This morning, I watched Elda Kohls’ video Ikat on the Loom , which details how to stencil on a warp that is under tension on the loom. Her description of the process and tools is very clear and detailed, and inspired me to try it out. I mixed up some thin fabric paint, applied it through a commercially purchased stencil, wove it in a 3/1 twill, and came up with this:
It came out pretty well – the images are clear and the scumbly bits in the background add some nice visual texture. (Please politely ignore the floats – I’m not sure what was causing them, will troubleshoot next time. I was trying to weave my sample at lunchtime and was a bit rushed!)
And I have an intriguing design I made in my Inspired to Design class, which is just begging to be made into a stencil:
Of course, I have scheduled a dye play day with some friends for Sunday, and was planning to make my yearly batch of fruitcake on Saturday. Not to mention the Celtic Braid Coat! which is still sitting lonely, waiting for its bound buttonholes. So much to do, so little time!
Hi Tien
Fabulous stencilling! Any idea if the video is still available and/or if there is a written version of the technique?
Very nice results. I might try that technique. Could you write more about how you protected your loom from paint drips, etc.?