Textiles naturales

Here you can see a gallery of work made by some of our pupils and other lovers of loom weaving here in Spain.  Many thanks to all who sent us photos.

We hope to see you here at textilesnaturales, Galicia, Spain in 2014 and wish you a creative and inspirational new year,  Anna y Lluis

“Textile craft is my passion” – Alicia Galieni, Alicante

Alicia es from Argentina but now lives in Monte Pego, Alicante, Spain

“A few years ago I began to weave on table looms and “Maria” looms.  Here are some photos of my work.  I began weaing in Argentina and since coming to live in Spain I´ve continued, and follow the blog and facebook of Textilesnaturales.  I don´t don´t many other people who weave yet in my area – in Argentina it wasn´t a very common activity either.  To create my designs I like to play with colour and different types of materiales.  I also like to incorporate other techniques like crochet and knit, applying them to to the fabrics I weave on my loom.  I mainly make accessories, with each design being unique and carefully made.  I hope that in 2014 I cna visit textilesnaturales and do a course in shaft weaving as I don´t yet know this kind of loom”.  

“I love the idea of a virtual exhibition!!!” – Bea Iglesias, Ourense, Galicia

Bea is a pupil of Anna Champeney Estudio Textil in Galicia.  Now she´s taking her first steps to create a family business based on raising alpacas for their fibre.  Lots of luck Bea, in 2014 and keep us up-to-date on how the project develops!

“This is a summary of my work this past summer with the fibre of our alpacas.  The dye I used was elderberry in different strengths to obtain different tones”.  

“Merino and bamboo yarn give a texture like silk and wonderful drape”  – Maria Guerreiro, Galicia

Maria has already done various courses with professional weavers such as Anna Champeney in Galicia and Helene Loermans in Portugal.  She is inspired by the idea of applying contemporary design to weave, and the use of colour.

Textile 1 (on left): Shawl

• Technique:  Woven on a shaft loom
• Materials:  Merino wool and bamboo
• Measurements:  50×200 cm

Textile 2 (right):  Cradle cushion

• Materials:  Local wool and linen
• Technique:  Shaft loom, Galician felpa (loop-pile) technique
• Measurements:  35 x 35cm

“…. woven with the technique I learned in Anna Champeney Estudio Textil and with wool dyed by hand with natural dyes”

Kathleen McCormick, Dublin, Irland

6 years after doing an intensive 3 week course at Anna Champeney Estudio Textil Kathleen has her own textile studio near Dublin in Ireland.  Irlanda.  She combines loom weaving with basketry and exhibits in fairs nationally and internationally.

“… an authentic symphony of movement on this flat space which the warp offers” – Estela Sanchez, Segovia, Spain 

• Title:  “Jazz in the Garden”
• Materials:  100% silk and hand-dyed natural dyes
• Date of creation:  Spring 2013
• Descripción:

“Sometimes you find a real coming together of the materials.  Although you have a previous idea of a design, of where to place colour, the music and dance between the threads of warp and weft – and myself as the weaver – result in a real symphony of movement on the flat plane offered by the warp.  This piece is made with gentle champagne tones and lavender.  THey remind me of a jazz garden.  I listen a lot to jazz when I´m weaving.   

The warp uses colours on shafts 1 and 3 and other colours on shafts 2 and 4.  This allows me to work with one set or other, changing them them when I want.  … Jazz in the Garden.

“Loom woven design as a dance between yarns and structure……” – Anna Champeney, Galicia, Spain

• Materials:  Linen and supertwisted Japanese wool
• Technique:  Double weave, collapse weave.  12 ends per cm.
• Measurements:  35cm x 180cm
• Descriptión:

“This piece is recent and part of a series of scarves woven from  linen and wool.   The challenge has been to create a linen scarf which doesn´t wrinkle and which doesn´t require ironing.  I´ve achieved it thanks to the interaction between special threads and the double-weave construction of the piece.  It uses fine yarns but feels quite substantial.  Each design requires a process of experimentation and the creation of a sampler to try out different options and choose the best to turn into a final design.  I never get bored of weave as there is a constant process of discovering and experimentation”.   – Anna Champeney

Scarf, rigid heddle loom, Lluis Grau, Galicia

“Ashford´s rigid heddle looms are new for us at textilesnaturales and this is the sample desin we created for as a first project for clients who buy the loom from us.  Rigid heddle looms are far more basic than shaft looms but by varying the colours and yarns you can have a lot of fun and weave a piece up relatively quickly and easily”.

• Materials:  Anna Champeney 100% lambswool 4/14nm with natural dyes (cochinieal – red, bark – blue, flowers – yellow
• Technique:  Plainweave and a simple knotted fringe