

Learn to paint with yarn. We’ll make our own looms from foam core board, straight pins and dental floss (yes, dental floss!), and learn a free-form, textured way to weave postcard-sized tapesties.

We’ll use an assortment of weaving yarns in different sizes, textures and colors, along with buttons and beads.

Class Length: 2 hours

Class Size: 6-8; child friendly; no minimum size

Class Fee: $10

Bring: scissors; (you might like to bring interesting textured non-stretchy yarn and beads to play with)

I plan to add a rainbow arcing from left middle to bottom right, as the theme for this frolic is color.

Tapestries in Garden Party Art Show 3

Because I'm also putting some of my mini-tapestries in the show.  8-]

Bent Cane Sprang-Tapestry Project

Finally warped up the bent cane sprang loom I made mumble mumble years ago.

I left it off, but I can see why it needs the bar across the bottom (separate from the working bars) to stabilize the loom.  I'm forever pushing the bar down to tighten the warp.  Stabilizing the loom might minimize that (or it might not -- I also need notches in the bars or the loom).

It's incredibly light weight.  I'm used to more heft with a stretcher bar loom, and I guess I've been using gravity to hold my shed taut.  Having to experiment some.

I twined a cord across the bottom to hold a little more tension.

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Coming along nicely.  About ready to break for the tapestry portion.

And here's the middle portion starting to be spread out.  I'm thinking the best way to work the tapestry is to take it off the sprang loom and tack it onto a foam core board.

Getting it started is going to be tricky.  It should be ok after that.

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I've moved the sprang over to a foam core board for tapestry weaving.  Have yet to tack it down with pins.

Just about ready to begin pin weaving.  Now all I need is a cartoon.  ;->

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Cartoon in place.  It's really more of a suggestion than a pattern.  I played around with pastels this afternoon, then took a pic of one I liked and printed it out.


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Learning curve.  Takes a lot of pins to stabilize the sprang so tapestry can be beaten hard enough.  Difficult getting it weft-faced.  Sprang doesn't want to spread far enough.  More bubbling.

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Ok.  I had to unweave what I'd done and start over, with only the top shed.  I've moved the cartoon to the middle.  I'm not sure what I'll do with the bottom shed yet, but I could weave something else on the other side.  Afterall, with sprang, there is no front or back.  I'll have to see.

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 Inching along.

Detail

Messy again.

Detail

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Eyeball is serendipitous, but I'll probably do something like that.

Remembered, belatedly, that it's a good idea to do some sumac stitch at the top and bottom of the tapestry (all the moreso because the sprang needs stabilizing).  So I'm adding it now.  I can scootch  the work down from the top and squeeze the sumac in.

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Sumac stitch at the bottom (and top).

Tucked some more tails.

The other day when I was showing this to Jan, I called it a chimera, meaning a cross between sprang and tapestry, but actually the beast is a bit of a chimera, or at least a generic beast.

So I think I'll call this piece Chimera.

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A bit of a hiatus, but back at it again.  Working on the grassy area.

silk worms

Image from fb.

Jeanne C. WoodPotters with Period Personas

Pottery for uses other than foods. This young Thai gentleman is spinning silk using traditional methods. The pot below holds a raging fire, the pot above boils the silk cocoons. Both pots were at least 1" thick.

Sprang Tapestry

Designing a sprang-framed tapestry.  Got the idea at the fiber retreat.  What if I started a sprang piece, then when it got to about the middle third, cap it off with skewers and start weaving a tapestry on the remaining "warp" threads.

I would make a sprang piece about 6" wide, so the middle section would be 5" or so high (to allow for tapestry draw in).

I can see how difficult it is to needle weave it on the sprang frame.  If it's too elastic, I can remove it to a more stable card loom or foam core board, depending.  The sprang bits at the top and bottom could be stabilized and left to hang, or be pinned back out of the way.

When it comes to displaying the tapestry, it will hang from a bar at the top of the sprang and one from the bottom.  More if necessary to display the sprang bits.  Have to see how it acts.  Can't have it pulling in the tapestry, but the tapestry might be firm enough to hold the sprang open.

I'll work up a sketch.

And here's a sample cobbled together from a sprang piece and a tapestry:

saber tooth tiger