This past weekend, a whack of us descended upon Nevada City to learn Chimayo tapestry weaving techniques. The three-day workshop was organized by the Foothill Fibers Guild and featured a husband and wife team out of Chimayo, New Mexico. They supplied warp for us to set-up our looms and then came armed with tubs and tubs of dyed yarns for us to use as weft. These are the yarns they use in weaving their blankets, rugs and vests.
My previous experience with tapestry had been limited to some solo-fumblings and a less-than-successful “studio” experience through a local community college. The notion of tapestry and the idea of painting with fiber continued to appeal, so I jumped at the chance to not only take a class, but also spend the weekend with friends.
The class started with us coming up with a design that we’d then weave – using Chimayo techniques. I drew geometric blocks/triangles of the ever-present mountains and ocean, chose colors, and got busy. I weft-joined. I plied/blended. I made blocks and attempted to lay-in ends. I wasn’t having fun. It was a struggle to get the yarn to make the picture in my head and that nearly turned me into a petulant toddler. So, by late-afternoon, I gave up and started to try and make the curves that I saw in my head. Then we went home, spun, ate a HUGE salad, and went to bed.
But I expect to do more.
That’s really quite nice, you know. I’m sure you see the mistakes, but I see a very creditable first try (or close to first try). So, why were the straight-line designs hard/boring to weave, but the curves easier or more fun? Why is the Chimayo tradition full of straight lines, not curves? How did your teachers deal with a class full of rebellious curve-weavers? Did you save any single malt for me?