Woven Art

WHY WEAVE? 5

BEFORE YOU BEGIN 6
- Basic materials 8
- Choosing a loom 10
- The warp threads 12
- The choice of fibres 14
- Vegetable dye 16
- Making t-shirt yarn 18
- Pther tools and accessories 20
- Pompoms and tassels 22
- Making a cardboard loom 24
- Making a wooden loom 26
- Warping a rectangular loom 28
- Warping a circular loom 30
- A bit of technique 32

THE WEAVES 34
- First steps
-- Basic Weaving
-- Diagonal Cloud Weave
-- Weaving Shapes

- Simple weaves
-- Braided (Soumak) Weaves
-- Fringed Weaves
-- Embroidered Weaves
-- Weaving Using Bark
-- Circular Weaving
-- Weaving Without A Loom

- More ambitious projects
-- Macrame Cloud Weave
-- Hanging Vase
-- Woven Necklace
-- Woven Dream-Catcher
-- Woven Clutch Bag
-- Berber-Inspired Rug

AUTHOR'S THANKS 160

About Elena Vilar

Elena Vilar is the daughter and great-granddaughter of weavers. Influenced by her family's craft and impressed by how easily yarn could be made at home from old T-shirts and other materials, Elena taught herself to weave, and now not a day goes by when she isn't weaving. She decided to set up a blog, Deer Jane, to share her tips, tricks and ideas on-line, and she now has many followers from all over the world who admire her beautiful creations and gentle writing style. Elena lives in Nantes, France with her husband and daughter Jeanne.

To find out more about Elena and her work, please visit her website, www.deer-jane.fr, where you can find links to her social media pages and her online shop on Etsy.

Customer review

Having only recently picked up a second-hand loom (from 1958!) I wasn't at all sure what more I could do with it than just lots of scarves or the odd tea towel. Elena Vilar's book Woven Art has opened my eyes to the countless possibilities to not only create useful objects, but beautiful art, wall hangings, wearable art, and more. I am looking forward to spending time trying all the techniques included and sourcing suitable materials, not just wool, to create my own art and gifts for friends and family.

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Customer review

I love this book!!! Ive been wanting to try weaving since I saw someone using weaving techniques on TV but thought that it would be expensive to buy all of the equipment. This book shows that you can try using weaving techniques for very little expense. The introduction shows you how to make your own looms using materials that youll have in your home, it even has step by step instructions for how to make your own T-shirt yarn using old clothes. After the introduction, the book then teaches you basic weaving techniques, explained with both words and images. Finally, it shows you 15 projects that you can make yourself. There is a bag project in the book that I will be using as a beginner reference to design my own bag. Overall this book has simplified what I thought would be an expensive and difficult craft to learn.

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Customer review

I'm really impressed with this book it is so detailed and has so many different techniques and ideas. One thing I really loved was the dyes that can be made for dying materials at home, I also loved how it has so many different ways to weave and how many different materials you can use. It also shows you how to make a loom at home and what tools you need to do different techniques, and also showing other kinds of ideas like necklaces or weaving round a jar. I've always wanted to give that a go but never knew where to begin, i think this book would be fantastic for any skill levels because it takes you through step-by-step and is worded really well so it's easy to follow and understand. The book has photos alongside the text and if you do get stuck you always have a visual from the picture to see what the step your on looks like. It's packed with so much.

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Customer review

Love it! The book is surprisingly big and very comprehensive. Really good value. The step-by-step pictures are helpful and each step is very well explained. This book has taken weaving to a new level, making it a very interesting choice for home decor projects.

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Customer review

This book is an ideal size to carry around and read on the go. With textiles being very popular at present I would recommend this book to assist in experimenting with weaving. It contains instructions on how to get started as well as projects to help you progress to a piece of individual art unique to you. It suggests different frames you could use as well as different yarns to weave with including recycled ideas. There is a section on natural dyes and how to use them making this a good reference tool. There is a suggestion of the unusual like making jewellery, covering vessels as well as incorporating objects into wall art. Techniques are well documented and accompanied by plenty of clear pictures. I would recommend this book to every textile artist, novice or experienced - for fun, knowledge and to aid creation of works of art to be proud of.

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Customer review

What a great book, so many inspiring designs, very well-illustrated and clear concise instructions. I am looking forward to being creative with it.

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Customer review

What a lovely well-laid-out book. Easy-to-follow instructions, with plenty of photos. What I liked most was that you didn't need a proper loom to start a project, just a piece of cardboard. Can't wait to make one of the lovely projects. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants to do this craft.

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Seashore Creative

Learn the essential weaving methods through each project, starting with a simple beautiful wall hanging in the basic stitch through to a dream catcher made with braids, soumak and rya knots. Create unique and beautiful designs by incorporating a range of materials, fabrics and imaginative embellishments. In addition, each project includes handy tips and advice to help and inspire you on your weaving journey. 

See the full review here.

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9 Crafty Books We're Reading in 2019

This isn't your typical project book. "Woven Art" pulls inspiration from your own travels, personal objects, and experiences to help you create woven art for your home. You'll start by learning how to make your own cardboard loom.

See the full list of Martha Stewart's craft book recommendations here.