Year 8 Textiles students have embraced the opportunity to develop their weaving skills while in lockdown. While we always promote sustainable practices, students had no other option but to apply these principles when all the shops were shut due to COVID-19. For some, this meant totally changing their plans.
Students used old bike wheels, hoops, picture frames, twigs, old boxes and scrap wood, just to name a few items used to make their own loom. They then attached warp and weft threads using string, ribbon, wool, reeds, leaves, old T-shirts, flowers or branches. The weaving that students produced has been inspiring. They made baskets, wall hangings, dream catchers, bracelets, framed pictures, coasters and Y-stick weaving.
Many students commented that they enjoyed the break from screens and the chance to do something creative.
Below student Amber Damen (Year 8 Jade) writes about her weaving project, a blanket for her cat:
I learnt the many different skills of weaving. I learnt how to thread my warps and wefts, how to start new rows and colours, how to hide the ends of my wefts, how to make a loom, how using different tools can make it easier and much more. I had to figure out ways to make my project easier by replacing ideas that didn’t quite work. I found inspiration from different videos and from a Better Homes and Gardens episode. My dad also helped by creating a wooden loom and looming needles. If I was to make this cat blanket again, I would most definitely find a better way of removing my weaving from the loom and I would find a better way to tie the ends off. I would also find some thicker wool so that I would be able to do some soumak weaving (I tried but my wool was too thin).
The pictured works are by Year 8 students Madison Garrett (above), Alana Lewis, Ben Hendriks, Amber Damen, Sienna Finger, Charles Basset and Alex Wheeler.
