Study in Stripes

During a bit of a creative rut, I was speaking to my mom about how to get myself un-stuck… She suggested that I find a way to come back to the basics of weaving. I first thought of plain weave, of course, and then colour variation as one of the simplest ways that one could bring visual interest to a textile… which then brought me to stripes. Stripes, even in plain weave, can be interesting and beautiful and somehow feel both extremely modern and ancient. So I challenged myself to use stripes as my guideline while working with the materials I had on hand: second-hand slightly damaged undyed cotton, mohair from my friend’s company, vintage cream coloured wool from another weaver who wasn’t using it anymore, a second hand nubby natural cotton, and a few undyed linen and cotton ends leftover in small quantities from previous projects. 

This piece is the result - four panels each exploring stripe through the weaving process. Some stripes only appear through a slight difference in texture, parts raising up on the fabric; others are fully integrated into the warp through colour changes. There are also vertical stripes created by the lack of thread with the negative space creating columns. 

For me, these four panels come together perfectly in a beautiful balance of pattern and form.

Woven on Essie, my small table loom, in October 2022.

Dimensions:

117 cm x 208 cm, including fringe

Brass rod : 122 cm

Materials:

Solid brass rod

Cotton, linen, mohair, wool