New Year - New Project

Happy New Year everyone.

I hope you are all faring well so far in 2012. Here we are fine - apart from the need for a little broken branch dodging as we drive in and out we have survived the winter intact so far.

I have a new project which I had intended to start before Christmas. It is a wallhanging based on this photograph of Sheffield Park Gardens.

Once I started gathering the materials I decided that I needed a wider range of greens. I am using mainly Weavers Bazaar yarns with some silk/cotton slubs from texere. I sent some little green squares off to the girls at Weavers Bazaare and the yarns arrived just a few days before Christmas.

Here they are all gathered together.

The wools are in the basket and the silks on the cones. I will use a blend of 5 strands.

This project is a challenge for me in more ways than one. It is a commission which means I have to stay within my brief and lot let my finished piece veer too much away from the original design. Although I usually start with a design I do quite often change colours, textures and sometimes the design as weaving progresses.

This piece will be hung in a place where it is intended it should capture and reflect natural light. The idea for this came from this practice piece which incorporates a few silky yarns and strands of heat patinated beaten copper. Copper strands will be added to this once the weaving is completed.

The bigger challenge is that this will be the first major piece which I will weave on its side. I usually work 'right way up' - that is with the front facing me and weaving from the bottom up. In this case there are lots of verticals in the trees which mean it will be better woven on its side.

Here is the loom warped up with my design sheet showing under the warps.

Instead of using a sketch or cartoon under the warps I am using the photograph enlarged.

Warps are fine cotton warp at 8epi. I have used similar warp but this is a new one which is a little stiffer. I hope this will help the hanging keep its shape when hung despite the added weight of the copper.

Now I'm ready to start weaving.....so watch this space.