Polish Asymmetrical Basket Weaving

I have always wanted to try basket weaving. Recently a friend  went on a one-day workshop and made a beautiful basket.  I decided to try as well so I enrolled for a one day workshop making a small  asymmetrical basket.  The workshop is held in a wonderful building just outside Durham City: Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and garden.   http://ushaw.org/

Ushaw was founded over 200 years ago to educate students for the Catholic priesthood, the vast estate contains buildings designed by Augustus Pugin and his followers, and is one of the most important examples of Victorian Gothic architecture in the North East. It is now a conference centre, bed and breakfast, offers workshops and beautiful gardens to enjoy.

Aerial view of Ushaw

The one day workshop is run by Jo from Abundant Earth.    The Polish asymmetrical basket is made with a solid wooden base, woven willow sides and a wooden handle.

Jo is a very experienced basket weaver.  They have a lovely Facebook page.
                          https://www.facebook.com/abundantearthdurhamuk/


 I arrived at 9:45 and waited with the other seven workshop participants in the entrance lobby.

The entrance hall to Ushaw College

There was a a lovely walk to the workshop room

The amazing corridors

This is the tutor's basket - she made it yesterday in three hours!  It is beautiful and so evenly woven.  It is made of willow which she cut herself and dried. Then it was soaked for one week for this workshop.

The asymmetrical Polish basket. 

The workshop was in the William Allen gallery and was designed by Edward Pugin.  It was originally the Natural History Museum of the College and now houses visiting exhibitions and is used as an art gallery.

the workshop was held in the William Allen gallery.

The art work was for sale. There was a display of work  from Jo our tutor.

Display of work by the tutor for sale

Here is my base for the basket.  I had to choose 27 willow rods.

My base

Jo demonstrated how to make the base of the basket. It always looks so easy when an expert is demonstrating.

Jo demonstrating how to begin

the first round

One round complete

Here is my finished base.  I have attached all the upright willow rods and I am about to start the weaving.

I finished the base

I wove about four inches and then it was time for lunch.  I used two colours of willow.

After the morning session

We had our lunch in the Parlour,. This room was originally for the professors so that they could dine away from the students.  It was designed by Edward Pugin.

The parlour - what an amazing place to have lunch.

This is the refectory which is open to the public. This room was designed by Edward Pugin and was the dining hall for the students.  The dinners were eaten in silence. It is now Divines Tearoom and is very popular.

This is the refectory next door

Another view of our dining room.  I have never dined at such a large table with these  amazing candlesticks.

Another view of our lunch room

Back to work in the afternoon.

Weaving one side

Weaving the second side

By four o'clock we had all finished our baskets.  Mine is a bit wonky - but it is supposed to be asymmetrical.

my finished basket 

I had a wonderful day.  It was so absorbing although my fingers are quite sore. Bending willow rods is hard work.

It was really lovely to try a new craft. I have always wanted to try basket weaving.

book reprint

STOP PRESS!      Reprint

This lovely book by Barbro Wallin was first published in 2012. It has been unavailable for some time.   Barbro informed me that it has just been reprinted!

Here is a description of the beautifully illustrated book. It is in Swedish but the diagrams make it easy to understand.

This beautifully illustrated book is published by the Zorn Museum in Mora, Sweden. It is in Swedish but the band patterns are clearly set out. Barbro has carefully recorded the bands that she has woven over many years.  The bands are woven on a Swedish band loom using coloured heddles to choose the pattern threads.  The bands use a threading which has three background threads in between each pattern thread.

When I visited Sweden a number of years ago, I met Barbro.  She is a lovely lady, and a very skilled weaver and teacher.  She let me try her loom - although I was not very successful!  Her band records are filed neatly and are so meticulous. It puts me to shame.

She was generous with her time and took me to see some of the nearby sights as well as a guided tour of the museum.

Here are some of the samples that she kindly gave to me.  It is a real privilege to have some of her own woven bands.

Two samples given to me by Barbro

Here is her Facebook page about this type of weaving.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Product-Service/Moraband-Barbro-Wallin-581287432018528/.                          

Do check out my Facebook page for pictures of the Sami winter Market in Jokkmokk. The market is open for three days but earlier in the week there are a number of handcraft exhibitions which open on Monday. 

Happy Weaving for 2020.

Susan J Foulkes  February 2020

The Eternal Knot

There are many interpretations of the Eternal Knot.

It is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism.

It represents the intertwining of wisdom and compassion.

Giving a gift of the endless knot is said to make an auspicious connection between the giver and recipient. It represents eternal love and friendship and the linking of past and present.

I have woven some lovely silk bookmarks using this ancient symbol. They make very special presents.

The Eternal Knot is used in Chinese fabrics. Here are two examples. 

Can you see the difference in the knots? One is a mirror image of the other. The crossing points for the circle shapes are different. 

Here is an example.  I bought this brooch in France. I have taken a photograph with the brooch reflected in a mirror. You see how the image differs from the actual brooch.  The reflected cross over point is different.

The brooch and its reflection

Other examples of the Eternal Knot.  This picture shows a pavement in a Chinese garden.

Here are two small jewellery pendants.

I wove a narrow silk band for the brooch.

Here is the pattern so that you can weave your own Eternal Knot.

pattern chart for the Eternal Knot with 21 pattern threads.

This pattern has 21 pattern threads.

If you are using a standard heddle, remember that the centre pattern thread should be threaded through a hole. For the first pick at the bottom of the chart you should raise your heddle.

If you are using an inkle loom then the centre pattern thread should be a heddled thread. The heddled threads should be on the top layer when you start to weave.


Happy Weaving

An Inspirational Wall Hanging

When I first gained the luxury of a dedicated weaving room 20 years ago, I wanted something inspirational to hang on the wall.  I saw a lovely silk hanging in a cafe in a converted old mill in Lancashire. It celebrated the past history of the mill and I thought that I would love a smaller version. I contacted the maker and we worked together to make a picture.  Here it is, although it has faded a little over time.

Illustrated are all the implements for weaving as well as weave patterns.  I also wanted some sayings on it.  I used the one she had used on the original hanging which is a quote from Longfellow.

'As the weaver plied the shuttle wove she too the mystic rhyme,

And the smith his iron measures, hammered to the anvil's chime,

Praising God whose boundless wisdom makes the flowers of poesy bloom,

In the forge's dust and cinders, in the tissues of the loom.'

A close up of the top of the hanging.

The quote  in the centre is from Virgil.

'As each has set up the loom, so shall follow the labour and fortune of it.'

The final quote is from Pliny the Younger.

'Create something and perfect it and it will be yours forever.'

This final quote I used in my Schiffer book, Weaving Patterned Bands, utilising a slightly different translation.

I love this hanging and it is a constant delight.

Happy New Year to you all.

Susan J Foulkes

Weaving for Christmas

Making Christmas tree decorations from woven narrow bands.

Three Christmas tree decorations.

Instructions.

You will need
a narrow woven band
9 beads and two small beads.

First weave a narrow band approximately 45 cm in length.

You can adjust the length of the 'branches' of the tree as you make the band rather than deciding the length before you start. Different sizes of bead will also alter the overall length of band required.

Step by step instructions

Equipment needed

1.  You will need:
 a length of woven band, two sizes of bead, scissors, long needle, thread.

measuring and placing a dot on the fabric

2.  Make a small fold at one end of the band. Measure along the band and place a dot with a pen at these intervals.

7 cm, 6.5 cm, 5.5 cm, 4 cm, 4.5 cm, 4 cm, 3 cm, 2.5 cm

the bottom of the tree decoration

3.  Fold the band. take the needle and thread through the first dot and then through the folded end of the band. Thread the needle through the larger bead and then the smaller bead. 

The first two beads in place

4.  Take the thread through the layers of the woven band and the two beads. Then thread the needle through the larger bead and back through the band.  This secures the bottom of the tree decoration.

Fastening the yarn with a secure knot.

5. Now fasten the yarn securely.

Adding more beads

6.  Take the needle through the third large bead, then the next dot on the band and finally the next bead.

7.  Continue until you reach the final bead.  Thread a small bead as well at the top of the tree.

Securing the top.

8.  Secure the top beads in the same way as the bottom two beads by taking the thread back through the larger bead.

Finishing the top 

9.  Take the thread back through the top two beads.

10.  Make a loop and tie securely.  This is the hanging loop for the tree decoration.

11. Finally, trim the thread. Trim the woven band.  Use Fray Check to stop the band unravelling.
The decoration is finished.

Seasons Greetings to everyone and best wishes for a peaceful New Year.

Susan J Foulkes  December 2019

Braids 2019

I have just returned from Braids 2019 in Japan.  It was a wonderful conference with amazing and creative people.  I tried to write daily posts on my Facebook page so do check it out if you want to see some of the activities that took place.

https://www.facebook.com/sue.foulkes.5

The Conference Proceedings and the Exhibition catalogue are wonderful. The Conference Proceedings will be available on the Braid Society web page once everyone is back and sorted.

The exhibition was one of the most interesting and beautifully displayed I have seen. The exhibition was open all week and was inside an old school for the children of Samurai. This traditional house was an elegant backdrop for all of the craft examples on display.

The Sukodo

One of the interlinking rooms

I have not yet had time to fully unpack all my things from Japan.  I managed to buy a couple of examples of traditional belts as well as a number of examples of sanada-himo bands.

  I will be writing a more comprehensive blog about Japan later.

At Braids 2019, I taught a workshop about weaving messages on narrow bands. I used the double slotted heddle with 9 pattern slots but the lettering can be done on an inkle loom as well.

Some of my wonderful class concentrating very hard. 

New Book

This is my new book published with Blurb and available as an ebook for IPad or Kindle devices.

new book 

This book gives the patterns for letters and an alphabet for use with 9 pattern threads. It is designed for weavers who have already tried pick up band weaving on the double slotted heddle, the standard heddle or an inkle loom and who do not need the basic instructions.  There are 36 pages in full colour.


Happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  November 2019