Bryony Studio

Can I admit that I love weaving? I suppose if you've been reading the blog for a little while, you may already know this, but I do love weaving. One of the aspects I enjoy the most is experiments. Last August I warped up a loom with brown rug warp set at 7.5 epi. The plan was to do tapestry work on it. It didn't work out. But, this past week, I finally finished the warp. Cotton Warp; Wool Weft The photograph above shows my first experiment with wool weft. I've used wool and cotton before, but it ended poorly due to a run through the washer. I wash my clothes on cold/cold; Mom does hot/cold. Wool doesn't mix well with hot water and soap. When I plan to felt something I usually enjoy the results. When I don't plan to felt something, it always winds up bad. The pattern is two up two down repeated. The photograph below is the same warp with a different weft (teal in this case). The pattern is once again two up two down, but I alternate the pattern. Cot...

I grew up in Lancaster Dutch Country, and moved to Western NY when I was twelve. After returning home for college, I began using both my weaving and writing skills to try and earn an income. Niagara River Above the Falls No such luck for several years, but yesterday I was up at the Castellani Art Museum  to learn about the Art Services Initiative and the arts community in the Western five counties of Western NY. For a brief review of Western NY (and New York state in general) you first need to realize that New York City makes up a very  small portion of the entire state. It's something like less than ten percent in all honesty. That particular area is referred to as Downstate and includes anything below the northern NY/PA border. Western NY can be a looser term, but it typically is everything west of the Genesee River, or the eight Western counties of NY State (Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, Erie, Wyoming, Allegheny, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua. This area is rich in natu...

Sometimes, a weft can make all the difference. Two of the items I had for sale this past week were created on the same warp, but used different wefts. The photo below is the two wefts in a side-by-side comparison. Weft Comparison The warp is the same with wide rows of teal off-set by narrow rows of navy. My reason: I wanted to use up the teal, and I still had enough leftover to make a decent wrap. The wrap is the one the left, by the way. On the right, is the poncho I wove using navy as the weft. A larger picture of the  River Moss Poncho  is below: River Moss Poncho When designing, I often ignore warp length, though I have a general idea how much warp I need, and focus on color. I love color, unlike the rest of my family who are blue only folks. Case in point: my office is themes of chocolate and teal, and when I chose those two colors my family balked. Part of the reason I enjoy weaving lots of color is because I can't wear many colors. I look best in the cool...

Back from my Saturday Artisan Market in Buffalo, NY. Had a great time while I was down there. Today, I'm also back with this week's Monday Moods since last week I was working on all the last minute tasks. I wanted to focus on one of the signs of spring, for me at least, crabapple blossoms. When I step out the back door to my right is a burst of white flowers from the crabapple tree. With warmer weather coming, I'll be out enjoying the weather and colors that make my home beautiful.

Tomorrow is my first time at the Saturday Artisan Market in beautiful Buffalo NY. Today has been the mad dash to put everything together, and figure out what I needed to do. Craziness. St. Padraig's Poncho Above is a photo of one of the three ponchos for sale. I planned on a fourth one, but measuring and cutting this morning didn't work out right. One of the joys of art - problems always arise. Still, it wasn't a bad situation, and I was able to turn my poncho into a shrug. For me, one of the biggest fears is cutting the woven fabric wrong and not being able to use it for anything. It's one of the things about weaving that makes me realize how valuable fabric is - the time and energy. To create fabric takes time. To turn the fabric into clothing takes more time. To care for the fabric takes patience and knowledge of the fabric. I sit back and wonder at the knowledge we've lost in our push for cheap clothes. How does it hurt us individually? How does it h...

Somehow along the way, I think we skipped spring. It's been in the seventies and eighties here in Western NY with a dewpoint in the sixties. It's hot and humid, and feels like summer! I actually am not the biggest fan of summer, but hey, it's better than winter! Crabapple Blossoms The trees are blooming, the rhubarb growing, and I've started the garden. I especially enjoy walking outside without a coat, scarf, mittens, boots and returning even colder. This year, I'll be at the Saturday Artisan Market at Canalside in downtown Buffalo NY. Saturday (May 17) is the season opener. Fair season is just around the corner, and I look ahead with mixed emotions. Last year produced decidedly bad results. I made absolutely no profit, and found myself discouraged at the end of the season. Changes were needed, and part of the changes involved revamping what I created. In the past, I've focused on home accessories such as pillows, quilts and rugs, but this year, I...

Outside the window of my parents' home is a bed of purple irises - one of my favorite plants.