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Saturday, January 26, 2013

My textured hand woven baby blanket Saori style

 the very moment you are sitting at your your loom creating /weaving, especially with saori weaving , you never strain or over think but let the centering of the moment lead you. Saori weaving philosophy  is not over thought and controlled or planned, it is a meditation in letting go and allowing your inner creativity to emerge at the loom.
All the memories, and current thoughts , or no thoughts , translate right into your weaving, never to be reproduced. They captured  my love and affection, wishes , hopes and dreams for my soon to be one year old grandson. This is Jeremy's special blanket.





 I normally use one of my Saori looms in my studio. My glimakra counter balance loom needed a warp so that I could replace the treadle , tie up cords and heddles to new texsolve cords. The blanket warp helped  me address this task of balancing/ adjusting while actually dressing this loom for the Saori  blanket..  Right away I noticed it took me much longer to thread this loom compared to the Saori looms. But I enjoyed creating and weaving plain weave and  applying the Saori philosophy.








 Cut the two  woven sections apart  after it came off the loom.
  sewing the two sections together, twist fringes, then washed  in the hot water and hot dryer.

 Not your  average weaving for a baby. I wove  in soft cotton chenile raised areas, and puffs of natural textured yarns and some cotton sakiori cut fabric strips in the wefts. a feast for tiny hands awaking from naps to explore , feel,touch with short tidy twisted fringes to suck.







 Jeremy's first birthday , blanket.



peaceful weaving 
peaceful baby breaths

jill nickolene




10 comments:

  1. This is such a lovely gift for your grandson! I am a quilter who has recently begun to weave, and wondered how I could make "Saori quilts" -- thanks for showing me it is possible.

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    1. Thank you.
      I have sewn my clothing since the the age of 9. I have woven and spun yarn since my early 20"s. I admire ouilters. I enjoy there use of fabrics to produce inspiring pieces or art..
      I am glad you have begun to weave as well.
      To produce ones woven fabric deepens a connection to a fiber artist's expression . I believe that weaving is pulled in from our DNA of ancient civilizations . I find it hidden amoung other forgotton trusted emotional instincts pushed aside and over cast by societal violence and confusion . With weaving fibers we can safely embrace a calming expressive addiction, the primal drive for interlacments of fibers .It need not be exploitive and manufactured ,but a individual path of internal creativity at your own pace..
      peaceful weaving
      jill

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  2. Wow! Just breathtakingly beautiful!

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  3. I love your color palette and the designs created by the clasped weft technique. And I love how you gave consideration to the receiver of the gift building in tactile experiences and braided fringe to suck on. It would be fun to put a copy of this post with photos into Jeremy's scrapbook or childhood treasure box so when he is old enough to understand he will be able to appreciate your thoughtfulness on a different level.

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  4. Hi Jil, what a beautiful blanket you made. the colors are so soft and strinking and the different materials and techniques make it a living and breathing peace of art. Congratulation.He will love it.I do have one question: how many panels did you have to sew together and what is the size ot the blanket?
    Greetings from New York,Dorothee

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    1. Thank you Dorothee
      the finished size of Jeremy's blanket is 40" wide by 45" long ( not including the fringe). it has two panels 20" wide and it is sewn up the center.
      BUT this is SAORI, so you could weave 3 narrow panels, or 4 sewing them together achieving any size you would like.. remember my blanket size is AFTER it was washed in hot water and dryed in the dryer, so weaving it larger should be considered when you are planing your warp. how thoughtful of you to call this this" a living breathing piece of art". it defiantly is a piece with the recipient totally in my consciouses and my inspiration as i created it! I am Never timid about expressing and do not over think my process !
      peaceful weaving
      jill.

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  5. I love this blanket! I am looking to make a baby blanket for my niece who is expecting her first child, and I began weaving in the Saori style 4 months ago. My rigid heddle is only 20" wide so I will need to do more piecing than you, but I am now inspired that I can weave a blanket instead of crocheting one - not that there's anything wrong with crochet.

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    1. Thank you very much for your comment, and yes you should piece your blanket with out any worry! For centuries and still to this day in Africa, and South American countries, weavers weave on narrow looms and piece baby wraps, ruana's,blankets, ponchos, dresses etc . they are all beautiful!

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Jill