Karen Bota 2/8 cotton placemats, 8/8 cotton weft , summer and winter
We are off to a good start for 2015 in the weaving class! Funny how the small things can make us happy, like a sink that doesn't leak and heat when it is cold! Returning students were buoyant vividly describing their adventures over the holiday season or relishing the social gatherings they participated in, but what was also clear was their delight at being back at our weaving class and that happiness was contagious!
2/8 cottolin dishcloths in plain weave and twill by Marion Kirkwood
At this time of year, when here in Canada, much of the landscape is now white, gray, and brown, it lifts the spirits to think of growing grass, leaves, plants - encapsulated in the colour green. On the colour wheel , green is achieved by mixing blue with yellow.
'Green' comes from the Middle English and Anglo-Saxon word grene, which in turn comes from the same Germanic root as the words "grass" and "grow".
Surveys taken in Europe and the United States have concluded that green is the color most commonly associated with nature, youth, spring, hope and envy. In western culture It is the color of permission and safety. It is also often associated with the culture of Gaelic Ireland, and with the environmental movement. In China green is the symbol of fertility. It is considered the most important color in Islam and was the color of the banner of Muhammad, and found in the flags of all Islamic countries, representing the lush vegetation of Paradise.
Knitters loom project by Jane Richmond. Cushions with 2ply Lemieux yarn.
Green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth In Ancient Egypt, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile. Egyptian artists used finely-ground malachite, mined in the west Sinai and the eastern desert For painting on the walls of tombs or on papyrus,- A paintbox with malachite pigment was found inside the tomb of King Tutankhamun. They also used less expensive green earth pigment, or mixed yellow ochre and blue azurite. To dye fabrics green, they first colored them yellow with dye made from saffron and then soaked them in blue dye from the roots of the woad plant.
Green had very positive associations for the ancient Egyptians. The hieroglyph for green represented a growing papyrus sprout, showing the close connection between green, vegetation, vigor and growth. In wall paintings, the ruler of the underworld, Osiris, was often portrayed with a green face - the symbol of good health and rebirth. Palettes of green facial makeup, made with malachite, were found in tombs. It was worn by both the living and dead, particularly around the eyes, to protect them from evil. Small green amulets in the shape of scarab beetles made of malachite were often found in tombs, and was believed to protect and give vigor to the deceased. It also symbolized the sea, which was called the "Very Green."
These days of course, we associate green with the environmental movement and weaving (and spinning) can certainly qualify as being an activity that is eco-friendly in so many ways: from the materials we use to the low tech equipment we employ.
WORKSHOPS
WOVEN DRAWINGS workshop: Nieves Carrasco August 17 to 21 2015
For her exhibition "Woven Drawings" at the David Kaye Gallery in January 2014, Nieves wanted to bring the universe of drawing, printing, and painting into weaving by using paper in the weft.
It took a lot of experimentation to develop a technique that she thought was suitable aesthetically and technically, which she will share with you during this workshop.
During this workshop participants will weave narrow samples (approximately 6 inches wide) using paper that has been drawn and painted on, in the weft. By the end of the workshop each participant should have at least one sample finished and mounted, ready for framing. Two or more samples will be assembled to explore creating larger pieces out of narrow modules.
The workshop is divided into two parts. The first part will be dedicated to learning the techniques required to prepare the paper and weave a few samples. Once the techniques are learned, participants will have time to explore the possibilities of what they can do with the techniques acquired with a new set of paper sketches and samples.
Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill
Time: 10am – 4pm
Maximum: 12
RSVP by June 1 2015
Cost: $350 plus material fees
[] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour, 25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. linedufour.tapestry@gmail.com.
TABLET WOVEN SIDE BORDERS: August 10-13 2015
tablet borders woven simultaneously with loom weaving
Inge Dam is known for her meticulously crafted and artistically hand dyed woven yardages with card woven embellishment inserts, from which she creates luxurious garments . She has garnered many awards for her weaving and has taught extensively, in particular throughout the United States, including for many Convergence conferences, organized by the Handweavers Guild of America. She has recently authored a book on her techniques, Tablet-Woven Accents for Designer Fabrics Contemporary Uses for Ancient Techniques which you can purchase from her at any time.
Through her studies of ancient textiles Inge became fascinated with the concept of weaving tablet woven borders jointly with a piece of fabric on the loom. This technique was used on many of the ancient garments she studied. Students will be introduced to this type of weaving through a brief introduction to its history and hands on practice. They will set up a loom with a simple weave structure and learn how to make a tablet warp and how to arrange it beside the fabric warp so the border and the fabric can be woven together using only one shuttle, rather than attached separately. The students will also be taught how to avoid tension problems between the border warp and the fabric warp and how to accommodate for the differences in the take up of the two weaves. A simple tablet weaving technique will be employed and the students will learn how to add embellishments to the tablet woven border, such as tassels, twining, beads at the edges and on the surface, braiding overlay, wrapped warp ends, loops, Ghiordes knots, and brocading.
Level of expertise : participants should know how to weave plain weave and 4-shaft straight twill.
Location: Burr House, 530 Carville Road, Richmond Hill
Time: 10am – 4pm
Maximum: 12
RSVP by June 1 2015
Cost: $350 plus $2 material fee
[] Send Cheque for $350 to Line Dufour,
25 Beckett Ave, Holland Landing L9N 1E6. tapestryline@sympatico.ca
RESOURCES
Debbie Harris writes:Hi Line,
A friend passed this video along to be and I thought you may find it interesting and know of other people who it may be of interest.
This woman is a textile artist from Nova Scotia and she talks about her time studying at NSCAD in London England, travelling to textile mills in Japan and being weaver-in-residence in Lunenberg N S and working with flax/linen.
Here is the link : https://multimedia.nscad.ns.ca/recorded_events/weaving%20beyond%20nscad/JG%20400.mov
