Woven Wall Art

Desert Mallow in bloom.

Hello Friends,

I received a request for woven wall art, which I haven’t done before, mostly because I’ve never figured out what I want to do with it. No time like the present! I decided to jump in and try it to see how it looks.

The gallery requested Sakiori, which is a Japanese-inspired technique using woven strips of cloth, usually torn from old clothing.

I have at my disposal what seems like an endless supply of old clothing at the thrift stores in Downtown Ventura. They sell pieces that are more worn and have holes in them for $1.99 each. The holes don’t affect my technique, since I’m tearing the shirts into strips for weaving.

So I hit the thrift stores and came across some amazing finds! I use cotton flannel shirts because the fabric is woven rather than printed, and the design is the same on both sides. The color combinations that I found are beautiful.

I did a test piece on a rigid heddle loom, and it looks good.

Then I had to figure out how to hang it. I was thinking of mounting it on black linen or dark blue denim and stretching it on stretcher bars, but the gallery requested something simple and letting the bottom fringe show.

I bought a black tapestry rod and looped the top fringe over it tying it in the back. It looks pretty good. It also came with wall mounts so you can hang it like a drapery rod.

Now I’m working on some full-size pieces, using the full width of the 24-inch loom and planning on a 30-inch length.

This first piece has a dark charcoal gray warp and grays, browns, and a little red and yellow in the weft.

Stay tuned to see how these pieces turn out!

Where’s your learning curve these days? I’d enjoy hearing your thoughts. You can share them with us in the comments section below.

With love and appreciation,
Cassandra