Transparency Weaving: A Guide To Creating Sheer Textile Art

Transparency Weaving: A Guide To Creating Sheer Textile Art, by Rebecca Smith, is a comprehensive guide to transparency weaving and the creation of textile art that plays with open areas, light, shadow, and layered designs. At the intersection of tapestry and inlay, transparency weaving combines an open ground cloth woven with fine yarns and supplementary inlaid designs. The book takes weavers from the fundamentals through more advanced techniques, with six projects designed to progressively develop their skills. At a glance ✔ Comprehensive guide to transparency weaving ✔ 6 skill-building projects ✔ Step-by-step weaving techniques ✔ History of transparency weaving and contemporary approaches ✔ Guidance on looms, tools, and materials ✔ More than 300 colour photographs and diagrams ✔ 168 pages ✔ Hardcover ✔ English language Explore transparency weaving Transparency weaving combines an open ground cloth with inlaid design elements to create textiles in which light, opaque areas, and open spaces become integral parts of the composition. Rebecca Smith introduces the fundamentals before moving into more advanced techniques. The book also explains the tools, materials, and different types of looms that can be used, with practical guidance for working with transparency weaving. Techniques you'll explore Step-by-step instructions guide you through pictorial, geometric, and abstract designs while exploring different ways to build shapes and imagery within the open ground cloth. Inlay patterns Overlapping shapes Diagonal, vertical, and curved edges Reverse imagery Colour illusions Weft variations Pictorial, geometric, and abstract designs Looms, tools, and materials The book explains how to select and use the equipment needed for transparency weaving. The basic structure can be woven on as few as two shafts, while a four-shaft loom allows you to explore all the techniques presented in the book. Floor and table looms are presented as ideal choices because of their ability to maintain warp tension and provide a reed and beater. Rigid heddle looms can also be used, with adaptations to help manage the particular tension requirements of transparency weaving. Six projects to build your skills The book includes six projects, each focusing on one or two techniques. The projects provide practical opportunities to explore imagery, inlay patterns, overlapping shapes, reverse imagery, colour effects, weft variations, and other possibilities of transparency weaving. Instructions also cover display methods designed to showcase the distinctive light and shadow effects of finished transparencies. History and contemporary practice The book traces the history of transparency weaving from the 1890s through the mid-20th century and into contemporary practice. It explores the legacy of weaving pioneers including Frida Hansen and Theo Moorman and offers insights into the approaches of six contemporary transparency weavers. Specifications Author: Rebecca Smith Language: English Binding: Hardcover Pages: 168 Illustrations: 341 colour photographs and diagrams Dimensions: 21.6 × 27.9 cm (8.5 × 11 in) Thickness: 1.8 cm (0.7 in) Weight: 1.08 kg (2.38 lb) ISBN: 9780764372438 About the author Rebecca Smith is a weaver and instructor who guides readers from the fundamentals of transparency weaving through more advanced techniques and creative applications. Why we love it This book brings together technique, history, and contemporary textile art in a particularly thorough exploration of transparency weaving. The extensive photography and diagrams make the techniques easy to examine, while the six projects provide a practical path from understanding the structure to creating finished textile art. Explore more Explore weaving books Resources