Testing, Tinkering, Toying – Erica Fu

In these three test weaves, I tried to first create something more standard to get used to the process of weaving, then something that was a little more experimental and less neat, and finally one that was 3D.

For the first weave, I tries to simply experiment with colors and textures to create something familiar to me. The tray is something I usually use for watercolor, a medium I have been using for over 5 years. The reddish pink fabric is from one of my old blankets, and the butterfly denim is the first fabric I bought for when I tried to sew in middle school. I think that the colors of the two fabrics complement each other very well and the roughness of the denim in contrast to the softness of the sheets, while harder to work with, created some nice juxtaposition.

My next work was based on the choose something of your favorite color for the scavenger hunt. Since I chose blue, I wanted to create something loosely based on a shoreline, incorporating more blue, white, and tan within the weave. The markers were hard to work with and I should have reinforced them with something stronger instead of simply tying them all together, but I really enjoyed the unpredictability of the threads that created a unique sense of movement.

This last piece was completely based on my unusual loom. I thought it would be very fun to create a 3D basket-like weave, so I used the head-scratcher tool and wrapped string. My favorite aspect of this is how I can flip the loom and the piece becomes completely changed: it goes from a cotton candy like object to a shelter for a little toy.

Items gathered from scavenger hunt.