My
scenes are based on of the Isles of Scilly
which I visit every year. (http://www.scillywebcam.com):
I
have also based some on landscapes
Most of the scenes are woven on a linen warp using an inlay technique. I spin the coloured yarns from commercially prepared, blended and dyed silk and wool although I dye some myself. Natural Tussah silk is a good colour for sand.
I have mounted some on card which is much quicker than finishing so that it can be hung on a stick or piece of dowling rod but most people I have asked prefer the scenes on a stick or rod
Prices from £25 depending on size, complexity of design and type of fibre used.
I also have some cards with small pieces of weaving from £2
In the last year I have also been making and selling scenes made from woollen fibres by needle felting
A selections of my scenes are available at North Farm Gallery, St Martins, Isles of Scilly
When
I started weaving, I wove some scenes on a frame using a tapestry technique.
For tapestry, the warp threads are set at about 4 per inch. The weft is
pushed down and completely covers the warp.
In
2001 I visited the Studio of Riitta Sinkkonen Davies in Pembrokeshire. Riitta
specialises in weaving linen. I was particularly impressed by her scenes of
the Pembrokeshire coast using Handspun
Linen in-laid on linen.. See www.rasdavies.co.uk
for pictures of her work. Later in the year I did a week’s course on small scale
linen weaving with Riitta. Following this I tried the inlay technique using
handspun wool and silk with a linen warp. The warp is set at 12 threads per inch
and can be seen.
I
would also not have started weaving scenes if it was not for Sue
Lewington’s wonderful watercolours of the Isles of Scilly.
Information on Sue's sketch books is available at http://www.truranbooks.co.uk/pages/bookpage.aspx
. I normally base the scenes on my photographs but the way Sue interprets colours gives me ideas for using my yarns.