Trying to Weave Clothes

My weaving journey so far has not been very good. I have been weaving and upcycling my scraps - sakiori - but I think I have been too eager to progress from weaving squares to something more advanced.
The first mistake I made was the tension!
I just forgot about it! I had already successfully woven two sample panels of upcycled scraps that it slipped my mind to watch the tension when I wove a bigger piece. My plan was to weave a top based on an old t-shirt. My brain told me that if I just pinned down the warp then everything that would follow would be magic. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Not only did I lose the tension, but the front panel of the top warped. I was feeling very disappointed as I had spent so much time and effort to weave it.

The second mistake I made was not taking into consideration the type of textile that would allow my garment to fit the body. The fact that I had used sakiori - weaving various scrap fabrics - did not help with the weaving either.  For a garment to work, I had to use the right type of fabric and the woven fabric had to be light enough to conform and drape nicely on the body. So now I have ended up with this warped creature!

So, lesson learned - planning is a must, and definitely don't hurry.

Stimulating Creativity - Developing Sketchbooks

Sometimes when I want to upcycle or repurpose something, my mind goes blank.

I have a sudden fear of deconstructing or cutting it up, that I end up not touching it at all.

The project gets shelved and it is forgotten.

Everyone feels this way at some time or another - looking at a blank page (or anything!) and holding your pencil, wanting to put something down but can't.

I recently took up an online sketch book workshop taught by artist, Dionne Swift. You might be thinking why I took it as I don't draw, but the process of developing sketch books really helped me in building my creative stamina. 

Don't Fear the Blank Page

That's right, we were told to "pimp up" every blank page with everything and anything we had. Why, I even used nail varnish! 

Don't Overthink it

Sometimes overthinking will just make things complicated. Just let it go!

Things Are Not What They Seem

When  you develop your sketch book, you create a library of designs / patterns / colours for yourself to refer to. If you get stuck during a project, you can take your book and leaf through it for inspiration. Sometimes you might find something you like!

For me, I find that the whole process was relaxing and helped me look at objects differently. Developing your own sketchbook will definitely help you in idea generating ideas and designs for your projects. 

I have found it very useful in my weaving projects especially when it comes to choosing colours and patterns.

Here's my latest sakiori projects using waste textiles.

Disclaimer: I paid for and attended the online course. All views are my own.

Starting Afresh

2015 was the year that I found a new calling - I set up Connected Threads Asia with my good friend. [Pssst - do follow us for any event updates!] It felt amazing to start a new community initiative, but then at the same time, I could see I was getting so carried away with my workshops and talks that my making journey was falling through the cracks.

2016 will be about being persistent with new techniques I enjoy working with, and definitely more making. Making things makes me feel happy and it gives me a sense of calm. 

It doesn't mean discontinuing what I'm doing now. It just means:

#1 managing my time a little bit better

#2 being better at jotting down my ideas

#3 being consistent

2016 will be about FLOURISHING.

Here's a little bit of what I've been doing over the past few months. I was inspired by my earlier weaving projects and sashiko work to make my own loom and weave fabric scraps.

I love this technique. It's Sakiori and it's still upcycling/repurposing. Find out more in my next post, but let me know what you think!