Mom, it's woven!

Not embroidered, not couched but woven on the loom
 
Isn’t it fascinating to think we can actually weave our garments in the lovely little Rigid heddle looms with all the ‘details’? At the studio, we have been embarking on a journey of weaving our own garments on Rigid heddle looms with minimal stitches and finishes. Imagine wearing your own hand-woven silk crop top or a lovely breezy cotton outfit! 
 
Generally, for sewing garments, wider width fabrics are used -at least a 36” width or more. But being Rigid heddle weavers, don’t we all find innovative ways to beat it just with a 20” wide loom!
 
We can weave panels and stitch them together… Or make a double-woven cylindrical fabric with 2 heddles with ‘slits’ in the right places for the neck and arms to pass through and wear it just off the loom …. Or just add some simple ties to the fabric at the end and make a wrap skirt!

Oh! Why should it not be ‘decorated’ with some interesting details? Rather than embroidering the fabric after taking off the loom, we can always try some lovely finger manipulation techniques and weave the effect on the loom itself. Much faster and much more fun while weaving.
 
Danish medallion & Crow’s feet seem to be some simple techniques. All we need is a crochet hook in addition to our usual shuttles when weaving. 
 
To weave Danish medallions, sections of warp and weft are grouped to create a pattern. The result can be lace-like or textured, depending on how we want our medallions to look.  
 
Crow’s feet are created the same way as Danish medallions except that we make three loops radiating from the ‘heel’ of the foot. 

 

A little bit of detail about the garment in the picture:
 
Both Danish Medallion and Crow's feet are used simultaneously. Insert an outline weft from left to right, weave 6 picks of background, and then insert the outline weft, counting 8 raised warps for each medallion. For Crow's feet in the median, insert the crochet hook at one point to make the first loop and then make additional loops by moving 4 raised warp threads on each side of the first loop. 

Surface techniques like this while weaving consume lesser time and provides a rewarding experience for the eyes and mind when weaving it! And of course, a perfect cheat sheet for those weavers who don’t want to sit with their embroidery needles after weaving a garment!
 
If you are interested in learning more about Danish medallions, crow’s feet and such other techniques, do contact us and we will be happy to curate a workshop.


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