Transformation

Placemats in plain weave by Avril Loretti.

Avril Loretti joined has her own thriving business creating her own printed tea towels, among other textiles for domestic use. She transformed remnants of her own printed fabrics and cut them into strips to create these placemants. To see her collection go to www.avrilloretti.com.

 Lis wove this Rosepath  baby blanket designed by Katie Bloomfield and the pattern was taken from Handwoven's Collection #14.

Many women like to weave baby blankets for their own children who are now having children. They get to witness the many transformations that their offspring go through, an ongoing and infinite process.

Simona Comenscu matches with her double weave wool blanket she is weaving and the site of her at the loom was a delightful site!

When Simona first came to our weaving classes last spring, she was jobless and eagerly looking to be gainfully employed. This year she found a job in an area that interests her and I've been witness to how the weaving and the job has transformed her in a positive way!

Susan Keslick

Last week I featured Lindsay Keslick's stair runners (green herringbone type pattern) and this week Lindsay brought in a butterfly woven on a floor loom in a bound weave or weft faced weave, similar to tapestry, made 35 years ago. It still has a contemporary feel to it and has stood the test of time. This butterfly is my theme this week, symbolizing transformation. As a weaving instructor at the Toronto Weaving School, I get to witness the personal transformations that many people go through because of or during their weaving learning. Life changes, job changes, new opportunities, new friendships,  births, illness and deaths. I see each person grow in their confidence to tackle their own weaving challenges and artisanal/artistic aspirations. I observe them getting bolder and undertaking more initiatives to promote themselves and their work, or to expand their learning and weaving practice.

Joan MacKenzie, a member of the Etobicoke Guild of Weavers and Spinners and a past student, visited the Toronto Weaving School to work on the international tapestry project, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination. She's working on her Master Spinner's certificate with the OHS and using her own handspun yarn, wove this scarf. The pattern is from Carol Stickler's A Weavers Book of 8 Shaft Patterns on page 87.

 

For our year end field trip, we visited the home and studio(s) of Pat Burns Wendland in Mulmur, Ontario. What a scenic drive and a great day. Pat showed us her work spaces, the garments she has woven, fabrics she has created and other smaller items she has woven. We had a great pot luck lunch!

 

I'll be off to Florence Italy to take a jacquard weaving course at the Fondazione Lisio. Here is a link to their site: http://www.fondazionelisio.org/ and will share with you my adventures there. Who knows how this will transform my own practice as a weaver and artist.

 

You might want to check out this exhibit at the Textile Museum of Canada:  Ancestry and Artistry: Maya textiles from Guatemala, http://www.textilemuseum.ca/apps/index.cfm?page=exhibition.detail&exhId=348 You might also be interested in this site: http://www.mayanhands.org/