Part 4 - Project 9 Woven Structures Stage 2 Basic tapestry weaving techniques

This stage of the project I found exciting.  Having eventually managed to warp up my frame satisfactorily I was eager to begin using the variety of yarns and materials I had collected together.  I had some rug wool and began weaving with this.  The colour of the rug wool dictated the colour scheme I chose and as the sample progressed I chose different textures and materials but sticking to a colour scheme that included mustards, oranges, turquoise and blues.  I have found that colour plays a large part in my work and if I do not find the colours and colour combinations attractive and interesting I find it hard to keep motivated on a piece of work.

I began by weaving a few rows with the rug wool to get into the technique.  I found it quite fiddly.  I had wound the wool onto a wooden shuttle and found this very difficult to manipulate.  I resorted to making yarn butterflies which I found much easier to handle.  After the first few rows I got into a rhythm and enjoyed the meditative state it got me into.  After the first rows of basic weaving I worked through the different techniques suggested in the course material.  I did some curved wefts, Soumak and Ghiordes knot.

As I worked the curved wefts I began to use different textured yarns.  I like the bright blue piece in the middle of the sample as it has a very textured look.  This was done with knitting wool that was a boucle wool.  It therefore had a little curl in it and this gave a lovely textured look and feel to that part of the weaving.

My favourite is Soumak.  I like the texture you can get from this. I like the way a fine wool or yarn looks and feels very tight and close.  Quite solid in its finish.  

As I tried the different techniques and used thicker yarns, cut up plastic carrier bags and torn muslin strips I began to see that different yarns best suited different techniques.  Thicker yarn left the warp showing so a knot or Soumak technique better suited the yarn if the warp was not to be shown.  However, I like the warp showing particularly at the top of the sample where I have used a machined cord that I made myself.  

As I worked through the sample I felt more comfortable doing the weaving.  I think this was because I could look wider afield for different materials to use and it was not so rigid. 

Whilst on a visit to The World Museum in Liverpool I popped into their shop and by chance picked up a little book called Coptic Weavers by Magaret Seagratt.  The book includes notes on the collection of Coptic Textiles in the Merseyside Museums.  There is a section about the Collection, the history of the Copts and information about the textiles and the woven garments.  The information on the garments includes drawings showing the weft and warp in relation to the neck openings and how collar bands and hems were added and ornamented.  There are also sections on the dyes and yarns used.  Techniques are shown one to a page alongside a detailed drawing of the weft and warp for that particular technique such as plain weave, inlaying, Soumak weave, curved shape weave and many more.  Towards the end of the book is a large section with each page having a black and white photograph of the coptic textiles.  Each photograph has an explanation next to it which includes the number of ends per cm and picks per cm. This book is a little gem.  It has only 48 pages but is packed with interesting information ad photographs and at 25 pence was a real bargain.  

When trying the Ghiordes knot it reminded me of many years ago when I had a rug making kit and I would sit for hours knotting the pre-patterned canvas watching the pattern turn into a more tactile useful item.  The rug disappeared many years ago sometime during various house moves.