Weaverly

A History and a Tree

The other day we were talking about the amazing history of Photoshop, and Bruce sent me a link to a 2005 article in Computer Arts on that very topic. Even though it was written six years ago to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the launch of Photoshop, it still makes fascinating reading. I've since located another commemorative article, this one on the PS 20th anniversary (I know, the dates don't add up; not my fault). This newer article presents a Photoshop timeline, and it is likewise fascinating. Weavers who are using techniques outlined in The Woven Pixel, The Liftplan Connection, or Marg Coe's Fit 2 Be Tied will be interested to learn that Layers were introduced in Photoshop 3.0 and Layer Styles in Photoshop 6.0. Who knew? And how could we live without them? I first purchased Photoshop in 1994 when it was version 2.5, so I guess you could say this is my 17th anniversary. I don't know about you, but I'm going to party.

In other news, I completed a tree book. This was in many ways a Photoshop endeavor. The sky was photoshopped (yes, photoshop is now a verb, note the lower case "p"); the original sky was bluish gray, and I've made it yellow. Future books in this series could have other skies…

The endpapers were designed in Repper, with the tree photo as the seed file.

The pages are an interesting collection of repurposed computer paper of all sorts—confetti paper, faux wrinkled paper, and gradients.

But dearest to my heart is the spine (to mix up a few anatomical terms):

Winter Tree

Seems like the trees have dumped all their leaves overnight. 

Now that I realize I can laser-print practically anything and use it on a book cover, I'm wondering how this tree would look on the front and back covers of a coptic-bound book. The spine would have to be incorporated into the design, somehow. Hm-m-m.

If the signatures are wrapped in yellow, I could make the sky yellow, too…

New Books Added to Etsy Shop

Three new handbound coptic books just added to my Etsy shop. If you've been following along here, you saw the works in progress. Now I've posted them with some really affordable prices. Think holiday shopping!

 

Echo Weave Monograph

This fabric, an echo weave sample on 16 shafts, is one of several that appeared in an article I wrote for Weaver's magazine, Issue 32, in 1996. The issue is long out of print, and I've decided to revise the article and release it as a standalone monograph. I have retained the essential text (slightly modified) but updated the drafts. I have also rescanned the original fabrics and presented them here at a higher resolution. I've omitted the Echo Weave Scarf project, which appeared in that issue.

The 18-page monograph is available as a pdf download for $7 USD, payable through PayPal. Simply email me at aschlein[at]att[dot]net, indicating your preferred email address for PayPal, and I will send you a PayPal Request for Payment. As soon as payment is received, I'll email you a link for downloading the file. Simple! You can view the file on your computer or print it out and view it as a physical copy. You can even take the file to a copy center on a flash drive and have them print it out for you and spiral bind it, if you wish. Please respect my copyright and do not share copies with others. If your friends would like their own copy, tell them to email me.

Echo weave would make a great guild or study group topic.

For eight shafts or more.

A Week of This & That

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday of the year, has come and gone. I was a contributer, not a host, and this freed me up to spend lots of time in the studio. I did make a chocolate mousse, but I forgot to take pictures, and it vanished without a trace. But the memory lingers on.

Meanwhile, the new pillow warp got tied on:

I made three new books. The first one is a blank journal covered in Thai paper; the paper has real leaf inclusions. I added narrow wrappers around the signatures to bring some more visual interest to the spine, and graduated the cover holes to arrange the stitching cords in a V-shape.

The next two books are based on my work with Repper. I laser printed some of my designs (a few of them further enhanced with Photoshop's wave filter) and used these sheets as covers and endpapers. 

This wouldn't work with inkjet prints, as the colors would run after the water-based glue is brushed on, but with laser prints it's great! 

In the next book, I used two different patterns for front and back. These were both altered with the Photoshop wave filter. This is a fat book—it has fourteen signatures. It was great fun to do the coptic sewing on this one.

The endpapers on this book were printed from a photo with the wave filter applied multiple times. They have something of the look of marbelized paper.

Weaving Videos

Last year I posted a little video of a bicycle loom on Vimeo, and I just got a notice that it has been included in a Vimeo album entitled "Historic Machines." When I investigated the album, I found some other interesting videos in it, too. I particularly enjoyed the one on the Mueller Woollen Cloth Mill, and thought you might like to see it, too.

Weaving Machine; Mueller Woollen Cloth Mill from Nobbi on Vimeo.

Repper Class Offered Again

I've had many requests to repeat last month's class, Triple Play, Repeat Patterns for Dobby Weaving Using Three Software Applications. So here it is! We'll be working with Repper, Photoshop, and a weaving application. This time we're offering the class at 10am - 12pm EST on Wednesday, December 28. Take a break from from the holiday whirlwind, sit down with your computer and a cup of tea in a quiet corner, and learn a new skill. Although it will be morning for me, on the other side of the pond it will be afternoon; but we can all still get together in the same virtual classroom. Thanks again to Weavolution for making this possible. For more information about the class, go here or click on the link in the sidebar, under New Classes.

Here's one of my Repper designs interpreted in a 40-shaft dobby sample:

Repeat of Network Drafting Class

If the above draft for 24 shafts intrigues you, you might be interested in an online class in Network Drafting to be offered on Weavolution on three successive Tuesdays in January. This is a repeat of the class offered this past September. The class was so popular that we are offering it again, this time at 2 p.m. EST, which will give some of you European weavers a chance to join in the fun. There are a few openings left, but the class is filling fast. For more information, look under "New Classes" on the sidebar, or go to Weavolution and click on "Classes."

Report From the Field

A visit to Durham, where I used to live. That was in the Sixties. First my front door (the one on the left):

Nothing much has changed. The grounds are a little scruffier. But there are new Venetian blinds. Here's my back door (on the right). This is where I carried the laundry outside to hang on the line. Lotsa diapers.

Motel upholstery spotted in Durham:

A visit to an old friend. Wendell is now retired, and a Churchill and Roosevelt scholar. Here he is with part of his vast collection of Churchill books. 

An echo of past times. "What's a phone booth?" some might ask.

On the way home, a stop at a Thai restaurant for lunch. Wall decor is a camera magnet!

Back at home, and to the loom at last. A new warp, for some more striped pillows.

Callaway IV