Tablet Weaving Gallery 11b

Judy Chapman - Canada

My tablet woven shoulder bag measures 15" wide x 13"long. It took approx. 7 yds of weaving with 60 cards (except for the strap which is narrower) and is made with 2/8 Egyptian Cotton.The first two lines of the 'Friendship' poem can be read by following the horizontal bands around the top of the bag. It reads: "The cloth that friendship weaves is spun of silken strands...". The motifs are randomly selected mostly from Linda Hendrickson's book Double-Faced Tablet Weaving: 50 Designs from Around the World. The inside lining reads: "tablet woven May 2000" and my initials. Some of you may remember that Michael Cook (see Gallery 10) offered to share his Gothic lettering on the TWIST list I was one of the delighted recipients This bag was inspired by a photograph of a double-faced betel bag from the Mamasa Valley, Sulawezi, Indonesia on page 174 of The Techniques of Tablet Weaving by Peter Collingwood, 2nd edition. Although I marveled at the workmanship, it did not occur to me to do my own version until I saw a beautiful replica by Marijke van Epen in 1996, at Convergence in Portland Oregon (USA). Isn't it a marvel how weavers from all over the world continue to inspire and educate one another?

My "teatime" cozy, left, is woven with 5/2 cotton same warp as my shoulder bag. The edges are joined by hand using the Roumanian stitch. I am not sure why I didn't put a space between the words 'tea' and 'time', I just kept on weaving the letters and didn't think of it until it was finished. "Chimes for Time," right, is in the Ontario Handweavers & Spinners Juried Show, "Contained Images.". It is woven with 10/2 cotton. The double faced weave is an original. When closed, the three hearts line up and you do not see the clock until it is opened.

See Judy's web site or send an e-mail.