We've been busy this week weaving lots of new samples for when we can all come back to the studio. We're working a lot with plain weave (over and under every warp thread). Plain weave is the most basic weave, but it's also the most stable, and has a lot of scope to make lots of exciting fabrics. Here we've experiemnted with crammed and dented fabrics, as well as collapse weave.
First on our list was cramming and denting. This is a technique where you create lots of differet densities in the fabric, meaning some areas are very dense and provide structure, whereas others are loose, and the yarn can move around quite freely. This creates a really beautiful, textured fabric, with lots of movement.
As cramming and denting is based on plainweave, it's a great way to develop the technqiues from tapestry weaving, and can easily be done on a rigid heddle loom, or a two shaft loom.
We also experimented with a form of collapse weave. By putting two fibres together- one inactive and the other active. The active yarn is one which will shrink when washed. Silk, mohair or wool will work. Inactive fibres include viscose, cotton, linen. When these two types of yarn are combined, they will shrink at different rates, giving you a collpased fabric. This type of fabric is also based on plainweave, and by using an open weave, will give the fabric room to collapse and shrink. We've pictured our samples below before they've been washed, and keep you updated as to how they turn out.
As always, stay safe, stay creative and stay in touch,
The Loom Room x
