#ferns textiles

[ferncrafts]

This picture is from a month ago and I had COMPLETELY forgotten how ridiculously I had managed to load this spindle.

[ferncrafts]

Just finished the last tassels on this belt. I’m still considering adding some sort of reinforcement via embroidery along the edges, but I’m not sure of the best way to go about it. Very much open to suggestions or advice.

More of the process under the cut.

This piece was done through backstrap weaving. My “loom” consisted of two sticks + my heddle. Here you can see me working the heddle to change the shed.

I highly recommend NOT doing your first ever backstrap weaving using very thin singles consisting of some of the first thread you ever spun and dyed. Toward the end of the process, I had threads in the warp break a couple of times, some of the heddle strings were almost completely worn through.

The ends were done in two different ways. On the far ends I gradually decreased the width, then braided the threads of the warp (adding in some extra threads to give them slightly more volume). Then I twined the braids, with every other twist being twined once again (you can see the smaller ones are Z twists while the bigger ones are S twists).

The closer end I simply slipped off my stick, and twisted the ends together. This was pretty good for having a loop at the end, through which I could secure tassels.

[ferncrafts]

Various yarns spun and dyed by me. Left to right:

1. Undyed, 2. mordanted and dyed with dandelions, 3. mordanted and dyed with dandelions, then over-dyed with red onions skins, 4-6. Dyed with red onion skins, no mordant.

[ferncrafts]

First thing I ever successfully needlebound (and finished). It’s a little wrist warmer.

It’s a little difficult to put on, as all the stretch is in the “length” of it. However I’ve gotten enough practice that it’s no issue for me.

[ferncrafts]

Braided wool belt with bone hardware. 12-strand braid using singles.

[ferncrafts]

Lime bast twine and textile.

[ferncrafts]

Wool pouch, made using the same technique as my lime bast ‘textile’, which is based on Mesolithic textile fragments from Tybrind Vig. I experimented a bit more with the technique here.

The ties here are temporary

[ferncrafts]

First attempt at tablet weaving.

There were a couple of places where I tried to switch it up… turns out that’s a bad idea if you don’t really know what you’re doing AND you’re working with very thin singles that makes it hard to see the effect of what you’re doing. I’ll have another go once I’ve acquired some proper cards!