Featured Textile

The Gallery is a showcase for things created by Northern Califonia weavers, spinners, dyers and basket makers.  Do you have a work of your own, or know of someone’s work that you believe should be here to inspire the world?  Send it to us! A click on any of the thumbnail photos below will bring up the full size photo for your viewing pleasure.

June 2010

Aiko Kobayashi Gray’s tapestries use plain weave in two techniques, weft face and a balanced weave. Aiko’s loom is a simple wood frame which she scores at top and bottom for warp placement. No cartoon is used but Aiko does start with a general idea of theme and then adds color and materials. The materials range from handspun wool to synthetics in a variety of sizes. Aiko hopes to convey a sense of movement of air, wind, smell, sound or music. To learn more about Aiko, who is a member of the Diablo Weavers Guild, visit her website: www.aikokobayashi.com

April 2010

Patty Townsend of the Loom and Shuttle Guild made this painted silk table runner. “I used Alchemy Silken Straw as warp & weft in the top layer. The weave structure is Swedish lace, and it served as a canvas for hand painting afterwards. The piece began as a scarf, but I discovered that this particular silk, stunning as it was, did not drape well. Thus, I backed it with a wider piece of silk and it is better suited as a decorative runner instead.”

February 2010

Martha Stanley of the Santa Cruz Handweavers Guild created this piece she calls her “ply split sisal floor doily”. The technique is ply-splitting and Martha used material left over from a project of her mothers.

January 2010

Beryl Moody of the Sacramento guild sent us this photo of her woven shibori scarf.  She writes: “I used soy protein yarns in both warp and weft and a point twill design for the ground cloth in this woven shibori scarf. Soy protein dyes with acid dyes, so I painted the gathered scarf with Lanaset dye and heat set it using steam.  I was quite surprised when I found that the soy protein fiber permanently pleated with the heat.”

September 2009

Pat Stewart of the Loom and Shuttle guild wove this prize winning shawl in fine wool and wool/silk yarns. The top layer of the plain double weave portion is smaller, leaving the offset edges open. The “Wave” motif is woven  as a stitched double cloth.  This shawl was the winner of HGA and Complex Weavers awards at the CNCH Conference in 2008.

July 2009

Mollie Freeman of the Sacramento Guild created this beautifu jacket using a number of different techiniques.  The fabric is cotton and rayon, a painted warp woven in plain weave.  Mollie then used stenciling and a twin needle with her sewing machine to achieve the lovely surface design.