Alameda County Fair 2011

Spindle Spun Tapestry Basket (1st)

I just came back from picking up my weaving from the alameda county fair.  I highly recommend weavers enter their projects in local county fairs.  No matter how small or new you are to the craft, I think you will find it worth while.  A simple cardboard box project could take first place!  

Pattern Weave Clutch (2nd)

Not only is it a good boost for your ego personally, but you will be helping promote the craft itself.  Big space consuming equipment is not necessary for the simple concept of weaving to be expressed.  Help your community learn the basic concepts of weaving.  Simple projects that can be taught in grade school can be used to express complex creative expression!

Bolt of Twill (3rd)

Washington DC Textile Museum

The Textile Museum in Washington DC was out of the way from the regular mall museums.  About a half hour of metro rides to Dupont Circle and walking will get you there with pleasant surroundings, and tempting shops the tourist traps cannot hold a candle to.

I respected the rules of not taking photos of the exhibits.  I love the old stuff enough to remember that my flash goes off even when I think it is turned off.  So here you are with a picture of the door.  Click the link above to visit their website to see some of the exhibits.

The theme that happened to be occurring while I was there was "Green".  Modern artists depicted eco topics, and used recycled materials, while the meaning of green in different cultures and societies was depicted in the historical art.

A reason to go, no matter what the exhibit, is the second floor educational area.  Fiber, fabric creation, embellishment, and sewing techniques are all covered in a very hands-on display for kids.  Touch the fibers, yarns, try your hand at a running stitch and plain weave... the topics were broken down enough to keep the interest of a grade school student, but grown ups will linger and read more, touch, and inspect the backs of all the examples.

The only museum specific products in the gift shop are tote bags hidden in the lower right hand corner.  They're worth a dig.  No catalogues of exhibits are available, but the products offered all  exemplified or benefited themes and concepts from past and present exhibitions.

Huckleberry Box Weaving

 

My daughter kept wanting a turn on my loom.  I finally gave her a beginner project, and she started in with filling the warping board.  Great!  But this means I had to wait to play with string.  That won't do.  So I wrapped a warp around a little cardboard box.  In the picture on the left above, you can see the notches and holes for the warp.  In the picture on the right, you can see the bottom weft getting woven in.

The thing is...  My daughter saw me playing with the box, and asked if she could have a turn with it!  "Sure!  Then I can go out and whitewash the fence!"

Obtain a box with warp and bottom finished for you

It was a fun little project.  I use the finished product as a little storage bucket.  The only hard part for a child would be the warp and filling in the bottom.





If you would like to purchase a box with the warp and bottom already added, click on the "Buy" tab at HandwovenGoods.com.

Cotton/Bamboo Twill

Brown Cotton/Black Bamboo

I took pictures of this bolt of fabric from the beginning of the process to the end.  If you are interested, you can see them all here.

Tomorrow I will be entering this and a couple other items in the Alameda County Fair.  Grand prize will be a whopping $4!  I will be posting the experience here.

Wish me luck!