Tag: Texas hill country

Handwoven Monksbelt Receives Favorite Award!

Karen

I decided to make another visit this week to the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center gallery in Kerrville, Texas that is exhibiting some of my fiber fine art. And I am greeted by a pleasant surprise:

Joseph’s Coat receives “People’s Choice” Award for Fiber Fine Art.

When you want people to enjoy seeing what you enjoy making, there’s nothing better than being awarded “People’s Choice!”

Humbly grateful,
Karen

My Favorite Handwovens on Display

Karen

Five of my favorite handwoven works are on display in a local exhibit. The Southwest Gourd and Fiber Fine Art Show is the current exhibit (through July 1) at the Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville, Texas. This is a competitive show featuring artists from across the US. Steve made beautiful wooden hanging and mounting devices for my pieces. Winter Window is a double-binding rag rug that is displayed as a wall hanging. I thoroughly enjoyed the design process for this rag rug, so I am happy that Winter Window received a Judge’s Special Award.

Southwest Gourd and Fiber Fine Art Show at Kerr Arts and Cultural Center in Kerrville, Texas.
Light as Air Lace
Draped Lace in Three-Shaft Lace Weave
Warp: Linen
Weft: Linen
Christmas Snowflakes Triptych
Banners in Six-Shaft Irregular Satin, Drawloom 30 pattern shafts, 148 single units
Warp: Linen/Cotton blend
Weft: Linen
Joseph’s Coat
Wall Hanging in Four-Shaft Swedish Monksbelt
Warp: Cotton
Weft: Wool and Cotton
Winter Window
Rag Rug in Four-Shaft Double Binding
Warp: Cotton
Weft: Cotton fabric strips
Eye of the Beholder
Pictorial Tapestry in Four-Shaft Rosepath
Warp: Linen
Weft: Wool and Linen
Artist Reception and Awards evening. Winter Window receives a Judge’s Special Award.

If you hang a rag rug on the wall it becomes fine art. And I’m ok with that.

May others enjoy seeing what you enjoy making.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Weaving a Few Critters

Karen

I am imagining Texas hill country critters (and birds) that will make their way onto the family napkins I’m getting ready to weave. I am thinking of an armadillo, a jack rabbit, a gray fox, a roadrunner, a Texas longhorn, a Texas spiny lizard, a black-chinned hummingbird, and a few more. Designing each image for the drawloom is fun. Just wait till you see the armadillo!

All the pattern heddles have been threaded.

Preparation makes way for imaginative creativity. This is why I enjoy all the drawloom prep.

Six ground shafts hang in front of the pattern heddles for threading. Heddles on the ground shafts are long-eye heddles, which make threading a breeze.
Threading ground shafts is almost complete. I will move the six shafts to the front of the loom to hang from the countermarch. After that, I can start positioning the pattern shafts. And then…weaving those critters!

Everything we do today is preparing for something tomorrow. Enjoy today. Look forward to tomorrow.

What critters (or birds) would you include if you were designing these napkins? Tell us in the comments!

May your creativity soar in relation to your diligent preparations.

Happy weaving,
Karen

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Tapestry with No Intention to Hurry

Karen

I call it Figs and Coffee, but the figs and the coffee are barely recognizable at this point. The image will make sense when it is complete. In the meantime, I am continually intrigued by the fascinating interplay of colors. You can expect me to keep adding to the tapestry until it is complete. It’s nice to not be in a hurry.

Warping slat hangs from the ends of the beater and sits below the warp. The suspended slat keeps the cartoon right under the warp. I use a quilter’s clip on each side to hold the cartoon in exact position.
Every time I advance the warp I examine the positioning of the cartoon to make sure it matches up with marks I have made on the warp in key places.
Regular stops to step back and see if I need to make color or contrast adjustments keeps me on track. Thus, the need to backtrack and undo rows of weaving is infrequent.
Corner window setting for this hand-built loom reinforces my intention to not be in a hurry.

May you keep moving toward completion.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Snow in Springtime at the Drawloom

Karen

This Myrehed combination drawloom continually fascinates me. It’s all about raising and lowering threads in a purposeful way. Pulling pattern-shaft draw handles for the borders is the easy part. The single units in the body of the towel, however, capture my focused attention. Consistent precision—that’s the secret to completion.

Single units of threads are raised by placing draw cords on the hook bar. The black cords and white cords are arranged in groups of ten. I mentally split each group of ten so I am focusing on five single units at a time.w
Side borders use fifteen pattern shafts. Each pattern-shaft draw handle raises units of threads across the warp. That enables me to pull handles for the pattern that shows up on both the right and left borders.

This second towel in the Snowfake series continues the theme of softly falling snow. Meanwhile, Texas bluebonnets, wine cups, varied bright yellow daisy-type flowers, and mealy blue sage are springing up through hard ground all over our backyard. And Thursday morning I spotted the first gaillardia bloom—previewing the next wave of color.

Texas bluebonnets were the first flowers to burst into bloom.
Myrehed Combination drawloom enables me to combine pattern shafts (8 draw handles are pulled here) and single units (several draw cords are pulled in this picture) in a single project. I truly enjoy all the variables!

I am acutely aware that you may be experiencing a lingering cold season, and may even yet have snow on the ground. I’m not just referring to weather and flowers. Real-life struggles. Let me assure you that spring is coming. Have faith in the one who raised Jesus from the dead. Your faith captures the Lord’s attention. He brings new life out of hard ground. And the white of falling snowflakes remains a pleasant reminder of his grace. For all who call on the name of Jesus, the grace of his forgiveness falls over us to make us clean, as white as softly falling snow.

May you see signs of new life.

Happy spring weaving,
Karen