Cloth Napkins ?Going Green?

 There was a time when a starched, crisply pressed, snow white damask linen napkin was the sign of fine dining at home or in a restaurant.  It was a time when silver, crystal and bone china were essentials for an elegant table service.  But, silver must be polished and those fragile crytal and china pieces are meant to be hand washed.  The damask linens are elegant but they required a lot of labour to bleach, startch and hard press.  Even then it is difficult to press large pieces to perfection.

It is no wonder that paper napkins, stainless steel cutlery and microwave friendly dishes are the norm today.  Some people have questioned the environmental impact of those paper napkins and the culture of discarding items instead of reusing them.  Ugh to reusing paper napkins! 

Here's to the return of the cloth napkin in a form that is more casual, much easier to care for and a lot "greener" than the alternative.  That would be great for hand weavers.

Ann's log cabin & twill napkin

 

Napkins are an ideal project for weavers.  They are relatively small.  In New Key to Weaving, Mary Black suggests "informal napkins" can be 14x16, 12x14 or a lapkin 12x 12.  If you prefer "formal" dinner napkins they are 22x22 (inches).  You have your pick of sizes, many of which can be woven on a small table loom.

Napkins make ideal samples and are often used as teaching tools because they can be woven on small looms in a relativcly short time.  They also give the student a better sense of accomplishment because they are actually a finished useful item.  The blue napkin in the photo was a sample.  The pattern combines twill stripes with log cabin rectangles.  The twill bands seem to float above the rectangles.

Perhaps you want to explore a design on your own.  In that case, you can do as Carol did and put on a long warp (but not too long) then play with different colours, treadlings or tie ups.  You won't get bored and you will end up with a host of napkins that are unique but make a set because they share design elements and colours.  Carol's guests will have their own distinct napkins.  She chose a colour and weave twill structure that uses 8 harnesses.  It produces a pinwheel design.

Pinwheel colour & weave

Napkins also make good group projects.  The napkins pictured below were woven on one of our guild looms as an introduction to the weave structure called "turned taquete".

Linda's turned taquete

The napkins pictured above are in a casual style that fits dining today but if you long for the elegance of a previous time you can always count on a lace weave structure.

Pat's lace napkin

If you have a table loom or a rigid heddle loom with a 16 inch weaving width you might want to consider a set of table napkins for your next project.  You can use any fine cotton or if you are going for elegant, fine linen.  Have fun designing different colour combinations in a myriad of weave structures from plain weave to lace. 

The Qualicum Weavers and Spinners Guild has started off this year with both on-line and in-person classes.  We expect to have more studio based activities in the coming months.  We'll check in with photos of student projects in future posts.

  If you are interested in participating check the workshop and events listings in the side bar.

From Craft to Art

Maggie's felted picture

This scene of a country landscape was "painted" with wool.  It has a quiet peaceful feeling reminiscent of a lazy summer with bees buzzing in a meadow and a cozy shelter in the distance. 

flowers in felt

The picture of flowers starts with a base of wet felted wool then layers are added with needle felting and finally hand stitching for embellishment.  At first glance the felted pieces may resemble tapestries.

The idea of "craft" usually involves creating something that has a practical purpose.  While the item may be visually pleasing or decorative the function drives the design.  A garden scene may inspire the colour pallet for a tea towel but the function, drying dishes, determines the size, shape and materials.  On the other hand we think of "art" as creating solely for the purpose of expressing an idea or telling a story like Maggie's felted pictures.

As artisans, our creative urge is often tempered by our practical side.  Sometimes it can be rejuvinating to throw "practical" out the window and just concentrate on pure expression.  Think how you might use your skill with fibre to tell a story.

Saori inspired hanging

Perhaps the yarns themselves will lead the way to a textured wall hanging like the one in the photograph.  The hanging invites the viewer to come closer and explore the subtle colour variations.  

ode to dead crow

You may use a mix of fibres and natural materials to tell a story.  The central piece in the photo above is a woven felted bag that was embellished with feathers and beads to represent a crow.

weighted warp hanging

The weighted warp hanging is made from a cedar and wool yarn.  The wool fleece was spin around a thin strip of cedar bark.  The hanging has an organic branch motif that starts with a real branch at the top.  It was created using a twining technique.  This large piece makes a dramatic statement.  It is reminiscent of the 70's when large scale weavings were used to soften the concrete and glass environment of large commercial buildings.  The techniques used to create this piece are ancient.

Sheila's shooting star

A woven transparency is another form that can be used to express an idea.

Transparencies are a special form of tapestry that uses positive and negative spaces.  They are airy creations that are often hung in windows or used in large open spaces to delineate areas or humanize the scale of a large space.

They are usually woven using inlay techniques on an open linen background.  The background and inlay work are woven simultaneously.

flower in window

The transparency with the flower motif is shown hanging in a window.  They can be used in much the same way as a stained glass hanging to obscure a view while allowing light in.

If you think you might like to learn more about transparencies then check out our workshop listing.  Linda Wilson will be giving an on-line workshop on the subject starting April 5th, 2022.

So, take a break from the practical, try creating an art piece just for the sake of telling a story or expressing an emotion.  Hang it on a wall or in a window and enjoy.