Weaving

Materials Needed:

*Spool of twine

*Styrofoam tray

*Scraps of thread, yarn, cloth, straw, etc.

*Scissors

*Pencil

This project is for creating pattern and design through weaving.

I began by measuring on the shorter edges of my tray ¼”. While my tray was facing up, I tilted the tray so that one of the shorter raised sides was flat on the table, and the rest of the tray tilted at a 45-degree angle into the air. I placed the ruler on the edge of the tray that was against the table and marked with a pencil at every ¼” until there was no more room on the tray. I repeated that process on the other shorter side of the tray (the opposite side). I then took my scissors and cut at each marking in at about ¼”.

Once both sides were cut at the marks, I measured some twine. I took one end of the twine and unwound it from the spool until it becomes two arms lengths long, and cut the twine. I then tied a knot at one of the ends in the twine, leaving a couple inches extra. I inserted the twine into one of the end slits in the tray I had cut earlier. After the twine was inserted (with the knot facing outside the tray) I stretched the twine lengthwise across the try and inserted the twine into the adjacent slit directly across from the first slit. I then insert the twine into the slit directly next to the slit I just put it into, and then stretch it across the tray again and repeat the process. It should be like zig-zagging the twine across the tray until you have many straight lines across the tray, filling each slit. Knot the end of the twine and tighten so that it is flush with the outside of the tray.

Once the tray was all strung, I then picked out pieces and scraps of cloth that had a similar color scheme with one another, but contrasted enough to be separate from one another. I also picked out thick pieces of straw-like materials that are possibly used for making wicker furniture, as well as leather strips, and grass.

I then decided on the pattern that the weave was going to have and the order that the pieces of materials would be in. Working from left to right, I took the first piece and started by putting it over the first strand of twine, under the second, over the third, etc. The next piece was the grass piece. I did the same thing as the piece of cloth, but continued to the next row with the grass without stopping. I then took the piece of wicker and inserted under some piece of twine, and over a couple, in a random, yet woven fashion. I added two more pieces of wicker, each going in between the rows of the grass. Once those were put into place, I added another row of fabric, and then I added the leather. The leather, I started like the other rows by putting it over and under the strands of twine, but with an added step. I would put it over the first strand, under the second strand and loop it around to go under that second strand again before continuing to go on top of the next strand. I repeated this pattern until the woven piece was finished.

Once there was no more space left on the Styrofoam loom, it was time to take the woven piece off. During the whole process, the pieces of material have been hanging loosely as a frayed edge on the sides. I took these loose edges and tied them to one another. I did not tie the pieces of wicker because they were too thick and were woven tightly enough that they would stay put. I also took the extra twine hanging from each end and tied it to a loop in the piece (it can be anywhere). I added two more pieces of wicker on each of the ends by pushing them through underneath the end pieces of cloth. After everything was tied, I carefully removed the twine from the slits in the tray.

From this project, I learned about different ways of weaving. I was completely opened up and put outside the box on this project. When I thought about weaving before, it was simply straight forward – the traditional over and under. With this project, I realized I could put in loops and various other materials, such as wicker straw, cloth, grass, etc. This made me realize the possibilities and textures that could be created through traditional weaving to make any given piece unique and new.