Remember all those weaving (and other fiber) classes I took this summer? My finished projects are hanging up in the hallway outside the classrooms at the museum along with the other students' work. Here's a little peek at my work (and you can see some other beautiful pieces by other students, too).
The classes were offered in conjunction with the last traveling exhibit, Sheila Hicks: Material Voices, which I enjoyed immensely. The photos above show Sheila weaving as well as some of the works that were shown or that appear in the exhibit catalog.
Does this look familiar? It was my second weaving project. I used a slightly thicker cotton thread in two different colors in order to see where the warp and weft showed up. Definitely a learning piece.
You can see my first weaving project to the right as well as a Sheila-Hicks-inspired "wrap" (the work in grey) just to its right.
This is one I never did get a chance to share as it really never came home with me. It was in a Devoré class that I made this, but to be honest I cheated a little. It was more weaving (tapestry style, not done on a backstrap loom) than "burning" which is what the devoré process is. I tried to use some natural fibers (local grasses) in my weaving, but it is hard to tell from this photo.
And this is the last class I took, which was a textile wrapping class making fiber sculptures. Another learning moment. I liked the process though I think I would do it differently given another chance. Mostly it was just fun being creative in a social sort of environment (this is also the class where I made the baby boules). And yes, that yarn is just as soft as it looks--you do want to just grab it in your hands and run your fingers through it. It is wool from a Nebraska company in the western part of the state.
I love the white and blue textile wraps you see here. It was great fun taking the classes and hopefully there will be more opportunities in the future, though I am not taking anything at the moment. I am, however, still very slowly working on another backstrap weaving project. I will have to take progress photos to share again soon! It is still a little fantasy of mine to buy a table top rigid heddle loom. I am trying to save my pennies with that wish in mind. Until then, there are still lots of needlework projects keeping me busy, too.