Rejections

This past weekend I took the opportunity to go to the Creative Fibre Festival in Porirua, Wellington.  I hadn't planned to go but a spare seat in a car and a motel bed became available so off I went.

There's nothing like having work rejected to get the hackles up and vow to try harder.  It started with the piece I submitted for the exhibition, Tumbling from Japonisme exhibition.  The selector's comment was that the background overpowers the weaving.  I have it hanging in the hallway and most of the time I think she was talking through a hole in her head, especially at night with the lights on it, and then other times I see it and think, well maybe she is right.  It all depends on the light.

While at Festival I did manage to go to the Fashion Parade which was a great show and the next day I did the fashion floor walk with the selector.  This was important to me as I'll be one of the selectors at the Creative Fibre Experience in Hamilton later in the year.  I felt my thinking with both the exhibition and the fashion were so different from these selectors that maybe I shouldn't be doing the job.

One of the comments from the fashion selector was that she selected for "fashion" and "creative fibre" didn't come in to it. I did agree that my kimono wasn't fashion and it did look strange with stiletto heels.  When she got to my coat she muttered "old lady colours and there's plenty of them here".  Diplomacy was not a strong point.  So there you have it, rejection!
(I can't insert photos because while I was away the hard drive of my husbands computer crashed.  He has rescued most things but I can't find the photos and he's out.)  Try this link and scroll down to Shibui and Tumbling.

The third rejection was my own doing.  Before going away I had put a black merino warp on the dobby loom, enough for three scarves, thinking I'd whip them off pronto on my return.  Six inches, 15 cm, and six broken warp threads, so out came the scissors and "gone by lunchtime".  Life's too short to struggle with that nonsense.

Saori weaving and looms are making an appearance in NZ and I did spend some time wondering where they fit into the scheme of our exhibitions.  I had a quick look through the original book published about Saori and  it didn't seem to correspond to a recently published book or the work that I saw being produced.  I've just spent some considerable time reading about Saori on the web.  To be totally frank its one thing to be "free" and quite another to produce "crap".  I'm not a perfectionist by any means but I do believe cloth has to be structurally sound and hold together when in use and be beautiful.  I would say my heart and soul goes into the cloth I make and I probably spend way too much time running my hands over the cloth admiring it.  And if you want to "find your true self" go sit on a cushion and meditate.

 And just a little stash replenishment that I couldn't resist, just 100 gms of  wool, mohair, silk, milk, cashmere, soy and nylon from Nanny's Burnished Batts.

Wedding wraps 2

Well, the spell has been broken and it rained torrentially the evening of the wedding.  Everyone got into the church reasonably dry and then it started, not that we let it spoil the fun.  I think it was one of the best weddings I've been to.  The bride wore an ivory strapless frock with glorious red shoes while the bridesmaids were dressed in short black frocks with red bouquets and as you can see the wraps were welcome.  The tables at the reception were dressed in black and decorated with beautiful old china, cups and saucers, cake stands etc.  Every place setting was marked with a wee bottle of lemon cheese spread made by the bride, a very special touch.

It just happened that when the parcel of wraps was delivered the grooms sister in law was there and the cry went out, I want one.  Well, me being me, if you put a warp on for three you might as well make a fourth.

I'd also made a wild raspberry one for someone else.  Showed them both to Sue and they're now living in Dubai.  It's so hot in Dubai, I did ask why they would be necessary - in a word "air conditioning".   Enjoy wearing them Sue.

Crammed and separate is so versatile in that it scrunches up for a scarf or makes a cosy wrap.

Cranberry blankets

Another set of blankets for Pauanesia looking for a new home.

Wedding wraps

A few awful shots of beautiful wedding wraps taken in a hurry as I had to get them parcelled up to catch the post.

 To set the scene the bride and all three bridesmaids, including my daughter,  were at high school together.  The bride and partner have been working in Britain for many years.  Bride was proposed to while holidaying at a vineyard in Tuscany.  The wedding will be in Ohaupo.  New Zealanders will appreciate the irony of this.

Warp:  bamboo 10/2
Weft:  silk Schappe-Seide Nm120/2
Snowflake twill:  Starburst
I couldn't get enough of one dye lot of silk (and as time was pressing) I thought I could change lots where the pattern changed (enlarge the photo) but no, one was a lot creamier and it showed when woven.  Hoping to divert the eye I stitched pearls on both sides of the break and at each end.  Knowledge after the event is wonderful and I would have been better to weave with two shuttles and alternate threads.

Then to the warp from ....*#&@*.  On my shelf I had two cones of white Zephyr merino/silk 50/50.  I would look at it and think "one day you'll be something special".  Of course the air got to it before I did and the outside of the cones became very discoloured.  But I could dye it a deep red (not orangey like the photo) for this project.  All was well until I tried rolling the warp on the loom.  Little fibres caught and pulled the thread through neighbouring reed slots and heddle eyes.  10.5 metres and every 20 cm I'd stop and sort meaning it took forever but looked wonderful when tied on ready to weave.  It didn't take long before sticky threads started doing their thing.  There was a lot of frogging.  I tried hairspray, I tried wax, I thought about fabulon ironing spray but it said not on silk.  It seemed to help to run the weft through a block of wax as I wound the bobbin.  I got there in the end and they look and feel great.  Weft is 100% NZ merino 110/2 hand dyed.

This is the third wedding I've made wraps for and it usually turns out very hot and they aren't needed.  Even though its pouring with rain and blowing a gale at this moment I'm hoping it'll be the same this time.

Magic loop for weavers

When you get to the end of your piece of weaving what do you do with your end.  Here is one suggestion.

 On the second to last pic, on the side where the last pic will exit, place a loop of  thread in the shed for about 2 - 4 inches (5 - 10 cm) with the cut ends sticking up from the cloth.

 After weaving the last pic insert the cut end of weft into the loop at the selvedge and carefully pull it back into the body of the cloth pulling from the cut ends.  (Sometimes you have to fudge if both the weft and loop exit on top or bottom of  the warp thread.)

Just like magic the weft end is gone.

Updated web site for PWN

www.pwn.org.nz

Professional Weavers Network of New Zealand has gone live with a new up dated web site and under Exhibitions we find Japonisme.  

Just back from Melbourne

I think I now know why I'm constantly under pressure.  It's self inflicted.  If I stayed home more often I could work properly.

Some time ago a friend asked if we'd like to go to his daughter's wedding in Melbourne.  Why not and a chance to hang out in our favourite city so that's where I've been.  Had a wonderful time and came home needing a rest.

The first day we trained to Williamstown to see the Sea Shepherd boats just back from their anti-whaling adventures in the southern ocean, sporting a few scars but a job well done.  One day we took the train to Castlemaine for their arts festival.  We spent some time in the Melbourne Art Gallery and I caught a Dior Yamamoto exhibition and, of course, the wedding was great.

Bridesmaid wrap

Before leaving for Melbourne I worked flat out and both looms were warped with hand dyed yarn thinking I'd be right in to the weaving on return.  Yeah right!  A flu shot put paid to two days; I just slept.  At this point I can report two of three bridesmaid wraps are woven and one blanket is rolled on the cloth beam.

Blanket mohair weft

Next project to be knitted

As you can see I'm working with a lot of red at present.  Every inch of the studio seems to be shouting red, pick me, me next!