Colours and activities to keep you warm these winter months

Carla Duncan painted warp scarf in a 3/1 twill. Dark one side (less warp visible) and brighter on the other where more of the painted warp is visible. Last spring Carla participated in our painted warp workshop and painted this warp with dyes and recently finished weaving it.

Flo Sherbanowski worked with me to design this doubleweave blanket (a total of 90" wide woven on a 45" loom) using MacAuslands 3 ply yarn. The design was modified from the original, so that the vertical (weft) stripes gradate from green to blue, across the field of earth tones.

Jane Richmond's first project: a scarf using a merino boucle yarn with a novelty yarn.

 Alex Avdichuk created this scarf by combining two different space dyed skeins of I think bamboo (perhaps silk). She was intrigued and surprised with the way the two interacted.
For her next project she is designing a tartan. She used a website called www.scotweb.co.uk to help her create the designs for her tartan projects. It's easy to use with a palette of colours and a number of tools to enable you to design a stunning array of plaids, checks and tartans. Alex is the Supervisor of the City of Toronto's Collections and Conservation department. She is a wealth of information on many topics and gladly for us, on fibres.

Part of a double weave sampler woven by Jane Tucker, here showing the Brooks Bouquet, and other leno and hand manipulated techniques. These designs could have application for baby blankets, place matts, and cushion covers.

 

Woven by Bonnie Thorne, this overshot runner in 2/8 cotton and wool in white on white. It's so subtle that it is hard to take a good picture of it.  Sorry it's not better.

This week, I invited Ixchel Suarez to give us a three hour workshop on textural tapestry techniques. We had a good showing with about 9 people participating. Ixchel is a passionate and enthusiastic  tapestry weaver and fibre artist.

Other resources, workshops and call for entry
Chair caning classes are available over the winter months. Click on the link below to view the schedule:
http://www.edgeofyourseat.ca/classes/

Laura de Vrij writes sends a link to a funny video about weaving: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hc0NxKgoUfU&feature=youtu.be

Call for entry for fibre artists and craftspeople:
The Dufferin<http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/> County Museum & Archives<http://www.dufferinmuseum.com/>, (DCMA) is pleased to once again be presenting the exhibition Stitches across Time, in 2014. Continuing the theme of the first Stitches across Time exhibit in 2011, the exhibition will celebrate the tradition and history of textile arts.

The DCMA invites submissions for a national juried exhibition of fibre art works inspired by a new selection of six historical pieces from the museum’s extensive collection of textile artifacts. The Call for Entry is attached and may also be found on the stitches website www.stitchesacrosstime.com<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com>  or by clinking this direct link Stitches Call for Entry<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com/index_files/Page677.htm>. Works submitted can include any textile/fibre medium or technique. We welcome both two and three dimensional contemporary works from across Canada for this unique exhibition to be launched in the fall of 2014. Images of the six historical pieces may be found on the Stitches across Time website under Photos for inspiration<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com/index_files/Page449.htm>.

We would greatly appreciate it if you could please forward this email onto other fibre/textile artists and encourage them to enter the 2014 Stitches across Time National Juried Textile Show.

For further details, be sure to visit our website www.stitchesacrosstime.com<http://www.stitchesacrosstime.com>.  If you have any questions or require additional information, please feel free to contact me. My contact information is listed below.

Ruby

Ruby Qureshi
Events & Marketing Co-ordinator
Dufferin County Museum & Archives
P.O. Box 120, 936029 Airport Rd
Rosemont, ON  L0N 1R0
Tel: 705-435-1881 or Toll Free: 1-877-941-7787 ext. 22
Email: events@dufferinmuseum.com<mailto:events@dufferinmuseum.com>
Website: www.dufferinmuseum.com<https://owa.dufferincounty.on.ca/owa/UrlBlockedError.aspx>

Workshops, courses and tailor your weaving learning

Doubleweave sampler by Wendy Szpindel

 

Monday January 28 2013

10am-1pm

Come for a 3 hour intensive tapestry workshop given by Ixchel Suarez on weaving textures in tapestry. Free to registrants in the class. $20 for non registrants. Bring tapestry yarn and frame loom. If you don't have a frame loom, one may be available for use for the 3 hours.

 

Erin Lewis continues to take weaving classes at the Toronto Weaving School. She is is an emerging Canadian artist working in creative electronics, wearable technology, and sculpture/installation. She is a graduate of OCADU with a BFA in Integrated Media and Wearable Technology. Her work has been shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Ontario Science Centre, Discovery Channel Canada, Discovery.com, in the Toronto Star newspaper and various physical computing websites. She teaches Wearable Technology in the Department of Continuing Studies at OCADU and at Interaccess Media Arts Centre, and works as a researcher at OCADU's 'Social Body Lab'. She has a particular fondness for data feeds, vegetables, and kittens

Erin Lewis continues to offer her course at the Ontario College of Art and Design University

This studio course introduces students to the creative and artistic potential of soft circuits and wearable media. Using construction techniques such as weaving, knitting and sewing, and technologies such as switches, sensors and conductive materials, students will create interactive garments and accessories that may be used for performance, display or for everyday use. Students will be introduced to basic electronics and sewing techniques. Studio work will be supported by demonstrations, slide presentations, video screenings, and critique. This is a qualifying course towards both the Certificate in Digital Media Skills and the Certificate in Art and Design Studio Skills. Cost: $350 + $50 material fee + HST to register click on the link.

https://continuingstudies.ocad.ca/class_details.jsp?offeringId=188&show_past=false

 

At the Toronto Weaving School, you can advance your  knowledge of weaving, weave structures and equipment. If you need some assistance in determining what you'd like to learn about, speak to the instructor, Line Dufour. Line can provide you with a menu of various approaches, structures and samplers that will further your knowledge and experience in weaving. The course is tailored to your needs and the direction you want to take.

 

The gobelin tapestry loom is almost ready for us to start weaving the tapestry for the international tapestry project entitled Fate, Destiny and Self-determination. So far, there are 70 people worldwide that are participating in creating shapes for the installation and 105 shapes have been sent out. To know more about the project and how you can participate contact Line at tapestryline@sympatico.ca. Countries participating thus far are Peru, Chile, Argentina, Great Britain, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Mexico, USA, Canada, Australia. Here is a list of the participants to date:

Participants as of Jan 24/13

1.       Agota Dolinay, Ontario, Canada

2.       Ann Berman, Ontario, Canada

3.       Anne Vagi, Ontario, Canada

4.       Antje Goldflam, Connecticut, USA

5.       Anton Veenstra, Australia

6.       Barbara Heller, BC, Canada

7.       Christence Stubbe-Teglbjoerg, Denmark

8.       Christine Pradel-Yien, France

9.       Christopher Allworth, Nova Scotia, Canada

10.   Chung-Ja Jackson, Ontario, Canada

11.   Ciara Minden, Ontario, Canada

12.   Clare Coyle, Scotland

13.   Debbie Harris, Ontario, Canada

14.   Debbie Herd, Victoria, Australia

15.   Debra Dubois, Arkansas USA

16.   Debra Greer

17.   Donna Wills, Ontario Canada

18.   Dorothy Clews, Australia

19.   Elaine Duncan, BC,

20.   Emmanuelle Holmes, Queensland, USA

21.   Emoke tapisserie, Marseille, France

22.   Ewa Bartosz Mazus, Poland

23.   Fariba Mahmoodian, Ontario, Canada

24.   Francois Seguin, Ontario, Canada

25.   Hilary Slater, Ontario, Canada

26.   Ixchel Suarez, Ontario, Canada

27.   Janet Austin, Rhode Island, USA

28.   Jayne Gaskins,  Florida, USA

29.   Jennifer Stafford, Michigan USA

30.   Joan Griffin, Virginia, USA

31.   Joe Lewis, Ontario Canada

32.   Juana Sleizer, Ontario Canada

33.   Judite Vagners, Ontario, Canada

34.   Judy Dominic, Ohio, USA

35.   Judy Kogan, Chile

36.   Kate Kitchen, Ontario, Canada

37.   Kathe Todd Hooker, Oregon, USA

38.   Kathleen Morris , Ontario, Canada

39.   Katia Wittock, Antwerp, Belgium

40.   Katie Rusell, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

41.   Krystyna Sadej, Ontario, Canada

42.   Linda Cunningham, Alberta, Canada

43.   Liv Pedersen, Alberta, Canada

44.   Louise Martin, Great Britain

45.   Maite Tanguy, France

46.   Marie Drury, New Zealand

47.   Marie-Thumette Brichard, Belgium

48.   Maximo Laura, Peru

49.   Michael Rohde, USA

50.   Mimma Draga, Ontario, Canada

51.   Miriam Constantino, Argentina

52.   Noella Kyser, Ontario, Canada

53.   Nowak Bernadeta, Poland

54.   Pam Huntley, Australia

55.   Pam Lowe, USA

56.   Patti Harden, MD, USA

57.   Pedro de Jesus Ibarra, Mexico

58.   Pedro Ibarra Hernandes, Mexico

59.   Ria Hartig, Ontario, Canada

60.   Shanna Robinson, Michigan, USA

61.   Sharon Smith ?

62.   Stella Tang, Ontario, Canada

63.   Stephenie Collin, Auckland, New Zealand

64.   Stephnie Cantoni, Australia

65.   Susan Middleton, Ontario, Canada

66.   Susana Penaloza Donoso, Chile

67.   Tommye Scanlin, Georgia, USA

68.   Tricia Goldberg, California, USA

69.   Vera Hazelgrove, Australia

70.   Yamile Roa, Ontario Canada

 

 

 

 

"There is a thread woven through all things"

Francois Seguin handspun this superwash merino and gave it to me. There is no greater gift than the gift of the time it took Francois to spin this yarn for me. Thank you.

Alex Avidichuk's first project after her sampler, a space dyed yarn (bamboo - not sure now) that she bought commercially prepared. For a first project, an accomplishment to be proud of.

 

Simona Comanescu wove this on her own at home without guidance or help from me, using Lopi yarn.  

Barbara Aikman did an excellent job of weaving this waffle weave, also known as honeycomb, in linen.

 

 Joe Lewis writes that he found this resource useful for researching weaving: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/articles.html

 

 

Weaving by Kate Kitchen

 

I like Kate's creative approach to combining simple weaving with other materials. Kate wrote this up in regards to the piece:

Fossils

This work connects a number of my interests – passions might be a better description. The wood is the same pine that we used as the siding for our cottage, where my art studio is. It comes from the area and was cut nearby. You can see the marks from the planning. I chose the side that shows the marks from the planing and a knot in the wood.

The print of the fish is from a series of linoprints that were inspired by pictographs from the early artists, who were creating art before there was written language. Being reminded of the work of the first artists is very important to me and supports my work.

And, finally the weaving is inspired by photographs I have taken of fossils in rocks uncovered by glaciers, again near my cottage/studio.

 I used a small Harrisville loom that is more generally used for making potholders. Instead of loops I used linen yarn for the base weaving. I wanted to use yarn that was made from grasses, another reminder of the connection with natural and human history. The epi was 6 so there were large spaces for me to weave in other yarns, using needles, so that the linen yarn is completely covered, a quality that this weaving has in common with tapestries; covered except for the ends that I left exposed. I wanted this unfinished, rough look to be a reminder of the connection with history and with process. And finally, this is the poem I wrote that connects all the aspects of this piece.

 

There is a thread woven through all things

and all time.

Dreams of fish in deep caves.

 

 A blurry picture of new students in the class. Zoe McGrath, Evelyn Tchakarov, and Avril Loreti. Avril was in the booth across from me at the One of a Kind this past November. She is a graphic designer and creates digitally printed household items.

Indigo Dye Workshops 2013
From Vivien Prideaux in the U.K.

Dear Line

In the beautiful old town of Fowey (England) my garden studio, with views over the harbour is a riot of colourful, textured, hand dyed Japanese kimono silks, hand woven hemp, linens, velvets, cottons, rayon and the magical blues of indigo. For 2013 I am offering four, two day, creative indigo workshops and have attached the details for you.
www.vivienprideaux.co.uk

priddypink@macace.co.uk

Looking for a good furniture maker? try this person......

 

http://www.gilbertdemers.com/

Be a part of an International Tapestry Initiative and update on Community Threads tapestries

Susan Middleton, tapestry weaver and natural dyer, helping with the International tapestry project, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination. Everyone is invited to participate. More details if you click on the link below.

 Please click on this link to find out what's been happening to discover what's been going on in tapestry weaving, locally and internationally.

http://tapestryline.blogspot.ca/2013/01/international-tapestry-project.html

 

Valerie Splaine, Jackie Tienussen, Ann Berman, Corrie Parsons at the Community Threads tapestries.

Ms Emma Designs and Toronto Weaving School Collaboration

 Last year, Sofia Verna from the reknowned Ms Emma Designs, befriended me on Facebook. She lives in Italy most of the year, and her daughter Paula, runs the store at 543 College Street in Toronto

 Telephone + 416 323 8800 Fax + 416 323 0112  http://msemmadesigns.it/

 Sofia asked to join me in doing the 2012 One of a Kind Show. She took scraps of my handwoven fabrics that I had been collecting for years and thought that maybe one day I would make bags of them.....but instead they found themselves incorporated into these cool and funky garments.

 What has emerged from this association is a number of other opportunities. The first of these is that she is featuring the handwoven and knit scarves made by students enrolled with the Toronto Weaving School. If you are interested in selling your scarves through this venue, give them to Kate Kitchen, who kindly offered to manage the arrangement. Secondly, Sofia will also create a custom  one of a kind garment with your own handwoven fabrics. You can friend her on Facebook ....her name is Sofia Verna, or email her at vernasofia@gmail.com.

 Scarves my Mimma Draga on her knitters loom.

Erin Lewis is offering her Wearable Media course at OCADU:
https://continuingstudies.ocad.ca/class_details.jsp?offeringId=185&show_past=false
There is one segment on weaving, which will involve the use of fibre optics and leds in a sample made during class. Other areas focus on sewing, felting, and machine-knitting electronic circuits.

She is also offering a one night workshop at InterAccess in Toronto http://interaccess.eventbrite.ca/. Contact her if you have any questions at erin@erinlewis.ca

 

 Over 20 years ago, before I started teaching weaving through the Toronto District School Board Continuing Education program, the previous instructor, Cara Perry, who now lives in New Zealand, had the students do a round robin of overshot patterned squares. They were then supposed to be assembled into a coverlet, like a quilt. It was a true labour of love for the participants. This set of squares were done by Ann Martini, who in turn donated them to us recently and Marion Kirkwood won them in a fundraising draw for the class, and made them into bags. Truly beautiful and a fellow student, Phyllis,  bought one immediately!

Ann Harrison, an instructor with Parks and Recreation, said she will work with weavers and their handwoven fabrics as part of a introductory course on sewing. However, you are perfectly welcome to do any kind of sewing project you want and have Ann assist you. This is the official description of the course she is offering: This course will lead participants through the basic process of constructing a simple garment from a commercial pattern. They will learn to make simple alterations to the pattern, cut the fabric, and sew the garment. Students may choose, in collaboration with the instructor, their level of difficulty. Materials required: sewing machine with zigzag stitch, in good working order, sewing kit (scissors, pins, needles, fabric weights, marking tools, tape measure, etc. Students will be purchasing their own patterns and material (or providing their own handwoven fabric) after in-class discussion. To register go to: https://efun.toronto.ca/torontofun/Activities/ActivitiesAdvSearch.asp

Course Code 2080325 Thursday 1-4 pm Jan. 10 - Feb. 28
2080326 Thursday 6:30 - 9:30 Jan. 10 - Feb. 28

 Earlier this year Kathy Fletcher went to Wales to visit with her sister. She brought back a couple of lovely woven cushions. http://www.melintregwynt.co.uk/ The hangtag was wonderful. Inside it featured the signatures/names of each person who contributed to the making of the item.

 

Grace Holmes used her sampler as a scarf!

  Looking for something  weaving related to do this holiday season? Check out this exhibition -

Natural Resources: Textiles and Material Translation Textile Museum of Canada

http://www.textilemuseum.ca/apps/index.cfm?page=exhibition.detail&exhId=338
on until January 6 2013.

Is one of your New Years Resolutions to get more creative? Check out these classes at
http://karma-creative.ca/programs/classes-workshops/

Lopi coverlet woven by Renata Linder.

Remember

[] to reclaim any containers you left behind at our last class Christmas buffet.

[] that you can  purchase all your weaving supplies and equipment and yarns from the tapestry line / Line Dufour. Louet looms, Ashford knitters loom, knitters looms accessories, tapestry looms, Leclerc Looms and much more.

Scarves woven by Marion Kirkwood with Footloose space dyed yarn.

May you enjoy the little surprises of the season and I hope that 2013 will find you blessed with abundant kindness, love, friendship,  health and of course.....weaving time!
Line  

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.