Week 4 – Iceland Textile Residency
Dye Pots
The week began with a couple of new dye pots. I had been for numerous walks in the local area, along the coastline and to an island situated in the river Blanda. The river had plenty of birch trees.
· I carefully collected some birch bark, being careful not to ring bark any one tree.
· I also collected a low lying, plentiful plant called bog myrtyle. The leaves were a little larger than I was used to, but I researched the plant when I came back to the textile centre, and confirmed it was the correct species.
· Both dye baths made and left for two days before I immersed the yarn (lambswool). I then left the yarn in the pots for two days.
· The result from the birch was similar to that I had obtained from birch leaves previously, a soft yellowy brown. The myrtyle gave a soft peach colour.
I was happy with both results and will used these coloured yarns in my weaving once in the UK.
Weaving wall hanging 3
The warp which I made at the end of week 3 was now ready to use. I had planned for a large wall hanging, approximately 25 inches x 45 inches and then 40 inches of fabric for sewing once I returned to the UK.
· I had carefully counted all the threads within the weaver knot. I was pleased with the colour combinations as this warp had a large section of black and a thinner section of black too. I was aiming to bring in more of the volcanics without overpowering the pieces.
· I spent an evening taking all the leftover yarn from my previous two pieces and tying the loose end together. Then I loaded three bobbins with the newly “knotted yarn”. My aim was to create more texture within my new pieces.
· The pattern set up was as a four-end satin and sateen block weave.
· Once I was a few inches into the piece I began to use the knotted yarn. I was thrilled to be immediately reminded of grasses blowing in the Icelandic breeze and horses tails as they galloped across the mountains. I decided that I would keep the knotted yarn ends long.
· I continued weaving and, at irregular intervals, I added the dark unspun Icelandic wool that I had bought in Iceland from Johanna, a local farmer.
· As I progressed I added more knotted yarn, this time cutting it short to give the feeling of ruggedness.
· Within the pieces I used many shades of green, grey, golden russet, and the beautiful yellows which I had hand dyed with lupin and birch.
· The piece measure approximately 24 inches by 47 inches with an 8 inch fringe.
Weaving wall hanging 4
Initially I had decided that I would use the rest of the warp for fabric to take with me back to the UK.
· As I started weaving I was inspired to use the Icelandic wool which I had spun in the spinning lesson. The piece started to develop into something more than fabric! I was inspired by the Icelandic wool and began adding the black unspun wool. Fabulous! The textures and colours were the best I had achieved!
· I continued weaving, leaving ends of the two thicker wools out, with the idea of using the ends for hanging the piece. I therefore kept the ends hanging from the selvedges quite long, as these could then be used a loops.
Once I finished weaving I loosened the warp and took the wall hangings from the loom. I was very pleased with the effects of both of the hanging.
· I cut the fringes as appropriate, sewed in the loops for hanging 4, and hemmed the top and bottom, as these would now be the sides!
“9 Threads” Exhibition
On Wednesday 25 September we organised an exhibition of our work titled “9 Threads”. The 9 relates to the 9 artists attending the residency. A poster was designed and had been posted around the town. We were fortunate to have around 25 people attend our exhibition which was set up around The Icelandic Textile Centre.
It was an absolute pleasure to see all the other artists work on display. I was proud of all they and I had achieved in our time together. There was a good body of work, in a variety of art approaches and concept, which all reflected those who had created the work.
Outdoor photography of my work
As my work takes inspiration from the landscape, I feel the best place to show and photograph my pieces is in the landscape. As I didn’t have access to the mountains of Iceland from Blondous, I decided to use the estuary and a small section of woodland for some photographs of my work. See below.
Final thoughts on the residency at The Icelandic Textile Centre
I have had the most wonderful time at The Icelandic Textile Centre.
The People
The people I have shared my experience with have been both supportive, talented and great fun. We have shared many stories of culture, heritage and textile from our homelands. I have learnt much about textiles in far off countries and have been inspired by the work of such varied artists from around the world. I am sure there will be friendships that will last.
The Place
Words, or even pictures, are not enough to describe the majesty, drama and dynamism of Iceland! I have been in awe, daily, of what this country has. It is a place where the earth and the sea collide in the most inspiring way possible. Not only are the colours exquisite and unique, but the textures and shapes of the landscape are overwhelmingly beautiful.
The inspiration I have drawn from the landscape has been deep. I will take this home with me and it will act as inspiration for future work.
My work
I am very proud of what I have achieved in my time here at The Os Residency. I set out to try and interpret the dynamic and dramatic landscape of Iceland, to let go and be more expressive through my handwoven textiles. I wanted to introduce much more textural variation, take risks and allow the yarn to speak more. I feel I have achieved that, and in so doing, I have stretched my design skills, my weaving skills and my imagination. I was conscious however, that in “letting go” too much, the work might be confused, structureless and meaningless, so I ensured all pieces were built around a considered weave structure. I have learnt to embrace the unforeseen and have become more ambitious and creative in my work. The outcomes have been very satisfying and an inspiration for future work.
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