Category: member’s projects

Weavers Interest Group Project

Any guild interest group weavers are invited to make a small woven piece of a chosen weave structure. This is also open to all Guild members who may be interested in contributing, as not all have chosen to join in the Weaving Interest Group.

The pieces will be used as a loan collection for Highland Guild events and displays, but eventually returned to each maker. This is an ongoing project over time to ensure a changing collection of pieces for displays which highlight different types of weaving.

The idea is that we each decide on a weave structure or type of loom we would like to try out. It does not matter if two or more weavers decide to try out the same weave structure or type of weaving, as each weaver will  inevitably choose different colours or yarn types. This project is open ended with no time deadline!  All contributions will be welcomed, whatever the level of weaving experience .

Woven items can be roughly the following sizes to take account of different types of weaving. The idea is that small samples are more achievable.

1 by 10 inches 

2 by 6 inches 

4 by 6 inches 

6 by 8 inches

8 by 10 inches 

10 by 12 inches 

12 by 14 inches

Different sizing allows for the use of a range of  types of loom or weaving eg tapestry, rigid heddle, 4/8 shaft looms, peg looms, inkle looms, band looms etc.

If anyone wants to try out circular weaving, small pin frames, 3D or basket weaving etc., that is also a possibility.

SOME SUGGESTED WSEAVE STRUCTURES INCLUDE :-

Inkle weave {with or without pick up}

Band weave {with or without pick up}

Tapestry  {many different techniques to try}

Tabby on rigid heddle 

Dog tooth on rigid heddle

Log cabin on rigid heddle 

Peg loom weave

Twill { 1/4}] 1/3}]2/2} many varieties here on 4 or 8 shaft looms

Summer and winter {4/8 shaft looms}

Huck {4/8 shaft}

Monks belt [4/8 shaft }

Overshot {4/8 shaft}

Crackle {4/8}

Leno {4/8 or on rigid heddle}

Double weave {4\8 or on rigid heddle if have second heddle or tie ups}

Point twill {4/8 shaft}

Krokbragd{3shaft}

Rya {4/8 shaft loom or rigid heddle}

** Any colours  and any choice of yarns , eg wool, cotton, linen, nettle, bamboo can be used .

A written label to attach to each piece of weaving is being designed and can either be downloaded from the guild website or collected at guild meetings . This will ensure that anyone looking at the woven sample pieces can immediately see:

• the name of the weave structure 
• the yarns used 
• the weaver’s name
• the type of loom it was woven on
• any other relevant information 

This helps to inform others and encourages discussion. It also means that items can be easily returned to the original maker!

Happy Weaving !

Following the example of the spinning group we are setting a weaving related challenge for
January. This is not restricted to those who join in the monthly zoom. It’s open to
everyone to join in and have fun! You won’t need to get any fancy equipment, in fact (and
I’ve just thought of this!) part of the challenge could be not to spend anything. As with the
spinning and dyeing challenges, bring anything you make to the March meeting for show
and tell, and if you are willing, loan an item to the Guild for display at the summer shows. If
you find it easier to have a theme, we suggest: trees
Things you might like to try to challenge yourself:
• Off-loom weaving – make a weaving round a tile, card, box, or go multi-dimensional
on a piece of twisted hazel
• Incorporate found materials – grass, sticks, shells, plastic bags etc
• Use a fibre or yarn you haven’t used before
• Use a kind of loom you haven’t used before
• Try a new pattern or technique

With yarn spun from a piece of fleece, Norah wove around this seedhead

Weaving Interest Group 28 January 2023

This month was a show and tell of things made, started or planned as a result of the January challenge. Several people had tried or planned off-loom weaving: Sarah had an old PE hoop and was planning to weave a hanging; Linda was experimenting with weaving on twisted hazel, and had made a frame of spindle wood, with the intention of weaving a tapestry; Isobel had woven round a couple of stones, but hadn’t enjoyed the process, though the results were attractive; Susan was considering this too, but we all felt she might be better using her stone as inspiration as it seemed a pity to cover it! Ruth had been to a weekend course in passementerie, and showed us a fringe woven using some of the techniques she had learned. Angela had woven a piece with supplementary warps which she then used to gather it up for shibori dyeing. She had also woven a 4-shaft pattern and colour and weave sampler, and was planning a black and white scarf using some of the patterns. Isobel had also been weaving with multiple threads of thin cotton – this gives lots of opportunity for colour blending, but the threads tended to be a little unruly! Henriette had incorporated beads into a weaving, using a thin supplementary weft to carry the beads. She had also tried tablet weaving, producing an impressive band which included lettering. Hilma was trying a simple weaving on card, and had also completed a weaving experimenting with stripes based on the Fibonacci sequence, and a weaving recreating the structure of a piece she had been given. Beside all of this my own scant inch of monks belt on the inkle loom looks a bit pathetic!

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