Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Just Right

sky fabric2

I am co-hosting an event in a few weeks time, for which I have been planning the decorations. The room is a mix of contemporary and rustic, odd I know, but there are rough pine paneled walls, chrome fixtures, large expanses of glass, and a solid mirror wall above the mantel.

The one time I saw the room in person, it was being decorated for a wedding. The center pieces were sweet and cute, not at all fitting the room itself, I thought. I knew then that I wanted something more in keeping with the site, and started planning this fabric at that time.

Now that it is on the loom, it is just right. This fabric will be perfect, with the chrome, glass, stones (yes, actual rocks!), and flowers that will be added to it, for the table and mantel decorations.

I had a few struggles:

sky fabric

Before I started weaving, I thought the weft would be gold, but I liked the black yarn better (I did not like the white *at all*). I like the way the black weft makes the black and white stripes so crisp. The table cloths will be black, with white napkins and a white undercloth. The overall look of this additional fabric is very contemporary rustic, just like the room it will grace.

Now I could have shopped for, and bought fabric that would suit. But I didn't. Just like we could all buy sweaters, socks, and yarn in *just the right color*, but sometimes we don't. We make them instead. We like seeing our own ideas, our own version, our own little refinements on what is available in the world. It's a further comment on the ideas in this post: that we do what we do for the love of it.

In a recent email exchange with Karen at Curiousweaver, she said: it's exciting being able to weave, don't you think? Yes, it is. And this is one of those times when the ability to make just what I want is very gratifying. I think that is another basic reason why many of us do all of this spinning, weaving, dyeing and knitting: to make something that is just what we want, something that is just right.

9 Comments:

Blogger Birdsong said...

That is a great color combo for your theme idea; yes, we do it because we can! I think I need your help to master the high whorl spindle, though, before I can say that about making yarn :)

1:25 PM  
Blogger claudia said...

That is a very beautiful fabric. Remember to take a picture of the completed room, OK?

3:35 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bang on perfect colouring!

3:53 PM  
Blogger Charleen said...

The gold is okay ... the black is perfect! Is this warp dominant too? The white stripes look so, well, white!

6:09 PM  
Blogger skyweaver said...

I liked the way you put it - we like to do it our way - I have spent weeks taking a romney fleece and washing, dyeing it several different colors, adding 2 colors of kid mohair and loving the way it looks when I handcard it and spin it because it's all mine! I could not ever find a yarn just like it anywhere and could never get the enjoyment I've gotten over the last few weeks in the creative process by going out and buying a skein of yarn. It's the process that's so enjoyable.

7:41 PM  
Blogger c u r i o u s w e a v e r said...

Sara, I think this woven textile really captures the 'rustic' in an exquisite way. I would love to see the room when decorated.I think it will look fantastic.

10:32 PM  
Blogger Hannah said...

Lovely lovely--both the knitting and the comments that we do what we do for the love.

5:53 AM  
Blogger Jackie said...

I often find the darkest colour is the best for the weft if you want the warp to stand out. I dye most of my warps and now I don't even bother to try alternate colours in the weft, just go for the darkest and I am rarely disappointed.

5:04 AM  
Blogger Leigh said...

I agree with Charleen and Jackie about the black warp. I have to admit that that gold is not one of my favorite colors, but you really do it justice.

7:49 AM  

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