Got a notice from Blogger.com to my gmail address that it was time to claim and update

the blog.  Did not even remember which blog it was - turns out if was Nicki's Weaving Divas

group blog.  So I have now reclaimed it.  JAF

Views of a Bridge

Woven Palms at the Arboretum

Here is a photo of Woven Palms, our group exhibition piece focusing on Palms. It is currently being exhibited at the LA Arboretum through March. The challenge here was to use only one hue with any of its values plus one metallic yarn.

Squares

These are my first two four by four inch squares...

I just finished the backs of them as practice for the other small tapestries that I am finishing this week. I used the method James Koehler described in the workshop I took. I thought you might be interested.

Each square was started with -

1. one row of twining with the warp
2. six pics of warp as weft
3. six pics of weft, the kind used in the tapestry
4. soumack - with the ridge showing on the front side
5. then I started weaving the design.

Each square was ended in the same way but in reverse.

I folded the tapestry at the soumack edge and steamed it to make sure it was as flat as it could be and was as close to 4 by 4 as it could be.

Koehler suggests using twill tape and sew the velcro on it. Since these pieces are so small I didn't use any twill tape and simply placed the velcro right at the soumack edge and sewed it on with my sewing machine.

I did a damask edge [simply half hitches pulled upwards] with the loose warp on the side where the warp was long. On one side I had really short warp left over so I simply glued it. I cut the warp so there was less than an half inch left.

I then sewed the other edge of the velcro by hand to the tapestry making sure to catch all the warp ends.

Here's what it looks like on the back -

Seen in Florida

Here are some photos I took of Carollee's pieces at the Designing Weavers exhibit at ArtCenter Manatee in Florida.

Collaborative Hat - pattern

Carollee and I are working on a collaborative piece...a tapestry hat for the ASCH fiber conference Color Connects which will take place in Riverside March 2009. If it comes out as we expect, we will enter it into the fashion show. We will be using the conference colors and hope to have some sort of bird theme.

These are the pattern pieces for the hat...we will be weaving each piece separately.

There will be two of the large donut shaped pieces. One will be on the top and the other underneath with some stiffening between. The hat will fold forward in one place so the bottom comes to the top and part of the front will be hidden.

Each of those donut pieces are about 22 inches wide so it is a big hat and we needed a fairly wide portable loom to weave the tapestry on. Fortunately, Barbara had an empty loom which we were able to borrow.

So we are on our way. Carollee is weaving the first donut piece in Oregon over the summer. When she is done and back I will weave the second one on the same loom with the same warp. We [actually Carollee did most of the warping] put on enough warp to weave both donuts.

Next step - - dyeing the yarn.

Collaborative Hat - the dyeing

Here is where Carollee's yarn is going to be dyed. A barn in Oregon.

















Here is a photo from inside the barn.








Here are the dyed cotton yarns in the colors of the fiber conference Color Connects.

Second Friday in June

There was a small but quality group at Tapestry Friday today. I forgot my camera so alas no pictures. There was a good discussion on bobbins, setts & a variety of medical conditions...but not much weaving...

A few memorable moments - -

Three folks picked up their As Masterful as Van Gogh but Uniquely Mine packages. This is the annual Southern California Handweavers' Guild Challenge. We have until October to create something that is inspired by a Van Gogh painting as well as the year of our birth. Everyone has a different Van Gogh painting but his colors are so recognizable it should be fun to see the end results. It doesn't have to be a tapestry...it simply must be at least half handwoven or handspun and not too big.

Another moment to make you smile - - H kept staring at her weaving with such an odd and puzzled look. She tried a bit of yarn here...a bit of yarn there...but nothing seemed to work...she was quite quiet...not a normal state for H...one simply knew that something was troubling her. Then... she simply threw up her hands in defeat...she just couldn't figure out how the tapestry in front of her was to become a piece of birthday cake. It did not look like a piece of cake at all. [And in fact that was quite true. Turns out the tapestry in her hands was not of a piece of cake...the tapestry loom with the half finished birthday cake was on the bookcase near the door. Puzzle solved. ]

M handed out the Kathe Todd-Hooker's book, Tapestry 101 to those who ordered it. I have a copy for J and B. Perhaps they will be at the turnover meeting tomorrow. If not, I will keep their books captive. They owe M $24.33 which I am not responsible for collecting. Too bad I already have a copy which I have read and highlighted. There was a lot of good stuff in the book...stuff I have never seen written down in any other book. If you didn't get a copy...you should get one.

C is up in Oregon now. She has successfully accepted my invitation to be a co-author on this blog to keep us informed as to what's she up to and how her melons and other fruits are progressing. So, let us encourage her to write!

White Rabbit Day

[PS I apologize for the weird spacing...I can't seem to get the photos to line up right...]


It was a white rabbit day at our tapestry group...happy warps to all who attended. I brought my camera so progress pictures are in order.



First, I am sure you recognize the bathroom and the naked fiber artist, ah a fiber artist less her fiber, in this tapestry.

It was sewing day today...slits as well as those bookmarks on the back. Another day or two of sewing and it should be time for a cutting off ceremony. This is a piece that only has progress at our tapestry group meetings. Rumor has it, this piece was started right after the snake....so let's see...does that make it two years? Ah, but worth the wait!



The C brought a great mirror for her loom at a 99cent store in Japan town. It folds up and opens nicely to fit and sit behind the loom. It was made in China and sold in a Japanese store in Los Angeles...no figure!

I tried to get a good picture...here you can see both the mirror and the image in the mirror of the tapestry. I am sure you can recognize all those wonder fruits for dessert. We will have to wait until it is off the loom to see all the dots.





I took another photo of the back of a melon becoming complete. It's not often you see a melon completed. In fact, this is a first for me.




A's leaves continue to fall...

once complete this tapestry should be really neat with all the negative space. Hung by a window, it should look like beautiful leaves falling - like the outside coming in.





Here is my In Search of a Kiss. I have one shot at the beginning of the session with my bobbins from Fireside...

and one a couple hours later.


I was able to to finish the entire hem during this tapestry session. Then, after lunch, I twined the last two rows, loosened the warp and and am now letting it rest. To see a read a bit more about it and see a nice picture...click here!

M brought here new bobbins from Shannock to use. Note how they are rounded on both sides. Not like mine which are pointed at one end. Check out the hem of the weaving...yes, that is a color photo and not in grey scale...but do check out the lovely greys. Does this say Sweeet? Don't seee it yet...just wait.

And is this the cartoon that H is working on?

No only kidding....













Birthday cake anyone?