Each weaver's path is a different journey and destination

Last year we welcomed Yukiko Amano into our weaving classes. She had been studying weaving, kasuri and shibori for several years. This past summer, she studied with nationally reknowned masters of these crafts in Japan. The training is rigourous and physically demanding.

While there she studied and practiced picture kasuri/ikat. The above example was not woven by here but illustrates the complexity that one can achieve with these methods.
Kasuri is usually plain weave, often with silk. Like tie dye, one wraps either or both the warp and weft in certain pre defined intervals to create a pattern.

 This requires time consuming preparations of wrapping the warp in precise ways, then using clippers as shown above to remove all the ties once the warp or weft has been dyed. Yukiko says that the scissors at the top are called 'grabbing' scissors because they were created to grasp without causing an injury.

 What I love about kasuri is that in principle and theory it is a simple technique like plain weaving and yet it clearly demonstrates how complex plain weave can be by incorporating other elements. There are at least a dozen different kinds of kasuri in Japan alone, and different areas of Japan specialize in a kasuri technique. Above the kind of shuttle used in Japan to weave kasuri.

 While in Japan Yukiko also studied shibori and indigo dyeing. She showed me how she was able to achieve this exciting design . Below the cotton plain weave fabric was pleated, then hand stitched in waves, creating the areas that resisted the dye. The effect is one that is reminiscent of fish scales. So simple yet so effective.

 A linen like fibre called ramie, is much prized in Japan and is produced in many east Asian countries. It is a flowering herbaceous perennial in the nettle family that grows 1 - 2.5 metres tall and has heart shaped leaves.

 The type shown below is called green ramie or rhea, which has smaller leaves. It is believed to be one of the oldest fibre crops, used for at least 6000 years. Used primarily for fabric production, it is considered a bast fibre. The bark or stalks of the plant are processed. It is usually harvested 2 to 3 times a year. Ramie does require chemical processing to degum the fibre, unlike other bast fibres, like linen. It is usually harvested before flowering.

Ramie was used for the outer layer of mummy cloths in Egypt dated 5000-3300 BC. Researchers found that the compounds in the material  are toxic to bacteria and fungi. Ramie is one of the strongest natural fibers. Like linen, it exhibits greater strength when wet and has good absorbency. It is often mixed with cotton or wool because it is not that durable, and does not absorb dye very well.  

Despite its strength, ramie has had limited acceptance for textile use. The fiber's extraction and cleaning are expensive, chiefly because of the several steps—involving scraping, pounding, heating, washing, or exposure to chemicals. Some or all are needed to separate the raw fiber from the adhesive gums or resins in which it is unsheathed. Spinning the fiber is made difficult by its brittle quality and low elasticity; and weaving is complicated by the hairy surface of the yarn, resulting from lack of cohesion between the fibers. The greater utilization of ramie depends upon the development of improved processing methods. That being said, the 2010 Toyota Prius introdcued ramie into their new range of plant-derived bioplastics instead of using pertroleum based products.

Other info

Barbara Aikman writes to inform me of a good place to visit in Tuscany, Italy to see linen weaving: www.busatti.com. If you let them know you are a weaver, they'll give you a tour.

Erin Lewis  is an instructor at OCADU and has been taking the weaving class with us this session. You can see her incredible work  on this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J80kx8y8wPM

Congratulations to Judy Hardy who won the spinning wheel in the Silent Auction. A VERY BIG thank you to Susan Abrams who donated it to our class to raise money for our expenses!

The One of a Kind show...we'll be there in booth R-07. Go to www.oneofakindshow.com for details.

Fall Colours a palette of inspiration

Renata Lindner is inspired by the Fall colours to create runners for her home.

Registration for weaving classes in January begins next week. People have been turned away for the Fall class because we had too many people and not enough looms. Be sure to register early to be more assured of having a spot in our class. You can register with me in class, or on line at www.learn4life.ca, or by telephone at 416 338 4111.

Portuguese rug making by Isabel Vittorino

 

Yukiko Amano picked up this handwoven bag when visiting California this Fall. Below, a detail of how the bag was finished inside.

 

I have many more exciting projects to show you in the coming weeks. With preparations for the One of a Kind show, I may be delayed in showing them to you. Please do not ask me to post any events or info in the month ahead as I will not have the time to do so.

The Louet Jane loom is now available for sale from me, considered the Porsche of table looms. There will be one available in class to use for a user fee of $25. each project. They are $995 unassembled or $1100 fully assembled. As you can see it folds elegantly. The stand is sold separately. I'll give you a demo if you haven't already had one.

I also have a Leclerc Voyageur 4 shaft and an 8 shaft available to use for a user fee of $25 if anyone is interested.

The World of Threads exhibitions is on for another week. There is something for everyone, from serious to whimsical.
www.worldofthreadsfestival.com

Weaving class student Christine Woolacott writes:
Hi Line,
I have attached an invitation to the Jewel Envy Official Launch Party on November 16th. It would be wonderful to see people from the weaving class attend!
If people would like more information about the studio, they can check out http://jewelenvy.ca/More of my jewellery work can be seen in my etsy.com online shop:http://www.etsy.com/shop/TurritellaDesigns

The One of a Kind show starts November 22 and runs 11 days until December 2. Go to the website for more details www.oneofakindshow.com. Look for booth R-07 and we'll be there.

Patterns have something to teach us

Woven houndstooth scarf by Mimma Draga. Woven on her newly acquired Ashford Knitters Loom.

Each weaving class particpant, with the struggles and challenges they face, inpsires me to write this blog. In each of their small steps forward and occasional impasses, I see my own experiences mirrored. Through their fears, uncertainties, lack of confidence in one's abilitites, self criticalness, they teach me to be more comfortable with these visitors when they enter into my own thoughts. Because I witness your journey, I am able to have more understanding as you wrestle with your weaving demons, trials and tribulations.

Over the last few years I have been working steadily and in a  disciplined and focused way. Bit by bit, because of this rigourous schedule that I have maintained, I began losing touch with the joy that I once had in being a textile designer, weaver and fibre artist. It was becoming more and more of a task, items checked off a to do list - until somehow all my enthusiasm and joy got buried beneath this over controlling critical task master inside my head, all while I was nurturing the joy and enthusiasm of others. From this period of maintaining a rigid practice emerged a critical and harsh voice - in regarding my work, divorcing me more and more from the joy and pleasure the weaving activity once provided me, until I found myself in somewhat of a rut. Students sharing their own frustrations with me helped me to work this through, and made me revisit these smothering, diabolical  patterns of thoughts and beliefs that reside mostly inside our heads and are for the most part, completely untrue and unfounded. In my own practice, I felt I came to a complete standstill and needed to break my very structured routine.

Marion Kirkwood and Louise her sister visiting from B.C are modelling two 'ruanas' or capes handwoven by Marion a number of years ago. I was glad to see in my wandering through the mall that the handwoven look is back in style and so are poncho and capes.

I decided to go to the mall and visit clothing stores, so completely not what I would venture to do. After about an hour of looking and being unmoved by what I saw, things took a turn. Suddenly there appeared a fabulous coat that looked jacquard woven. Like a gyser, my enthusiasm returned full force and as I stood dead in my tracks, mesmerized by the fabric of this coat, I once again reconnected with the power and effect that textiles and fibres have upon our senses, how we are irresistably drawn to them, the range of emotions that they can arouse in us, somehow such a deep part of our psyche, our collective conscious. It was wonderful to feel that thrill again. The thrill that I get from textiles. It reminded of the first time a piece of fabric really mesmerized me. I remember where I was. How old I was. Who was wearing it, and that it was a Coco Channel type suit. I realized that our love for textiles is passed down through the generations, as Neil Brochu also shared with me how his own love of linen was hatched.

Neil Brochu wove this 9 foot linen tablecloth with a 20/2 linen. He took the pattern from Dorothy Burnham's book Keep me Warm One Night, a well regarded publication on woven textiles in Ontario. The picture does it no justice. The feel is wonderful, the pattern mesmerizing.

If you are feeling unhappy about your weaving practice, make an effort to (re)connect with the joy and pleasure you feel in touching the fibres, in preparing them for your project, in weaving them, the textures, the colours, shapes, patterns, in looking at them,  and if that self critical voice is stealing your joy, tell it to go away. Susan Abrams reminded this week of what Gayle Sheldon, a former tapestry weaving student said: " I'm working on having a better relationship with myself". If you are kinder in your beliefs about yourself, you'll enjoy the process much more and you will be far more creative and productive.

Write me your stories about the first textile that had an impact on you if you'd like me to share them with others on this blog.

Weaving as Pattern, Weaving as Canvas

Overshot Scarf by Wendy Szpindel

This week, one of the students in the weaving class said she was a pattern person. Her mind grasped pattern quickly and easily. In terms of weavers, this is an aptitude that many share. As a little girl, while in class, when teaching was still a socratic endeavour and one listened quietly, I would doodle endlessly. What I found myself creating were patterns, repetitions of lines, in various configurations, lengths and thicknesses.  This seemed to fascinate me endlessly. Although I didn't realize it at the time  these same patterns were patterns I recognize today as weave structures such as twills.

Carla Duncan modelling scarf woven at home but the warp was created in our spring Painted warp workshop.

In contrast to that,  I have also approached my weaving as a canvas, and observe that others do as well. Slowly the project evolves, first the warp, then the weft threads - what colours to use, what yarns,  what other embellishments and the weave structure itself seems to be less significant. The project evolves slowly, sometimes over weeks, months, even years. In this blog I'm featuring projects that are examples of each approach, and even a combination of the two.

This particular scarf is a wonderful example of weaving as canvas. Carla decided spontaneously to try some shibori techniques on her handwoven white scarf and dip it in the remains of what was previously a green dye. The green pigments were exhausted and a blue turquoise colour remained.

This shawl was one that gave Carla many headaches and was definitely one of those projects from hell! Every now and then one encounters them as a weaver. The colour nor the finished effect was what Carla had in mind but it ended up being something that she had not expected. The light green lines are extremely effective. Although I am unable to demonstrate this to you on the blog, at certain angles, one cannot see the light coloured strips and the entire cloth seems to be the darker green. It's almost irridescent. In addition, being new at using Procion MX dyes, and trying to do it on her own before she took the Painted Warp Dye workshop, she didn't get the colour she was aiming for. All of Carla's weavings shown here are tencel, a wood pulp based rayon.

Fibre Exhibitions
Some of my tapestries will be on exhibit at the World of Threads Festival/Exhibitions. The link below will show you the location of the exhibit I will be participating in. The opening reception will take place November 3 Saturday 2-5pm and hope you will join me.
http://www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/exhibitions_pages/2012_oakville/common_thread/qep_halls_2012.html

2D - 3D Exhibition by Philippa Brock

A vernissage will be held on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:00 pmMontreal, October 9, 2012 - From October 24th to November 30th, 2012, la galerie TRAMES will be hosting 2D - 3D, an exhibition of the English artist and textile designer, Philippa Brock.

Inspired by folding techniques, 2D - 3D brings together a selection of Philippa Brock's experimental projects composed of textiles produced on a Jacquard loom. Brock's research deals with the structural possibilities of textiles. In her work, she is constantly pushing back the limits of what can be realized with state-of-the-art computer equipment and a combination of unusual materials. In this exhibition, the first part Self Fold presents works that are richly textured with spectacular three-dimensional effects. The second part, X-Form, developed specifically for this event, explores folding of materials while integrating fibres that react to daylight or to ultra-violet light.

Philippa Brock is internationally known for her advanced research in Jacquard weaving. Since 1990, her work specializes woven textiles as well as research and development of smart textiles. She is the Woven Textiles Pathway Leader at Saint Martins College of Art & Design in London, one of the most innovative and prestigious textile schools in the world. She will take advantage of her trip to Montreal to offer a master class to textile professionals.

Prior to the vernissage at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, October 24, Philippa Brock will give a conference on her work. The number of places are limited. Please reserve at communications@textiles-mtl.com
La galerie TRAMES is open from Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Admission is free.
Centre des textiles contemporains de Montréal /
Montreal Centre for Contemporary textiles
5800 St-Denis bureau 501
Montréal (Québec

 

The American Tapestry Alliance has its biannual tapestry show. The link will give you all the details.

https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1354801.12919316859/rid:ede8eaeb457eb9fd2ee00cc730149122

 

Kate Kitchen, a tapestry weaver in our class will be participating in a group Miniature Show at 337 Sketch Gallery in Hamilton. October 12-29. Opening reception October 11 7-9pm. Kate also has a miniature tapestry as part of the Pacific Portals, an unjuried show of the American Tapestry Alliance. She left a beautiful colour catalogue with the weaving class and therein you will find plenty to inspire you.

 

Resources and other info
Maureen Krinicic sends us this great YouTube video about a quick and efficient way of preparing strips for rag rugs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1C3mQEEmPsA

Marion Kirkwood sends us a poem a friend sent her about weaving:

At the Loom

You sit at the loom,

your hands raised
like silhouetted birds,
or like a harpist poised
at the strings of an instrument
whose chords are colors,
their slow accumulation,
thread by thread
kind of blending upward
the way the sky blends
from the horizon up
after certain sunsets.
Monk's belt and rosepath ...
plainweave and twill ...
The shuttle moves back
and forth, trailing
its wake of yarn
as if by accident,
and patterns that seem
random at first multiply
into beauty.
No wonder Penelope burned
with patience. ,
Somewhere a sheep bleats
in the night, a silkworm
stirs in its cocoon.
You weave a spell,
I wear it on my back,
and though the chilly stars
go bone naked
we are clothed.

Weaving and Compassion

Dyed warps by Wendy Hayden

The theme of Craft and Compassion in a recent issue of Hand/Eye magazine turned my thoughts  to Ghandi. He wasn't just an inspiration as a leader, but as a person.  His decision to lead in a nonviolent and  non aggressive manner is inspiring and, with the state of the world as it is, and the ever widening mores of our times, I find that to lead ones life that way takes an extraordinary amount of courage. To choose not to strike, whether physically or verbally, when one feels another has wronged you, is not an act of cowardice, but an act of defiance and bravery. Within it the hope that you and I and all of us can communicate with each other in a way that shows regard for each other, and find ourselves in situations where we feel included, not excluded; respected not rejected, embraced, not disgraced, supported, not discouraged. Ghandi spent much of his life trying to free India from the domination of the British. It is a struggle that still plays out in our own ordinary and everyday lives: countries, corporations and organizations try to dominate, control, coerce simply to sustain the illusion of supremacy, superiority, authority through submission, humiliation and surrender. So much of our world is about power over others, and not about empowering others and helping others to empower themselves. More and more, people are finding the courage and the compassion to live a life that brings well being to their spirit, soul, body, and heart, as well as to others.  This blog is about celebrating that, and making the world a better place for others, and not just oneself. Below a link to the magazine:

Hand Eye Magazine on Craft and Compassion:

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=qjzov8cab&v=001IgkAmL3YG5uxNzXhH2_l4S9A16nFTSRQZje210-RxWhtKP3_po0jBVJydorXXnfUtkdWodw8u6h0sggqodiGAjVSj8dscVLjrm0ElUJe__Nt-4gRpW54nw%3D%3D

Dyed warp by Wendy Hayden

Speaking of compassion, there are a number of people registered in the weaving class that are involved in activities that improve the quality of life for others and empowers them. Barb Aikman, is a Master Spinner, presently taking  classes at the Toronto Weaving School, and she assists 'homeless' women with assorted issues, to weave products that will then be sold. All proceeds for these products go directly to the women who are weaving them. Go to the www.sistering.org website to learn more about this amazing organziation. It brings to mind the saying by Ghandi "Be the change you want to see in the world".

Kathy Fletcher who has been taking our weaving classes volunteers at Peace Ranch. To learn more about the organization go to http://www.peaceranch.com/.  "My life is my message." (Ghandi)

Dyed warps by Wendy Hayden.

In the spring, we learned how to dye yarns using procion dyes. These kinds of dyes are good for plant fibres such as rayon, bamboo, soy, tencel and cotton. I'm planning to offer you the opportunity to participate in other dye workshops over the course of time. We'll have guest instructors and it may be at different location than where we usually have the weaving classes.

 

 

 

I met a number of weavers over the course of the summer, and two of the weavers I met were Christine Shipley and Ann Harrison. Christine teaches weaving in Scarborough at Cedar Ridge through the City of Toronto Parks and Recreation programs. She will be part of a group show at Cedar Ridge and here is the invitation.

Christine showed me this odd 'tool' that she found packed into this mailing tube. The post mark reads 1948. The item was sent from Peter Collingwood to a Mrs. A. H. Crighton in Pickering. She was in her time, considered to be a Master Weaver and when she died her husband, Arthur, started weaving too. When his time came to pass, he had made arrangements to leave all his equipment to the Treadle Trompers in Markham. None of us are 100% sure what the tool was used for and it certainly looks like anyone could have made one from a coat hanger, but I wager Christine could a pretty penny for this historical weaving item on ebay (USA)!

 

From past and present students:

 

Laura Dymock sends us this YouTube video on a Navajo Ute First Phase Blanket

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlkYn39i4Fw

 

Velma Devine from Aurora, herself a masterful spinner, weaver and knitter, sent me this info of small producers of specialty fibres:
cottage craft angora
Muskox & Buffalo yarns
368 rang 14, Adstock
Quebec, Canada
G0N 1S0

418-422 2308 & 422-5708

www.cottagecraftangora.com

Sericin Silkworks
124 Erb St. W.
Waterloo, Ontario
N2L 1T5

www.sericin.etsy.com
Sericinsilkworks@gmail.com

Donna Kim from Edge of Your Seat was enthralled by this music she heard on CBC radio - "Affairs of the Heart" by Marjan Mozetich
www.music.cbc.ca/play/artist/Marjan-Mozetich/AFFAIRS-OF-THE-HEART-CONCERTO

Neil Brochu was inspired by these weaving links:

http://www.marshfieldschoolofweaving.com/index.htm

http://www.thistlehillweavers.com/videotour.html

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Weaving as a philosophy of life

Kasuri sampler on left by Wendy Szpindel. On the right, Carolyn Franke continued her exploration of kasuri after the workshop and tried warp and weft ikat together.

Over the summer people wove many kinds of projects, embarked on weaving adventures, and added to their repertoire of weaving knowledge and practice. Toronto Weaving School organized a Kasuri workshop with Keiko Shintani. Keiko's work and techniques are very compelling and she had a great influence upon the people who took the workshop. Most evident is that weaving, for Keiko (as well as myself) is a way of life, a practice, a philosophy of life.

One of the main practices of Keiko's work is the repurposing of materials. Not only is nothing wasted, but so many of her choices as a consumer, artisan and artist considers the impact on the environment. This is what inspired Darlene Haywood to  first gather goldenrod, and dye cotton with it, using alum as a mordant. Her daughter is a yoga teacher and Darlene decided to make pouches for the prayer beads that they use. She ripped saris into strips and wove them into a fabric. This was inspired by a summer shirt Keiko had woven ripping strips of silk and weaving them. There are many books one can acquire on natural dyes and there is a lot of info on it on YouTube. You can also purchase pre-prepared natural dyes and order them at www.maiwa.com.

More on weaving inspired by practices in other countries, Judite Vagners showed us the tapestries she and her daughter created with Maximo Laura.

Susan Abrams writes:
A few people were asking this week about the baby blanket I wove at home over the summer. Since it is now draping baby Jack in Pennsylvania I can't bring it in to class! I got the pattern from the book, "Mastering Weave Structures" on page 84 and it was woven on four shafts. The warp is 2/8 cotton and the weft is mercerized cotton, same weight.

OTHER NEWS, LINKS, RESOURCES, EXHIBITIONS

Want to really expand your repertoire of weaving? Try this course being taught at OCADU by a registrant in our weaving class, Erin Lewis. https://continuingstudies.ocad.ca/class_details.jsp?offeringId=185&show_past=false

Recently an article came out in this magazine about the Community Threads tapestries project that I have been involved with. Go to page 11 to see the artice at www.footprintsmagazine.com

Michelle Dubois wants you to check out this website, where, as it happen, some of  my tapestries will be exhibited. www.worldofthreadsfestival.com/

Edge of Your Seat
Donna Kim emailed to let me know that she is offering this special kind of chair caning technique. Click on the link to know about this intriguing weaving technqiue:
http://us2.forward-to-friend1.com/forward/show?u=6cabba50e96aa5ed24a3c303f&id=9aff6b151e

Janet Fayle's daughter, Eliza, recently won 'Graceful Aging Award' from W3:Women, Wisdom and Wellness. I've attached a link to her website
http://silverandgrace.com/about-2/who-is-eliza-fayle

A final note: We have so many new and returning weaving students that I am running short of looms. If anyone has a 4 - 8 harness tableloom they can lend me for a few months I would be very greatful.

Everything is possible if you are up to the challenge

Woven by Elizabeth Bryan, using Tencel (wood pulp based rayon). Project take from Handwoven.

We are off to an enthusiastic and eager to start to the Fall weaving classes. The enthusiasm makes us feel impatient to get started on our new weaving projects. Alas there is so much consider before embarking on our next weaving venture. A lot of planning is required and this is something that many do not relish, and I suppose, in part, why some of them are here.

There are many approaches one can take to making our weaving ideas become reality. Taking project ideas from Handwoven magazine is a great way to learn about weave structures and get ideas about what we might want to make. The projects in Handwoven magazine have all the details figured out, like the yarn required, and all the technical information you need to realize the project.

Woven cotton lace curtain by Laura Dymock.  Pattern taken from Handwoven Mar/April 2002. Designed by Jean Hutchison.

Sometimes people get ideas from other weavers in the class, like these tea towels by Agota Dolinay, who was inspired by Amy Stein.  Seeing what others are weaving often inspires us.

Sometimes people take ideas from other kinds of magazines and try to interpret into a weaving project.

 

Agota Dolinay created a sample first for a throw she wanted to weave. Below, the doubleweave throw she wove for her sofa at the cottage.

Whatever your approach, it still requires some basic knowledge of reading patterns for weaving, of creating pattern drafts and lastly, getting into the habit of creating a sample of what you want  if the project has not been directly copied from a weaving magazine or book.

Last year I wove an 8 shaft double weave project that I took from Handwoven May/June 1992, designed by Sandra Leinweber, who also wrote an article about her design process. She says "I don't experiment with yarn. I hate to sample, and it occurred to me that if I always used the same kind of yarn, I could avoid sampling and concentrate on design and colour." Personally, this would never work for me, for I love a variety of textures, and fibre content, as well as in my weaving endeavours.

2/18 merino scarf designed and woven by Wendy Szpindel over the summer.

If from project to project you are always using different yarns and fibres, different weave structures, there is no way you can predict what the outcome will be 100%. If you want to change the pattern and create your own, then it's a good idea to learn how to do pattern drafting, and then, explore some of the pattern drafting software for weaving. Its good to weave samples of different yarns, to wash and give them different finishing treatments to see how they respond and how they will look, especially nowadays, when there are so many new fibres on the market to tempt you.

This place of 'not knowing what to do' is often not a comfortable place. For many, it is outside our comfort zone. Sometimes to ge the outcomes we want with our weaving we also have to advance our knowledge. Everything is possible, but in order to obtain what we envision, it may be challenging and demanding. Remembering the joy of the weaving part of the process sustains our motivation when we are wrestling with the design and technical challenges that arise.

Until the next time

Line Dufour