Wendy's Weaving Techniques

Growing up in Washington D. C. near the Smithsonian Institute had a big influence on me. My fascination with exhibits of various cultures and what they make by hand for daily use inspired me to start exploring a wide range of textiles.

My grandmothers were a big influence. Rose was a crocheter. Fanny sewed. Though they did not teach me how to do what they did I watched them closely. Unfortunately they both passed when I was eight years old. I think it was as a way to stay close to them that I started to sew and then picked up a crochet hook.

Over the years I have added knitting, beading, quilting, embroidery, and basketry to my repertoire. I taught myself how to weave when I was sixteen years old using two books that I continue to refer to fifty-some years later.

My thirst for techniques continues as I explore new ways of creating textiles incorporating interesting new and recycled materials.

Hand Weaving

There are many ways to hand weave cloth. There are various types of looms, from a simple shaped frame to a complex floor loom. Your cloth can be as lightweight as lace or as heavy as a rug.

Over the years I have woven many different fabric structures on many types of looms to create a wide range of pieces. I use a wonderful variety of fibers: natural fibers such as silk, cotton, linen, wool, alpaca, camel, qiviut, and other exotic fibers as well as synthetic fibers and blends of both types. I have played with many different sizes of yarn, from very thin to nubby to very thick. Also, I thread looms with strips of hand cut fabrics and copper wire. There is always something new to experiment with!

Contemporary Quilting

I have dabbled with quilting decades ago but set it aside when I started weaving on a floor loom. I have collected fabrics over the years from local quilt shops in the USA and internationally. They have been brought out of hiding.

The possibilities are endless between the printed fabrics’ colors and graphics, shapes being combined, and added embellishments. Most fabric companies only have limited runs of their designs so one is challenged to work well with the fabric, since there are no second chances. I like to create a series of pieces that relate to my exploration of various quilting techniques.

Dimensional wall pieces, mandalas, kaleidoscope effects, puzzle pieces, Celtic themes, whimsical, and mixed-media collections are among the many themes I enjoy exploring.

Hand-made Felt

The fun and spontaneity of taking raw wool mixed with other materials and turning them into a cloth is very satisfying to my nature. There are many methods for achieving a finished piece of felt, then creating different looks by adding crochet, knitting, and various forms of embellishments.

I create wall sculptures, vessels, and scarves depending on the purpose and how thick or delicate a felt piece I want to make.

Copper Explorations

I enjoy creating art pieces, components, and embellishments using copper. This wonderful metal comes in many forms: sheeting, mesh, foil, pipe, beads, wire, washers, and nails, to name a few. There are different sizes, gauges, and thicknesses. Some of these are more malleable while others are more challenging to manipulate.

Adding color with patinas and paints to the already beautiful copper color offers a creative opportunity for mixing with threads, fibers, and fabrics. This interaction opens a whole new world with each art piece.

I enjoy using various forms of copper that I have prepared for specific purposes. I add copper components and embellishments to quilts, baskets, hand made beads, and weavings. I also weave with copper wire, both on and off looms.

I am continually exploring the endless possibilities that copper inspires me to search out.

Basketry

Over the years I have explored many different types of basketry techniques from around the world. I use natural and man-made materials, as well as combining them to get the result I am wanting to create. I find this variety of basket making techniques wonderful to incorporate into my new art pieces. They support me in thinking out of the box to make dimensional pieces as well as to incorporate elements of interest that pop out in a piece.

I find the rhythm of over and under weaving, coiling, and twining very meditative while transforming the materials into a sculptural shape. This way of creating vessels feels very spiritual and organic to me

Ply-Split Braiding

The intrigue of taking a technique from another culture and then interpreting it through my hands and making it my technique to explore is a wonderful challenge. Ply-Split Braiding is an amazing process, from designing the actual cords to be split to starting a piece and allowing the Creative Zone to take on the process of creating a vessel in my hands with only a tool and the cords.

Ply-Split Braiding originates in Rajasthan, where it is used to make strong decorative items to use with camels. The textile world owes Peter Collingwood a great debt for bringing us this technique. I personally owe Linda Hendrickson for inspiring me with her art pieces, books, and patterns, and for making many custom cords.

Besides working with copper wire, I also like to experiment with copper mesh, sheets, and tubing. When I am lucky enough to come across copper that is being recycled, that opens a whole new avenue of exploration.

Mixed Media Explorations

There are so many materials out there for me to explore. I am always learning to work with various types of dyes and paints, inks, gels, and pastes. In this process I am constantly searching for products that are person and environmentally friendly.

I already incorporate wire, glass, wood, beads, ceramics, and many other materials into my art work. As I am in the creative process with a particular piece, it usually communicates what's next. I call this being in "the Zone".