Other Obsessions - Tablet Weaving

I call this nested or double Thor's hammers

As well as loving painting, I also still have a passion for textile arts.  I have always felt like two different people, one who draws, paints, prints and the other who spins, knits, weaves, sews. I often wish I could find a way to combine the two.

A lovely Finnish Band

In a way, I do, my colour sense has been very much enriched by studying paintings and learning how to mix my own shades and this feeds in to my textile work.  My use of fabric and sewing in my mixed media pieces has enriched the texture of my paintings.  The cross-over is happening!

Very subtle colouring in this band

I used to enjoy weaving, but it is very time-consuming and looms take up a lot of space.  I made the decision 10 or so years ago to no longer weave and I sold my looms.  Instead, I now make woven bands using an ancient weaving technique called tablet weaving.  Using square tablets with holes on each corner, threaded with various coloured yarns to create the pattern.  It sounds so simple, but it is wonderfully complex.

There are so many variations and patterns out there to try that can keep me happily weaving  for the rest of my life.

Here you can see the tablets at the top

The looms are small, the investment in fibres is small(ish) and even the tablets are easily made out of playing cards.

I love that I can carry an entire loom around with me too!

A Russian design

A Palette of Fibres

Keeping Paints on the Palette Usable Over Many Sessions

Because I tend to work on my paintings a little at a time most days, rather than in big blocks of time, I need a method to keep the oils on the palette from hardening. I like to squeeze out a decent amount and really do not want to throw any of it away after just an hour or so of painting.

Here is my solution to the problem.  I have a Daler Rowney Stay Wet palette intended for acrylics, which really doesn't see any acrylic action these days.  The well is 14 x 10", so I cut a board to fit inside the well and cover the board with freezer paper.  

Because the paper is bright white I wipe some burnt umber alkyd paint all over it to reduce the white and to help make colour mixing more accurate. It dries in a trice and in the meantime, you can draw out the composition.

When I finish the day's painting I pop the lid back on the palette and put it in the refridgerator and the paints don't dry up as quick as they would if they were just left out in my work area.  I have read that some people put a drop or two of clove oil on a cotton wool bud and pop that inside as well, but I don't find the need to do that.

The freezer paper can be cleaned off a few times, I tend to wipe up the centre mixing area, leaving the tube paint in piles, but eventually the palette needs a clean up.  Instead of scrubbing away at a traditional wooden palette like I used to, I now just throw away the old used freezer paper and put on a fresh one.  This works perfectly for my busy life.