Proportion: How to Tame Troublesome Hues
Have you ever struggled with a color so bright, it took over your entire piece? Some colors are hard to use in handwoven cloth, because they blaze out so strongly that they dominate the piece. Yellows, oranges, and hot pink are the most assertive hues, but if you pair equal amounts of any bright color […]
Weaving = a clean(er) house
OK, I admit it. Housekeeping is not my favourite (or even tenth favourite) activity. I can think of LOTS of things that I would rather do than clean or tidy. But I do it a lot more frequently now that I weave. When I sit down to design a warp, I first need to tidy […]
Scale: How it can turn your designs from muddy to magnificent
Sometimes creating handwoven fabrics feels like wrestling mischievous imps. A project that looks gorgeous in the initial sketch, or in a weaving software simulation, turns into a muddy mess when woven. A garment that looked great while you were sewing it blurs into shapelessness from across the room. Figuring out what happened can feel hopeless. […]
6 ways to get out of a weaving slump
Most weavers have experienced a “weaving slump”. You know – when you just can’t seem to get excited about the project on your loom, your next project, or ANY project for that matter. You might leaf through a weaving magazine without finding any project that piques your interest. You look through websites showcasing kits, but […]
Peer Support: A Member’s Experience
When Tien and Janet conceived the Academy, one of the most important parts was creating a weaving community where everyone is welcome. A place where everyone can share, learn, and create with each other. One of the ways that the Academy fosters this sense of community, and connection, is through our bi-weekly Peer Support sessions. […]
Behind the scenes of a Handwoven Magazine Article
Written by Yvonne Ellsworth I recently published an article “Doubled Up Ice Dyeing” in Handwoven Spring 2024 on ice dyeing two warps at the same time. Then I designed a set of towels with the resulting warp, which became the “Call of the Crows Towels” project in the same issue. Working with Handwoven is always […]
Frustrated with your weaving? Six Strategies to help.
Sooner or later, it happens. Your warp gets tangled, you make a bunch of mistakes while threading, or you find a treadling error – after you’ve woven four more inches. Or your project colors don’t turn out as expected. What do you do when your project has you ready to pull your hair out? This […]
Design with me: Kathy’s Snow Dyed Warp, Part 4!
In the past three weeks, you have joined me while I designed a project that would highlight my favourite (so far) snow dyed warp. We have talked about how I chose the colours, and dyed the warp in Part 1, some of the tricks I use when beaming a warp like this in Part 2, […]
Design with me: Kathy’s Snow Dyed Warp, Part 3
Welcome back to the Design With Me blog series! In Part 1, I selected colors and dyed my painted warp. In Part 2, I put the warp chains in order and beamed the warp, explaining my special method for warping without a cross and for getting out tangles. Today I’m excited about choosing a draft […]
Design with me: Kathy’s Snow Dyed Warp, Part 2
Last week, I explained my dye process and showed the warp I’ll be working with. This week I beamed the warp, so follow along with me and learn: First I needed to decide what order I wanted the chains in. Because I “winged it” for this warp, without much planning, I did not take the […]
