November 2022 Newsletter Archive - A Weaving for a Friend

Hi friends,

I wanted to share with you a commission I finished recently. A weaving for Janine, my good friend from college:

Photo of Artist in front of Handwoven Tapestry

I started this project March of 2022 and didn't get around to finishing it until September! (If you missed my last newsletter-- we made a big move to Tiohtià:ke / Montréal in May!)

This commission was a first in many ways -- my first woven commission, first tapestry, and a very different style and color-palette than what I normally work with.

It was made on a frame-loom I received during a beginner tapestry workshop with Ruth Jones in Feb 2020. I designed the pattern in Stitch Fiddle to use as my template. As you can see, the final result was much more squished vertically than what I had planned for. I made up for the lost height with a long fringe at the bottom! I designed this with my fiber collection in mind so that I wouldn't have to source any more materials. It was strangely satisfying to finally be able to use up some of the yarns that have been with me for many years (since my days of crocheting blankets for my mom-friends)!

I tried out a technique called Pibione Tapestry weaving, where you wrap yarn around dowels to create a rug-like pile. I decided to only use it at the top and bottom of the weaving as it was too time-and-yarn-consuming to use for the whole project!

Starting a project gives me quite a bit of anxiety but finishing it (i.e. preparing for display) -- even more so! I used a willow branch (leftover from Spring pruning in our "backyard") to hang the weaving from. On the back, I hand-stitched a piece of fabric to cover up the messy parts, hehe This worked out well because I wanted to stitch Janine's name and my name on it too! The fabric on the back was gifted by my friend, April, a fellow fiber artist and warrior of chronic illness whom I met on Instagram.

I think a lot of the anxiety is a result of not accounting for the extra time it takes to start and finish a project. So I took it slow this time. Don't assume I learned my lesson though ;)

If you were wondering about the cost of this commission it was $500 CAD + shipping to the US.

Next Commission

I have started another weaving commission for another friend using ribbons from her grandmother's wedding outfit that were about to get thrown away until she thought of me.

If you have any questions about commissions and my process, contact me here!

Love,

ShreyasiDas