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Tag Archives for " Weaving "

Making a Basket from Scratch

Extreme DIY Basket-Making

John Plant makes baskets using only what he finds in the woods, without the distractions and tools of the modern world. That makes his videos interesting from a crafter's point of view.

John is a historical re-enactor and primitive technology enthusiast who films and edits projects making practical objects from what’s available to him in the woods of northern Australia. His YouTube channel Primitive Technology features videos of handmade projects based on his online research about early tools and techniques.

He’s made a hut with a tiled roof, pottery, a draft furnace, woven sandals, a woven mat, a bow and arrow, a forge blower, and more.

John’s videos are fascinating. We can watch him traipse through the woods looking for materials to use, and wonder about the animal noises we hear in the background. When it rains and we can see the soil turning into mud, it's a relief to see him be able to duck into the hut he built, and imagine that he'll want to work on making floor mats next.

In Primitive Technology: Baskets and stone hatchet (below), John makes two types of baskets, and a celt hatchet.

· Editor's note: Fans can support John directly by donating to his Patreon page.

You might like our blog posts: American Baskets, American Crafts, and Making Simple Shoes From Scratch.

Don't miss: Our Resources Page.

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Make a Scappy Quilt Learn to make a basket weave pattern quilt from scraps of fabric.	Yarn Bombing Sisters Sisters Lorna and Jill Watt create amazing yarn bomb installations .	Magnetic Ceramics Ceramic artists create fantastical structures using magnetic clay.	Knit Like the Vikings Learn about a Viking fabric-making technique which pre-dates knitting.
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How to Make a Soumak Weaving

Soumak Weaving

Like Kilim, Soumak is a flat woven tapestry rug-making technique. Its ancient origins are with weaving cultures in the Caucasus – from the Eastern Mediterranean and the adjacent areas of the Caucasus Mountains and Southwestern Turkmenistan.

This technique involves wrapping colored weft threads over and under the warp threads, allowing you to work on vertical, horizontal, or diagonal sections at any one time.

The earliest design traditions of Soumak weaving are believed to have been made solely for use within the community and not for export, with woven images of shamanic and other clan-based ceremonies and rituals.

Later productions of Soumak tapestry techniques came out of artists' images rather than cultural-backed representations for ceremonies and rituals, and have been used as beautifully figured practical items - such as rugs, bedding, bags, and saddle bags.

A technical description:

“The technique of making a soumak involves wrapping wefts over a certain number of warps (usually 4) before drawing them back under the last two warps. The process is repeated from selvedge to selvedge. The wefts are discontinuous; the weaver selects coloured threads in turn, and wraps each within the area which is to have that particular colour.

Unlike kilim, the back is left ragged, with all the loose ends of the differently-coloured weft threads visible, sometimes several inches long, providing extra thickness and warmth. Also unlike kilim, there are no slits where colours meet, as there is a supplementary or structural weft which supports the coloured pattern weft.

Some late Soumaks made by the Kurds are however "weftless", lacking the structural weft support, and the stitches naturally overlap… Soumak is a type of flat weave, somewhat resembling but stronger and thicker than kilim, with a smooth front face and a ragged back, where kilim is smooth both sides. Soumak lacks the slits characteristic of kilim, as it is usually woven with supplementary weft threads as continuous supports.” Soumak Wikipedia

Below are two videos showing the weaving technique. The first is a beginner’s Soumak Weaving How-To video by Patricia Cantos.

The second is a video from London’s Barbican Centre, featuring tapestry weaver Christabel Balfour. While watching Christabel weaving, we can see the possibilities she has in which direction to weave, emphasizing the freedom you get while working with this technique. (Please note: the music is a bit loud over Christabel’s dialog.)

You can read more about slit tapestry weaving via the Weaving Art Museum.

· Don't miss: American Crafts, Crafting Resources, Jacquard Weaving, and Tapestry Weaving.

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Free Crafting Resources and How-To's

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Make a Boro Bag Follow a tutorial for making a patchworked bag with Sashiko topstitching.	Sashiko Videos Follow tutorials for how to create traditional Japanese embroidery stitching.	Vintage Maps Explore a library's digitized vintage maps, which you can download for free.	How to Care for Quilts Learn from a museum textile curator how to best care for your quilts.
Make a Scappy Quilt Learn to make a basket weave pattern quilt from scraps of fabric.	Yarn Bombing Sisters Sisters Lorna and Jill Watt create amazing yarn bomb installations .	Magnetic Ceramics Ceramic artists create fantastical structures using magnetic clay.	Knit Like the Vikings Learn about a Viking fabric-making technique which pre-dates knitting.
Make a Bilum Bag Follow a tutorial for making a bilum bag - PNG's traditional fabric.	Make a Pinhole Camera Learn to make a pinhole camera; develop paper film with common items.	What is Nalbinding? Learn about a stretchy fabric made with connected loops.	Digitized Knitting Magazines Free digitized knitting magazines 1800 - now.

Craft Museums

Smithsonian Institute

Our post Museum Collection Images outlines public and private museum collections which have images of crafted items online. Some of the museums mentioned in the post offer free downloadable images which are in the public domain.

There are also museums which don’t have extensive online collections of work, but which feature images from current and past shows, where craft items may be included.

The American Craft Council lists museums which collect and show contemporary American crafted items.

You can also search the American Craft Council’s state-by-state list of museums.

There's nothing quite like seeing museum items up close, in person, where you can get a sense of scale and put the item in historical context.

But you can also use your laptop or phone to search, study, and get inspiration from works that have been collected, photographed, and put online to share.

Below are some quick links for quilts, textiles, folk art, fiber arts, contemporary crafts, handicrafts, weaving, wood works, ceramics, pottery, and glassworks collections to visit or view online:

The National Quilt Museum

The New England Quilt Museum

The International Quilt Study Center and Museum

The Quilt Index at the Michigan State University Museum

Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of American History National Quilt Collection

Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of American History Textiles Collection

The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

The Museum of International Folk Art

Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum

Museum of Contemporary Craft

KMAC Museum

Ohio Craft Museum

San Francisco’s Museum of Craft and Design

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Society for Contemporary Craft

Racine Art Museum

National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, Delhi, India

Bellevue Arts Museum

The Center for Art in Wood

Harvard Museum of Natural History Glass Flowers: The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants

Thousand Islands Arts Center – Home of the Handweaving Museum

The Tate

Whitney Museum of American Art

Other Choices

Three American art museums have gifted us all with free access to their collections of art books. Without committing to making a payment beyond our internet and phone charges, we can build our own online libraries of art books and exhibition catalogs, courtesy of the Guggenheim, Met, and Getty Museums. You'll be able to access books via a search for these topics:

American Decorative Arts

American Paintings and Sculpture

Ancient Near Eastern Art

Antonio Ratti Textile Center

Arms and Armor

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Asian Art

Drawings and Prints

Education

Egyptian Art

European Paintings

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Greek and Roman Art

Islamic Art

Medieval Art and the Cloisters

Modern and Contemporary Art

Musical Instruments

Objects Conservation

Paintings Conservation

Paper Conservation

Photograph Conservation

Photographs

Robert Lehman Collection

Scientific Research

The Costume Institute

Watson Library

You can start your search and library here: 600+ Free Art Books Online.

DON'T MISS our guide to downloading Vintage Maps for free. You can just frame the maps as a great home decor addition. Or, use them in scrap-booking and other paper craft projects. And, transfer them to fabric for using in quilts or making pillows.

For more inspiration, see what American Crafts have been featured in a TV show dedicated to American craft-making - with the first three seasons available for free online. It's great to see the craft-makers, their processes, and their work spaces.

We've created a page of quick links for you to get started with Crafting Resources, including where to get great free resources for crafting, crafting How-To's, and the online stores we source from for our own projects.

Collectible Art Books

If you love flipping through glossy pages of photo-rich specialty books, you'll find a great selection of art, design, fashion, and architecture books at the online stores The Met Musem Store and Taschen. [This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more information.]

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Free Crafting Resources and How-To's

POPULAR POSTS


Make a Boro Bag Follow a tutorial for making a patchworked bag with Sashiko topstitching.	Sashiko Videos Follow tutorials for how to create traditional Japanese embroidery stitching.	Vintage Maps Explore a library's digitized vintage maps, which you can download for free.	How to Care for Quilts Learn from a museum textile curator how to best care for your quilts.
Make a Scappy Quilt Learn to make a basket weave pattern quilt from scraps of fabric.	Yarn Bombing Sisters Sisters Lorna and Jill Watt create amazing yarn bomb installations .	Magnetic Ceramics Ceramic artists create fantastical structures using magnetic clay.	Knit Like the Vikings Learn about a Viking fabric-making technique which pre-dates knitting.
Make a Bilum Bag Follow a tutorial for making a bilum bag - PNG's traditional fabric.	Make a Pinhole Camera Learn to make a pinhole camera; develop paper film with common items.	What is Nalbinding? Learn about a stretchy fabric made with connected loops.	Digitized Knitting Magazines Free digitized knitting magazines 1800 - now.

Tag Archive

Making a Basket from Scratch

Extreme DIY Basket-Making

How to Make a Soumak Weaving

Soumak Weaving

Craft Museums

Craft Museums

Other C​hoices

Collectible Art Books

Other Choices