One of the wonderful things about travelling is being able to share ideas. I have learned so much from the weavers of India through my trips with Charllotte Kwon from Maiwa Handprints and I was able to share some of these ideas with the weavers at Sabahar.
Kathy arranged for us to have a meeting on our first day and I asked the weavers if they had any frustration with their process and warping did come up.
The wagumbo is heavy, so we looked at supporting it in a cradle so the warpers didn’t have to carry it and I also encouraged them to try the warping mill that they were using as a drying rack.
We looked at warping techniques from India on my i-pad….that was so much fun. Everyone had great ideas.
The warps used at Sabahar are extremely fine cotton singles that get cooked in flour to starch them. Then they are hung outside to dry.
We added weights to the skeins while they are drying to stretch out the over twist…or block the skeins while they dried.
The two harness loom does not prevent these weavers from creating beautifully elegant inlay. They hold their inlay sheds at the back of the harnesses and then insert a wide shedding stick to create the shed.
That’s it for this week kids. Episode three comes out in a week. Thanks for reading ~ Jane
Hi Judi,
You are absolutely correct. I am not a traveller but Maiwa has opened new doors to me that are drawing me out of my little corner of the world. I will be eternally grateful because I absolutely love this type of teaching. I love all of my teaching and I learn so much from everyone, but this was extra special. You will note that I took my son with me and I was able to hold his hand along the way. I always hold Charllotte’s hand in India :^). We are lucky to have these women in the world…the Charllotte Kwons and the Kathy Marshalls ….they are the best!!!!
The best part of seeing this newsletter is the working together. These weavers are incredibly skilled. And yet, they are gracious enough and believe so much in the craft that they open their hearts and minds to new ideas. We have so much to learn.
You are so right Shannon. They are amazing and we do have so much to learn.