all things weaving

my weaving corner

a vintage mini loom and a Leclerc rigid heddle loom

My intrigue with fiber arts goes back 30 years.  When I was ten, I learned how to knit from my aunt- thereby making the longest scarf known to mankind.  At this time, I also enrolled in a weaving class and a family friend introduced me to hand quilting.

As an adult, I've had to relearn some of these skills. And it wasn't until I purchased a vintage loom in 2012 that I picked up weaving again. Like quilting or knitting, weaving is very meditative.  It's a great balance to my painting process because it's repetitive and much more tactile.  I love working with texture and color, and weaving has become for me another outlet for creative experimentation and discovery. 

When I started making handwoven wall hangings, I wasn't expecting weaving to become such a fad.  The boho chic movement has definitely helped the weaving craze.  And fiber artists are getting wide exposure as retailers, like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, are carrying handwoven wall hangings and weaving kits. 

The attention has been well deserved for many weavers.  I have been following a few of them for awhile now and have loved seeing their unique styles evolve.  Here are some of my favorites. 

All Roads // Janelle Pietrzak and Robert Dougherty

Native Line // Justine Ashbee

Brook&Lyn // Mimi Jung and Brian Hurewitz

New Friends // Alexandra Segreti and Kelly Rakowski

Maryanne Moodie

As for my own collection, I am currently selling some weavings on the newly launched Hunters Alley, a sister site to One Kings Lane.  My handwoven wall hangings are also available in my Big Cartel shop, and, this week, I'm running a 20% off sale thru Feb. 15th.  Just enter promo code MADEWITHLOVE at checkout.

My weavings on One Kings Lane

Summer has come and gone in a blink of an eye.  I guess that's what happens when you embark on long road trips, paint the exterior of the house with only a brush, and handweave nine wall hangings- all in a two month period.

The new handwoven collection is for an exclusive event on One Kings Lane.  The popular online marketplace just launched their Artisanal Sales in June, and I was invited to be part of a collaborative event this upcoming week!

Starting at 6pm PST on Monday, September 9th, my wall hangings will be available for purchase here.  And I'm thrilled that my collection will be featured alongside the works of some of my favorite fiber artists, including Tanya Aguiniga, whose art I mention in this post. 

Some of you may remember that I began weaving after purchasing a vintage miniature loom from the Great Depression era.  I love that little loom, but I decided to purchase a larger rigid heddle loom this summer.  So now I can create wall hangings two feet wide!

           photos: Annie Schilperoort

A bigger loom meant a bigger space.  So I expanded my work area to another corner of our basement.  For now, the space is working out great, but I am sure my loom collection won't stop at two.  

This fall, one of my home projects is to build a simple frame loom to weave a rug.  I'll post pictures on here once I start the project.  To see other weavings I have available for purchase, go to my shop here. 

a little bit of r + r

After a crazy holiday season for my husband and I, it was time for the two of us to get away for a bit.  We headed to the beautiful and remote Oregon coast.  As many of you know, it rains a lot in western Oregon, which keeps some tourists away.  But, if you're a true Oregonian, the drizzly coastal weather doesn't faze you and even the horizontal rain is tolerable.

In the three days we were there, we passed just half a dozen folks on the beach.  At first it was a little eerie to have the beach (more like the entire town!) to ourselves.  But we quickly got over the "left behind" feeling and embraced the solitude.  At one point, my husband decided to explore a tunnel in a hillside and I combed the beach for small treasures- one of my favorite things to do.   I found some shell pieces and a couple of small driftwood to use with my latest wall hangings. 

The three on the left are my newest additions.  This week, some weavings and art prints are headed to a shop in Moss Landing, California, which is between Monterey and Santa Cruz.

I didn't find any new rocks on the beach to add to my collection, but I did find some time to paint a few stones from a previous trip.  

The one remaining rock in my Etsy shop is the little black one, and it'll probably be awhile before I paint more rocks.  This month I'll be working on an exciting new project.  My art will be on a product!  I'll share more down the road once the process has commenced.  I also regularly post updates on Twitter and Instagram if you want the latest news or listings of available work.

weaving 101

In September, I finally signed up for a weaving class at an arts center in my neighborhood.  For years, I have looked through the windows of the weaving class and have long envied the folks working on the looms.

The last time I took a weaving class, I was nine years old.  We never got to floor looms, which, as I've been learning these past few weeks, involves a lot of mathematical calculations and tedious threading.  I thought that I had decent math skills (and patience!) up until now.  Adding and multiplying allowances, shrinkage, fringe, ends per inch . . . huh? 

I did manage to finish my weaving sampler, which I had been working on since the start of class!

One of the things that spurred me to sign up for a weaving class was the purchase of a vintage miniature loom at an artist's estate sale.  Knowing very little about weaving, I bought the loom on faith that I could get it to working order.  I brought the loom to class, and my instructor pointed out that it was missing a heddle, which is the part of the loom that holds the threads in place to create an open space for the shuttle.

After scouring the internet for a heddle, I decided to make my own.  I figured if the loom was 80 years old, surely I could macgyver a working heddle.  So, I did, out of quilting plastic template and craft wood. That's it, the piece hanging from the top bar.

Here are some photos capturing the process.

You can imagine my excitement when it worked!  I finished my first weaving on the little loom just a few days ago.

And I'm almost done with my second piece! I'm planning on selling these weavings at the upcoming Holiday Market in Portland,  November 30 thru December 1. 

things i'm fond of today

Instagram and newly painted white walls.

Now, that the walls look like a blank canvas, I imagine drawing on them one day. Like this . . .

Lovely drawings by Melissa Castrillon.

Still a huge fan of Doug Johnston's totes and baskets. 

Beautiful work by Amelia Herbertson.

Diggin' the simple, artsy spaces of Sandra Juto (above) and Camilla Engman. 

And I really want this for my home. . .

Gorgeous yarn scrap cushion by Renilde de Peuter.

I heart Portland

Just when I thought I made it through Portland's damp fall and winter without falling ill, I caught a bug this week that has kept me in bed the last few days.  Ugh.  No fun at all.  I try to make the most of it by watching a lot of funny clips from The Ellen Show.  I figure laughter is the best medicine. That and spicy Korean soup.

I don't have any new works to share with you all, since my art production is at a standstill for the moment.  But I did have an idea for a new monthly series called I heart Portland.  I was born and raised in Portland, so I like to think that I know a few things about the Rose City.  Did you know, for example, that there is a volcano (granted, a dormant one) in city limits?  Thanks to a three week unit on Portland in my high school history class, I have a wealth of fun and trivial facts like this. . . all to be revealed in due time my friends. 

[unless noted, all photos by me]

It's April, and that means tulips.  Lots and lots of tulips.  Just 30 minutes south of Portland is the Tulip Fest in Woodburn, Oregon.  It's a spectacular display of flowers that lasts for just a month. 

Portland has some of the greatest cheap eats around.  Here's one of my guilty pleasures.  Poutine from Potato Champion! 

"Keep Portland Weird" is a popular bumper sticker in town.  Portlanders take pride in being "different."

[images: crafted-systems.com]

Crafted Systems is the brainchild of Portland-based designer Aurelie Tu.  She partners with the local YWCA shelter to create her modern home collection.  Each product is made from 100% natural wool felt and is handmade here in Portland. 

things i'm fond of today

The Obliteration Room.  Installation by Yuki Nakano.  Visitors help "obliterate" a white room by adhering colored dots on walls and furniture.  The top photo was taken on day one.  The bottom photo is seven weeks later.  The Obliteration Room is currently at the Gallery of Modern Art in Queensland, Australia. 

Furniture by Los Angeles-based designer Tanya Aguiniga.  Shown are Felt Chairs, Birch Bench, and Zinacantan (steel and wool yarn).

Cendrine Rovini.  I've been following Cendrine's art for awhile now.  This particular piece, La récolte d'oraisons, is one I'm particularly fond of.    It's part of her current solo exhibition "Liquid Vermeil" at the Da-End Gallery in Paris.  Cendrine talks about her latest works in this video.

Bags and slippers (linen and leather) by Tarco Nakazato.  I love the color combinations and graphic elements.

Cal Lane.  Lane describes her art as "pullling together industrial and domestic life." Above are two of my favorite works of hers: Plasma cut steel wheelbarrow (2007) and Dirt Lace installation at Purchase Collage, New York (2004).

  

I swoon for Pendleton

I've been focused on a big client project (will tell soon) since returning from Ireland.  Yesterday, I needed a little break, so I headed to the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store.  The store is just a ten minute drive from my home, but this was my first visit.

I dragged my husband along and the second we stepped foot into the large warehouse, he knew that he had a rabid Pendleton fan on his hands.  My eyes got really big, I had a huge smile on my face, and I turned to him and said this is my Disneyland!

It is really quite amazing how powerless I am to bolts of exquisite fabrics.  And there were so many beautiful fabrics to look at, my eyes were speed jumping from one pattern to the next! Then, I turned the corner and saw this spectacular space.

It's an enormous showroom of blankets and tapestries- one of my favorites being the gray panel on the right. My husband noticed the floors right away, which is the original hardwood flooring from the Pendleton Mill.

The initial reason for the store visit was the remnant table.  I was thinking of making some throw pillows for our couch, until I found a queen size wool remnant I couldn't resist.  It would go perfectly with the rustic headboard we made last spring!  The wool fabric just needed a finished edge,  so, I bought ten yards of wool tape at the store for $1/yd.  The total for the remnant, edging, and cute little pouch (in first photo) came to $55, which I thought was a great deal considering Pendleton blankets go for upwards of $200 - $300. 

It took me about two hours to double stitch the binding onto the blanket's edge, which includes the cutting and pinning.  My husband is thinking that we should give blankets to family for Christmas, but I'm already talking about making blankets for our future cabin in the woods!

image via The Portland Collection blog

I love good fashion as much as I do good blankets, so I was pretty much freaking out when I saw this new collection online.   It's called Pendleton, The Portland Collection (TPC), and it just launched a few weeks ago.  The three designers all hail from Portland, and, together, they have created a stunning collection that marries modern, indie fashion with Pendleton heritage.  This video captures bits of their inspiration, work space, and creative journey.