My Clients Shadow Weave Shawl

Finished the second of the shawls I wove using the shadow weave drawdown.

It's in a finer yarn than the first one so is lighter and more appropriate for summer use.


This one's destined for a client who saw Gail's in burgundy and grey.

34/4 Tencel in lavender and black, 200cm x 60cm
Sett 9epc woven at 10ppc

Selvages double threaded 4 heddles - 40/100 reed threaded 2,2,3,2,2

24 shaft Echo 4 Iridescence Panel Design

   

Schizophrenia revisited.
I have had a design idea for a couple of years, which I tried to work out for overshot which I called 'Schizophrenia'. I never managed to work out how to weave it satisfactorily, so I thought I would try echo weave. The original design idea was based on the fMRI brain patterns of patients which were then turned into music (sonification). I looked again at the scans and the design here is what I have come up with.
Here is the link:- 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd6GwIWiHho

Echo 4 on 24 shaft, 4 colour warp 800 ends

x18 wrap

Threading and treadling are on a 3/1 network; one treadling repeat is 1920 picks.

Hoping to use it  for  two 60cm x 150cm wall panels, and either changing the warp colour for each panel or alternatively, wrapping the lift plan to change each panel; a second evocation of its inception of 'schizophrenia'.

Wrapping x 12 does a full inversion of the colours. This is a wrap of  x18. (right) emphasising the orange and green echo's more.

This is quite a clever technique when visualised in lift plan mode as, though these are two repeats of the same threading design line, by wrapping the threading, you can merge the left hand pattern  seemlessly into the right giving the impression of just one pattern.
I have managed to do this with quite a few design lines; the key is getting the horizontal wrapping correct before doing the threading repeat - you have to get the two to overlap.

Even The Sky Isn't The Limit......or is it?

I have had this photo of the Helix Nebula taken from the Hubble telescope in my projects file for a couple of years now. 

Helix Nebula- Eye of God

When I saw the book on echo weaves and iridescence I thought this might be the route to weaving, not only this inspiring image, but to be able to interpret the many hundreds of other galaxies and nebula for which there are now images.
This technique seems ideal to reproduce the iridescent nature of the colours and the way they blend and echo. Maybe Photoshop can create the patterns and liftplans; maybe I can find a suitable threading that, when combined, produces the combination I need to replicate these amazing images - we will see; the biggest problem I can see at the moment is controlling the float lengths in the warp.

So this is going to be one of the directions for my off-loom designing and experimentation ove the next 12 months leading up to the workshop by Marian in May: Objective - maybe if I crack it, to have an exhibition next Summer on the theme of  Space.

Our Day Out at The Marche Des Tisserandes and Expo

Miroir, Miroir - as the french deemed it should be seen ;-)

Seven Swans

We had a fantastic day out and the chateau was at its most resplendent on a perfect sunny June day.

There were a wide range of textile media exhibited this year and here are a few of my favourite woven pieces.

Three Short Stories

The String and the Pebbles

Pentecost week-end is the weaving exhibition and this year I exhibited a piece or the first time. We had a fantastic day out, met up with Julie, the artist whose painting I have been asked to interpret, and the chateau was at its most resplendent on a perfect sunny June day. There were some amazing things for sale which really stimulated the imagination and gave me some great ideas.

We were a little miffed that the expo committee chose to display my piece as just the three boards side-by-side, omitting the lovely gnarled wooden staff and missing the point entirely that they were placed at different heights and angles. Kind of negates the concept of an art exhibition when the numpty that hangs them gets to decide a carefully selected component is superfluous on the basis that the piece didn't fit the fixings she was given.....clearly the French should never be given

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

Henry Moores 'King and Queen' to exhibit, as they would saw off the bench they are sat on because the light fitting in the room hung too low!

My favourite is called 'The String and the Pebbles'

I loved this one too, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. You needto see it really as its not well represented in a photo....simple but nice concept.

Abstracting Nature - A Challenging Commission

This is Julies title not mine, but I like it as it gives me a start point for my ideas which is common with the artist

So these are the paintings she has chosen from the set. They are all about texture; but colours, subtle as they are, are important in the rocks as are the natural striations - so it's all about texture, colour and detail then!

Julie has a vernissage next week which I shall go to as part of the research; spend some time looking at them again and seeing peoples reactions and comments.

I have a pretty free rein to interpret it and certainly there will be several 'samples' for feedback before I attempt the final one, so the exhibition will start me along the path.

I love these paintings and, as with textural weaving, you have to up close and in there to really get the true impression. They are mixed media; Julie has included ground ash and stone within the acrylic media and I am sure I will need to be equally imaginative in how and what I use with yarns and fibre to explore the textural possibilities.

Continuing my mantra to avoid weavers block, that there must always be a warp on the loom whilst I am planning other projects, I have the loom warped for another shadow weave shawl; this time in the slightly finer tencel from Diversan and in blue/black.

I may do this on the Ashford 8 shaft table loom,which is portable, and treat it as a longer term project. 

Enfin! Completed Expo Piece

Mirror, Mirror? We see what we want to see.

Here it is. Finished apart from some very minor things that won't be visible in the photo - the 'eyes' and serpents head on the central panel, varnishing the wooden staff it all hangs on, replacing the hanging threads with gold chain and maybe putting a narrow wooden frame round each panel.
 
Finished size is 170cm x 70cm

Whatever you think of it, it is definitely eye-catching in the flesh.
The whole success of the design concept pivoted on the effect of light and shadow. I chose the yarn and weave structure to amximise this.: Tencel for its lustre and huck lace to avoid excessive interlacement which dulls the sheen. The central portcullis huck shows the Tencel on the inner block (where the 3d relief is placed) to its most lustrous. But the biggest issue, visibility of the text is, thankfully, a success. Top and side lighting is best as the text glows when viewed obliquely opposite the light, but as long as the lighting isn't 'flat' (which is why the flash photo doesn't do it justice) the text appears and recedes as you move across its length.

The vacuum moulding was rather fraught due to the height of the relief in panels 1 and 3, but nonetheless successful.

Overall, very pleased with all aspects of the design and execution.

Expo - The Final Panel is finished

Phew! Finished all the panels this afternoon followed by a visit to the shops to get the mounting board and sundries to mount and hang them.

This is the third and final panel though it's actually the first in the row when mounted. 40cm x 32cm.Woven in copper Tencel. It's a smiling face with a garland made of miniature white silk roses accompanied by two hearts.

It's on white mounting board with a 3cm border. This is probably how it will be mounted though I am not sure whether to edge the weaving with a narrow wooden frame.