I've been listening to this theme song these days: His Eye is on the Sparrow. My plan is to make another tapestry bird, this time a female house sparrow. I've spun the colours I need: the two colours from my ryeland jacket, plus some dark brown ryeland wool donated by a friend for this project and a bit of yellowish white from my stash for a patch by the eye.
My starting point was the robin pattern but there are lots of shape differences that I'm incorporating: longer neck, shorter wings, thicker beak, different head shape. The pattern is evolving gradually. I'm going to try to apply the wires to the tail after weaving. I think I've found a good way to render the beak and leg colour with brown water tape.
Before I can begin to weave I still need to do some detailed sketches to observe the placement and shapes of the markings.
I needed to blend and spin a little bit more of the orange yarn from the dyed combed tops (Shown here with the other colours: white shropshire, and brown and tawny-grey ryeland).
I learned a lot from the first robin and used the same pattern to re-create it. The improvements I included were a better formed eye opening, tiny shaping changes, and simplified edges.
Finished weaving.
I clipped the holding threads to remove it from the backing.
I sewed the dark beads tightly against the inside of the eye openings and darned in any threads on the outside. I fastened a bit of heavy interfacing against the ends of the wire supports to keep them from poking through the weaving. It was then ready to assemble.
I fastened in the paper beak and wire legs, stitched up the seams and mounted it.
Weaving using my hand spun yarn was fun. I'm still refining the length of legs, size of wire feet and perching position. I have a long list of improvements I would incorporate in the next one.
A few years ago I made my first tapestry. I learned a lot and enjoyed it, mostly: it's fun weaving the image but boring weaving the background. Lately, for the guild challenge "Country Garden" I wondered if I could weave a 3D robin. That way I could have the fun bit and dispense with the background!
My starting point was what I learned from making my sheep (all-in-one-piece sheep experiment). I made sketches of a robin in the local museum and found lots of web photos and a couple of Christmas cards. I made a series of graph paper models as I gradually refined the pattern.
As the idea came together I made a toile out of felt, colouring the pieces with watercolour pencils. I experimented with embedded bead eyes, a rolled up paper beak, and wire legs.
I jotted adjustments on the pattern.
Then I gathered my colours and wove a sample. From this I learned that it is not workable to use pin weaving to create such small curving shapes, so I decided to use holding stitches on a stiff background instead (this is a needle lace method). I figured out how to make the holes for the eyes and embed wire for stiffening the wings and tail.
The cartoon (weaving pattern) has the shape of the pieces, the marks for where pieces will join when they are sewn up, the positions of the warp threads, the colour areas, and the places where the colours will have sharp divisions (thin dark lines) or blend into each other (thick dark lines).
I began to attach the warp. I used lace-making tape around some edges because it is fine and stable. This will serve as a "seam allowance" and save me having to weave bulky extensions.
I scaled up the pattern and made two more sheep to use up all the off cuts from the jacket project. Each has her own personality.
I got an idea for using up the trimmings from my finished jacket. I could use the turkish carpet knot I've been waiting to try. So I made a little paper model of a ryeland sheep (That is the kind of wool I need to use up; better be authentic, right?).
Then I made a graph paper weaving pattern and pinned it ready for warping.
Warped it up.
Wove it. The head needed to woven first, then unpinned and pulled out of the way to make room to warp the front legs.
Took it off the loom.
Assembled it inside out.
Turned it right side out. Possibly I made the pile a bit too long?!
Sheared it.
Fulled it and brushed the fleece. Stuffed it and added ears and features. It's 7 cm (2.75 in) tall. Quite successful, but I'll make the next one a bit bigger.
Years ago at a college weaving class I described to the instructor that I would make an even-weave scarf with a tapestry section near each end. She discouraged me from that combination because the two structures are incompatible. Each structure needs a different sett for the same width of fabric. Tapestry needs more room between the warp threads to pack down all those weft threads. I compromised by doing an embroidered design on that scarf, but I never really gave up on the idea of combining the two structures in one piece.
Now I have discovered a way to do it. I was using doubled crochet cotton as my warp and weft. What if I used just one strand of each warp thread in a tapestry section? That would make the sett appropriate for both structures. The first attempt was a square on the side of a tiny purse. I played with two-colour weave, alternating the colours every 8 picks to make a checkerboard pattern.
I now have another project ready to go. This one will have a tapestry stripe all the way around the purse. You can see the strip of milk jug plastic which I've inserted between the two strands of the warp threads for the tapestry section. I'll start and end the tapestry section with a row of soumak stitch over both strands of the warp threads. The plastic strip will be sandwiched in between the two strands of warp until I take the piece off the loom. Then I'll slit the tape that holds it together and slide it out. My coloured threads are all pre-cut and I'm looking forward to hours of weaving on a long plane journey!
