Weaving involves straight, parallel, and gridlike lines, but as Norma Smayda shows, ondule-weaving with curving warp threads-offers new directions. This is the first book on ondule textiles, and includes clear information on every aspect, from instructions to design tips to a comprehensive history of the fan reed, the tool that makes ondule possible. Smayda shares the details of her own learning experiences with numerous ondule warps in a variety of fibers. More than 180 color photos also feature stunningly beautiful work by five other contemporary and two twentieth-century weavers, plus intriguing historic Japanese textiles. Also included are sections on weft ondule, designing a fan or hybrid reed, and the thought processes behind twenty-one of the featured projects, including drafts. This reference will serve as foundation and inspiration for your ondule weaving.

This book features the original sample collection and handwritten drafts of the talented, early 20th century weaver, Bertha Gray Hayes of Providence, Rhode Island. She designed and wove miniature overshot patterns for four-harness looms that are creative and unique. The book contains color reproductions of 72 original sample cards and 20 recently discovered patterns, many shown with a picture of the woven sample, and each with computer-generated drawdowns and drafting patterns. Her designs are unique in their asymmetry and personal in her use of name drafting to create the designs. Bertha Hayes attended the first nine National Conferences of American Handweavers (1938-1946). She learned to weave by herself through the Shuttle-Craft home course and was a charter member of the Shuttle-Craft Guild, and authored articles on weaving.