Almost all fabrics, whether woven or knitted, are produced from spun thread. However, this thread or yarn, produced by the spinning operation, either by a hand spinner using the simplest drop spindle or spinning wheel, or spun on the latest automated spinning frame, is rarely in a form suitable to be used immediately for producing a fabric. A broad range of tasks must be undertaken before the actual fabric production is reached. "Yarn Preparation" is concerned with the preparation of yarns which have been spun from staple fibres, and describes the post-spinning processes prior to fabric manufacture, such as yarn doubling, winding and spinning. Covers the operations to consider when producing a fabric by even the most basic of techniques. The information on basic processes, machinery and equipment should assist those people involved in the production of fabrics by showing ways to improve the quality to the end product. Includes a list of suppliers, sources of further information and a reading list. This is a valuable book which fills the need for a practical manual specifically about yarn preparation. Much has been published about the main textile areas of yarn manufacture and fabric production (both weaving and knitting), because yarn preparation tends to be a series of link operations, there have been very few books specifically directed to this area of processing. The "Small-Scale Textiles" series aims to present basic information about all aspects of small-scale textile manufacture from raw rmaterials to finished products, and will be of use to fieldworkers, development agencies, and those starting small-scale manufacture or attempting to improve or extend manufacture.

For over one thousand years, velvet textiles were woven by hand with great ingenuity and artistry. This book recounts a transcontinental story of their development into one of the most beautiful, luxurious, and economically important products of the medieval and Renaissance periods, in constant demand at courts throughout Europe and Asia. Velvet expert Landry offers a consistent theory of the origin and spread of this weaving technique and the technological innovations that accompanied it. She draws from her lengthy personal expertise as a practicing weaver and scholar, examining, analyzing, and engaging in the techniques and technologies in order to excavate the intrinsic ideas and knowledge embedded in the craft of velvet weaving. The instructions feature techniques and equipment accessible to ordinary handweavers and introduce ways to attain complex results without complex equipment. This will be a valuable resource for weavers, textile scholars, and curators for years to come.

The craft of fingerweaving is becoming a lost art. This great "how-to" book contains comprehensive instructions and wonderful color photos that show all there is to know about fingerweaving. Traditional Indian patterns, weaving techniques and materials, beginner to advanced weaving projects, historical photos, and more.

Walter Turpening has been designing and perfecting seating for crafters and artistic creators (particularly weavers, knitters, handspinners, and musicians) for 20-plus years. His signature cotton-cord, curved, woven seats on fine woodworked frames are sought after by crafters, and he operates on an average two-year waiting list. He has also been teaching his techniques for many years, and this book is a compilation of his design journal and instructions for his methods, including the wooden furniture designs and weaving designs, plus his methods for measuring the recipient and their intended end use of the furniture for perfect ergonomic comfort. At 73 years young, it is Walt's desire to share his treasury of knowledge for the benefit of woodworkers and crafters.

What better way to welcome that precious, tiny new person than with a luxurious, handwoven blanket! These beautiful, colourful designs will appeal to today's contemporary moms, as well as lovers of traditional weaves. More than 30 snuggly cosy projects for baby. Plain weaves and fancy weaves, for everyday or special occasions. How to choose the best materials. Projects for both 4 harness and 8 harness looms.

Once ideas and images come to mind, the next step in weaving your tapestry-interpreting these into effective compositions-may be challenging. Learn here, in ways that relate specifically to tapestry art, the design basics you need to make your best work. Renowned master weaver Scanlin offers more than 60 step-by-step "explorations" that lead you from understanding design concepts in your head to using them on your loom. Be inspired to explore "weavable" ways to manage line, shape, color, texture, emphasis, balance, rhythm, and more for results that bring your tapestries to a new level. In Part 1, dive into the fundamentals of design. Parts 2 and 3 hold explorations-exercises with a tapestry twist. Part 4 teaches ways to turn designs into cartoons. A resource treasure trove offers ideas for finishing tapestries (essential to the design's completeness), helpful templates, glossaries, and other core information to carry forward on your creative path.

Create twenty practical and stunning basketry projects for your home and garden. Author Sylvie Begot uses coloured cane to bring this enduring, traditional craft right up to date. She uses simple techniques that are clearly explained through step-by-step photographs and instructions. Anyone can create one of these basketry projects - no special skills are required, and the baskets can be made at home.

This easy, accessible, and fun approach to basket making offers instructions for 18 beautiful and useful baskets. Beginning with simple basket designs and progressing to more-advanced techniques, you build new skills with each project. Follow along from one to the next, or jump ahead to the more advanced baskets to expand your intermediate skills. The practical projects include a market basket, square-to-round storage basket, spiral twill basket, catch-all bathroom basket, cat-head bowl, and many others. Instructions for adding embellishments, color, and shaping are included to help new basketmakers turn a project into a personal treasure. A chart for designing your own market baskets in six different sizes is invaluable, and photos of work by today's top basketmakers serve as inspiration. This book is the ideal guide for anyone interested in learning to make handbuilt baskets.

In the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, a large indigenous population lives in rural communities, many of which retain traditional forms of governance. In 1996, some 350 women of these communities formed a weavers' cooperative, which they called Jolom Mayaetik. Their goal was to join together to market textiles of high quality in both new and ancient designs. Weaving Chiapas offers a rare view of the daily lives, memories, and hopes of these rural Maya women as they strive to retain their ancient customs while adapting to a rapidly changing world. Originally published in Spanish in 2007, this book captures firsthand the voices of these Maya artisans, whose experiences, including the challenges of living in a highly patriarchal culture, often escape the attention of mainstream scholarship. Based on interviews conducted with members of the Jolom Mayaetik cooperative, the accounts gathered in this volume provide an intimate view of women's life in the Chiapas highlands, known locally as Los Altos. We learn about their experiences of childhood, marriage, and childbirth; about subsistence farming and food traditions; and about the particular styles of clothing and even hairstyles that vary from community to community. Restricted by custom from engaging in public occupations, Los Altos women are responsible for managing their households and caring for domestic animals. But many of them long for broader opportunities, and the Jolom Mayaetik cooperative represents a bold effort by its members to assume control over and build a wider market for their own work. This English-language edition features color photographs - published here for the first time - depicting many of the individual women and their stunning textiles. A new preface, chapter introductions, and a scholarly afterword frame the women's narratives and place their accounts within cultural and historical context.

Designed for modern makers looking for a book that will continue to inspire them as their skill grows. Lindsey Campbell, the weaver behind the popular blog and brand Hello Hydrangea, teaches more than 30 techniques plus 17 stylish projects for beginners to intermediate-level weavers. With 400+ detailed photos, Campbell offers just the right blend of learning, encouragement, and great weaving results. An easy tutorial helps you make your own loom that can be used to complete each project. Learn basic terms and skills for beginner weavers, such as warp and weft, and how to keep your sides straight. Sections on intermediate techniques and concepts, such as patterns and how to add embellishments, give you room to grow your skills. Weave 17 projects meant to inspire ongoing creativity, from simple practice tapestries to woven projects such as a necklace and (yes) a chandelier.

Maria Lai (1919-2003), the influential Sardinian artist whose work draws on the rich history and traditions of her native land, created multimedia works that explore community, religion, and folklore. This book, the catalogue for a show in Sardinia, presents nearly 70 works, most previously unseen, related to the extraordinary Via Crucis (Way of the Cross) series that Maria Lai created in 1981 and which she donated to the parish of Ulassai, her birthplace. Maria Lai's artistic endeavour is strongly defined by a mix of secular and religious spirituality: the work presented in this volume reveal her idea of "making art" as something that must respond to the essential questions of mankind and the meaning of existence.

A colorful guided tour from an expert, enabling weavers, textile lovers, and art lovers to notice and appreciate what tapestries can do and how they do it. This guide from expert tapestry weaver and historian Sidore gives how-to strategies enabling weavers and nonweavers to notice and appreciate the meaning of these artworks. You'll discover much to enjoy in photos of more than 300 tapestries from the 12th to the 21st centuries. Sidore enables you to think about the weavings in ways you have never before considered as she groups pieces that talk with each other-and that also converse with the viewer. Enjoy learning basic elements of weaving to help you become increasingly sophisticated in understanding what you're seeing. Then, learn seven ways in which tapestries can call attention to themselves as cloth. This eye-opening guide to seeing explains the great range of materials and visual themes, the use of trompe l'oeil, the importance of the direction in which the weaver weaves, and more. After this learning experience, you'll bring smarter eyes to your museum wandering, deeper enjoyment to your collection and purchases, and surprising new skills and creativity to your weaving of fibers . . . and of life.

Modern makers who have learned the basics of weaving can rejoice with this next-steps guide from Lindsey Campbell, the weaver behind the popular blog and brand Hello Hydrangea. Her trademark style, which powers the popularity of her first book, Welcome to Weaving, helps you take your creativity and your enthusiasm to the next level of style. Learn ways to expand your weaving with 11 intermediate to advanced level techniques like draping, deflected double weave, waffle weave, vertical soumak, and more. With 400+ detailed photos, Campbell offers just the right blend of learning, encouragement, and great weaving results. An easy tutorial helps you make your own loom that can be used to complete each project. Weave 13 projects meant to inspire ongoing creativity, including tapestries featuring more advanced methods as well as creations like woven pillows, a vest, and a swoon-worthy rug.

For millennia, Native artists on Olympic Peninsula, in what is now northwestern Washington, have created coiled and woven baskets using tree roots, bark, plant stems--and meticulous skill. "From the Hands of a Weaver" presents the traditional art of basket making among the peninsula's Native peoples--particularly women--and describes the ancient, historic, and modern practices of the craft. Abundantly illustrated, this book also showcases the basketry collection of Olympic National Park.
Baskets designed primarily for carrying and storing food have been central to the daily life of the Klallam, Twana, Quinault, Quileute, Hoh, and Makah cultures of Olympic Peninsula for thousands of years. The authors of the essays collected here, who include Native people as well as academics, explore the commonalities among these cultures and discuss their distinct weaving styles and techniques. Because basketry was interwoven with indigenous knowledge and culture throughout history, alterations in the art over time reflect important social changes.
Using primary-source material as well as interviews, volume editor Jacilee Wray shows how Olympic Peninsula craftspeople participated in the development of the commercial basket industry, transforming useful but beautiful objects into creations appreciated as art. Other contributors address poaching of cedar and native grasses, and conservation efforts--contemporary challenges faced by basket makers. Appendices identify weavers and describe weaves attributed to each culture, making this an important reference for both scholars and collectors.
Featuring more than 120 photographs and line drawings of historical and twentieth-century weavers and their baskets, this engaging book highlights the culture of distinct Native Northwest peoples while giving voice to individual artists, masters of a living art form.