When I first looked at this cloth, I thought I would make it into a simple top or vest with the white bands down the front. I cut the cloth in half and pinned it, and didn’t like it after all. Now what?
I browsed through the pattern books to get a new idea and saw the Triangle Blouse and so just turned the pieces on an angle – and I liked it so much better. So, I made the triangle blouse (SAORI Beginners Clothing design book – pattern 4).
My cloth was not the dimensions given in the book, but I just worked around that. The front is a little longer, the back a little shorter, but in truth it can be worn either way. Easy to make – just 4 seams – shoulders and sides, but a whole different look with the cloth at an angle.
I had a bit of cloth still from this warp and I made it into a simple vest with straps.
I want to share some of the things I’ve made based on some patterns in the SAORI books. I say “based on” as nothing I make follows the pattern exactly. Each cloth, each person and so each piece of clothing is different.
My variation here is using 1 1/2 widths of the cloth I had on hand. I did this so that it would fit without being a short crop top. I put the extra half on the top on the front of the vest and the half width on the bottom at the back (scroll through photos to see). On the neckline, instead of a straight boat neck, I cut the fabric in half again and overlapped it a bit to make a simple open v-neck.
I have no specific measurements for this. It is based on the cloth on hand and on the person.
Easy to make. Colourful. Fun to wear.
I remember being in Hawaii with Kenzo-san as the Beginners book was being considered and his thought of how to encourage people to make their cloth into clothing. And to make it simple. He said “pick your placemats up off the table and sew them together at the shoulders and sides – a Placemat Vest!” So this became the first “pattern” in the book.
Based on SAORI Beginner’s Clothing Design book, pattern 1 with variation
https://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/D15A3745-1FAE-48E1-95A4-CA3A363B7883.jpeg700700Terrihttps://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SAORI-Salt-Spring-logo-1-1030x158.jpgTerri2020-01-21 12:01:512020-01-21 12:01:51Placemat Vest Variation
Lynn Jones – reflections on her Artist in Residency at SAORI Salt Spring – Fall 2016
I was delighted to be the Artist in Residence at SAORI Salt Spring for 3 1/2 days this month. The deciding factor for me was ‘weaving on Salt Spring Island without distraction’! I have a very full life at home. Both of my sons are living with me right now, my hubby, Bob and my (getting very old and grumpy) dog, Wilma. Though I have a ‘studio space’, it is shared. With musical instruments and a family computer and lately, some silver smithing / jewelry making tools. I love the busyness of it all, but it does impede the creative process for me. One thing that I took away from my time on SSI is that I’m best really early in the morning. Always knew that, but never really put it to creative use. So, from this time forward and forever more, I will use the time from waking til 9:00 am to be creative, alone, with my cloth and my babe (draping, shaping, cutting and sewing). I can weave with everyone around, but I can’t improvise with my cloth unless I have some peace and quiet. So, I had time to create…2 pieces I’d woven earlier. A jacket in blues with blue jean sleeves and a tunic woven with fabric from some thrift store finds.
The other amazing experience I had with Terri was the time to collaborate on a weaving. I had ‘scored’ some thrift store silk. 75% off beautiful blue, green, pale yellow, mustard and white silk threads! This was our inspiration.
Though I had a plan for the weaving, it became something completely other! SAORI philosophy tells us to listen to the cloth, not to plan ahead of time, to weave ourselves. So, the plan I had will materialize on some other visit. What Terri and I created was a kelp bed, unintentionally of course . The whole weaving was shared…every piece that went into it, every idea, all the threads. As Terri so beautifully put it, there were no egos. We threw ideas back and forth. We have so many more ideas to put into our future weavings!
It was just as much fun weaving as it was photographing the experience. We had to keep reminding each other to take pictures….. And sometimes we just got silly!
I had time to create in the cottage.
To cook for Terri and Alan. To sip wine and listen to music. Carole King’s Tapestry was my go to cd. How appropriate!!!
I am so very grateful for the experience of being the AiR. Looking forward to annual WOWWWs (weeks of weaving, wondering and wandering) and whatever else comes from my journey into SAORI weaving and it’s never ending possibilities.
I read this quote from Misao one morning: “I am often asked, “What did you do before you started weaving? You must not have been just an ordinary housewife.” Well, when I was twenty five years old, I had a profound experience that opened my eyes. Some would call it a revelation sent by a Supreme Being. Anyway, it turned out to be my work for the rest of my life. In my pursuit of this, I have always been aware that some great, invisible power is within me. Looking back, I see that each small incident I experienced as an ordinary house-wife (mother, sister, banker for me) led me to this path. All the experiences in the past were preparation for what I am now doing. Simply put, everything was leading me to comprehend that kansei (the significance of an intuitive sense of beauty existing inside of us.) is inherent in everyone.”
How appropriate for me to read this while being the AiR.
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I had a great time with Lynn. It was fabulous to collaborate and explore together – so many ideas!
Happy Weaving,
Terri
Next Artist-in-Residence: February 2017 application info tba
My website: www.saorisaltspring.com
Or you can find me more often on Facebook or Instagram.
https://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/AiR9-450x523.jpg523450Terrihttps://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SAORI-Salt-Spring-logo-1-1030x158.jpgTerri2017-01-07 08:06:182020-03-06 17:17:41Artist in Residence (AiR) – Fall 2016
Well, it has been a while since I’ve written. Many things have been happening over this summer and there are pictures on my Facebook page and also on Instagram if you haven’t been following along.
We recently finished 10 full and fantastic days with Loom Dancer Weaving Odysseys (watch the great video at this link for a view of the trip) here on Salt Spring Island…
A great group of enthusiastic women. I always come away from these events with ideas popping! So, after getting much of my studio set up again it was time to try one of them out. I chose bobbins that were left from the retreat – so there is a feeling of that gathering in this piece.
At the retreat, some people were exploring the cool cross and weaving a circle, and I had an idea to try a loop weaving and so I started my exploration into this 3D method that I was imagining…
Front…
Back…
Looks kind of crazy, but it worked as I had hoped and imagined it would. Two panels of weaving joined with loops.
It has become a no-sew top! Some of the loops go over the shoulder as straps and others are the sides. The weaving itself is the front and the back of the top. So fun!
Always something new to try when there is so much inspiration.
Earlier this month I was so happy to host Stacey Piwinski as the Artist-in-Residence at SAORI Salt Spring. When we were setting up the residency, Stacey requested that we go to Pacifica Paddle at the beginning rather than at the end of the residency. She wanted to meet others in this SAORI community and see how that may influence her work during the week at the studio. “We learn from each other”
So, we set up weekend workshops and a SAORI Kai. I had a lot of feedback from people after about how much they were inspired by her presentation of her work and her process. One piece that she shared with us was something she had worked on over the period of two years. She wove a piece each month that reflected her life over that month. The following year in the same month she did more work on that same piece.
We shared with her some of our weavings and clothing design, wall hangings and pieces of cloth. It was all a wonderful start to the residency.
As Stacey was here, she wrote a blog post for every day – documenting the weaving, meetings with people, conversations, places we visited on the island. If you haven’t already seen them, these posts are well worth a read. Lots of photos too!
Stacey worked on different pieces while she was here including one she called “Little Terri” – this piece incorporated a collection of items that I had given her at the beginning of the week. It was jewelry of mine, collected over years, that I didn’t wear anymore.
…a mobius (note that there is no fringe!)
… and a squid vest
She brought me one of her works – that incorporates painting and weaving and it now hangs next to my SAORI Calendar in the studio.
We enjoyed the days, the visitors to the studio and the island…the days went by way too quickly!
For a year now, I’ve been teaching workshops at the beautiful Pacifica Paddle location in Brentwood Bay on Vancouver Island. It is so wonderful to have my looms and supplies there at a ‘satellite studio’ and just come over on the ferry to share SAORI weaving.
Here is a sampling from this weekend.
We arrived on Saturday morning and the weather was a bit misty…
One of the first weavings was in all whites. Stunning!
Then more colour, a lot more colour, crept into the next one.
Some rugs were woven with local wool and alpaca roving. This one for a lucky kitty!
The following day we had a full workshop including members of the Victoria Weaver’s Guild – they were interested in seeing what SAORI was all about and trying the looms out, learning about the philosophy and letting go…
We tried some ripple weave,
feather plying,
And lots of colour and texture.
Marilee was learning to make warps with Kenzo’s new warping tools. It’s kind of like making your own pre-wound warp. Quick and easy to do – and it can all be beamed and threaded right at the table. Or you can use the loom.
A wonderful weekend again.
Thanks to Peter & Sandra for making these workshops possible at their workshop location. And to all who come out. You can always go out for a paddle while you are there – or bring a partner or friend who would like to get out on the water.
Next month there is a workshop on Saturday, March 12 from 10-3 and then a mini-workshop on Sunday, March 13 from 10-12. We will be joined by a special guest – Stacey Piwinski from Boston – who will be the Artist-in-Residence at SAORI Salt Spring that week! Come and meet Stacey and see some of her works from her recent exhibit.
PLUS a SAORI Kai on Sunday, March 13 from 1-3. Please come out, bring your weaving, your questions and share in the joy of SAORI. All are welcome.
https://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/1-1.jpg411400Terrihttps://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SAORI-Salt-Spring-logo-1-1030x158.jpgTerri2016-02-29 16:14:352016-11-28 20:58:36A weekend at Pacifica and an upcoming SAORI Kai
Fall has arrived, cooler weather and a bit of rain – but still beautiful days. The studio is busy with many weavers and a lot of inspiration.
Here is Jane who came to weave a scarf. She brought along some yarns she had chosen and started weaving – she was surprised when she stopped that it was much longer than she anticipated. Now she’s thinking it may become a vest – though it makes a pretty fantastic loooong scarf too!
Judy also came to the studio and did some weaving with some felt pieces from her nuno felting (judithdios.com – worth checking out!) along with some wonderful dyed silk hankies that are so soft and combined this all with some yarn from the studio and other bits and pieces – great colours and texture.
Roiane tried out SAORI for the first time and used some great bright colours, tried a bit of clasped weft and may come back to weave some more tomorrow!
Heidi is weaving a wonderful tapestry that started out with some waves…
…trees have now sprung up in the tapestry and it continues. It has been great to watch this develop!
More weavers coming tomorrow and then on Friday and Saturday too. Watch for more photos.
https://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/roiane.jpg705400Terrihttps://saltspringweaving.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SAORI-Salt-Spring-logo-1-1030x158.jpgTerri2014-09-02 20:11:362017-08-05 16:25:31SAORI in September
It was in 2012 that I started to weave some fabric for our dining room chairs (I didn’t know how long it had been so I looked up my post here!). I used cottolin – a blend of cotton and linen for the weaving and colours that are in our living/dining room.
My original thought was to recover the chairs myself – but they needed rewebbing, new padding and the New Zealand wood was so hard that it was difficult to get the staples out and I would need special tools to get new staples back in.
So the fabric sat and waited….and waited…
Finally – just this past week – I took the chairs and fabric in to Kim at Blue Velvet Upholstery. She loved the fabric and the chairs and was happy to work with it and select the sections that would go on each chair.
Last fall, Tara was asked to do a commission weaving for a Pentecostal Liturgical Stole. There were some sizes given (width, length, etc.) as well as preferred colours and style and the rest was up to Tara.
Tara worked on this at the studio over many weeks – setting up the warp, choosing colours and doing the intricate weaving. She ended up doing two sections – one for the long sides and another for the back neck piece which was to be narrower. It was wonderful to watch this stole evolve and the results are stunning.
The full stole…
A close up…
And a detail of the back of the neck. This section is a combination of a cross and a sun done with an inlay and embroidery technique…
She and I were able to go together to present it to the recipient – who loved it. She is giving it as a gift to someone who will be graduating from Theological College.
Lynn came by last week and we always have fun doing a show and tell (a mini SAORI Kai!). Lynn brought a fabulous new top that she made…
I loved the colours, of course, and it was so comfortable to wear that I didn’t want to give it back. Well, the next best thing was examining how she made it, and with her help and hints making one of my own!
I just happened to have this fabric that last year had been hanging in my house – now ready for some clothing 🙂
The pattern is from the Self Innovation book and is very easy to make. My fabric was narrower than the pattern called for, so I cut one length of fabric down the middle lengthwise and added it to the edge of the fabric to make it wider before beginning the construction.
