Here it is, Xmas, and not a single snowflake to be found the length
and breadth of Israel. Send Out Snow - SOS! I feel that anything
(okay, okay - almost anything) that you can do with fabric, you can
do with wire. In this instance, beads are either part of the pattern
or are used for color sparkles in strategic places. I also add
fabric/thread for extra dimension. If you are interested in weaving
with metal, I would highly recommend that you read Textile
Techniques In Metal by Arlene Fisch. Also, check out the work done
by Mary Lee Hu. There was a nice article about her in the recent
issue of Wire Artists monthly. BTW, I have a Mirrix loom, which is
also supposedly strong enough for silver weave though I have yet to
do a piece on mine. For additional info, check out: Stuart Golder Woven Precious Metals Jewelry description and navigation page. Great jewelry and a
very nice person.
Thanks for your compliments on the beadwork! I’ll get cracking on
some herpetological designs ASAP
The loom I was referring to is the most basic of types: the boards
(appx. 9" x 5") each have two holes in them through which the dowels
(appx. 2 feet long x 3/8" diam.) pass (so that the general setup is
rectangular). Screws pass through the boards at the sides of the
holes and anchor the dowels so that the length of the loom is
adjustable. More screws at the outer faces of the boards provide
anchor points for warp threads. The even spacing of the warp threads
is accomplished using two springs about 7" long, which are looped
around screws driven into the upper edge of the boards.
The concept behind this loom is essentially the same as the “Indian
Bead Loom” sold in most hobby stores. FWIW, I find these looms
awkward to use and overly expensive. The “Indians” in question more
frequently made a loom using a bowed stick, with rawhide or
birchbark cards, pierced with evenly spaced holes, to separate the
threads. Some native beaders also made a quite complex heddle loom.
Diagrams of looms like these can be found in Virginia Blakelock’s
book, Those Bad Bad Beads, and in Georg Barth’s book Native American
Beadwork. I’d be happy to send or post pictures of my version if
anyone would be interested.
I’m being a bit pokey on the follow-up here as my digests for the
28th and 29th only just appeared in my inbox, but I wanted to
mention that I got to see a lot of Stuart Golder’s work in person at
Winterfair in Cincy and in an exhibit at Mount St. Joseph’s (my alma
mater) Studio San Giuseppe. His work is absolutely amazing. The
textile techniques are admirable enough in themselves, but then to
cut and reassemble them in such intricate, vivacious patterns, and
to then give them such classic, geometrically balanced forms! I
was sorry that I didn’t get to meet him at Winterfair - maybe next
time I will have the opportunity.
How do you like your Mirrix? I know little about them (except the
high price) - do they work on a heddle-loom principle?
I feel that anything