So, the small loom is warped, and I think I may have chosen a design for the small tapestry. My choice is actually neither of the ones I was considering, but is based on a comment left by Robbie (Thank you SO much, Robbie! See why I love comments?!) She suggested I do a portrait tapestry of one of the chickens, similar to the portrait I had done of Wooster. That rang a bell in my mind, because the last time I was with the grand-chicks, I had actually taken some close-up shots, especially of O'Brien, whom my daughter-in-law tells me is a golden-laced Wyandotte. She is a beauty; sort of a Zentangled hen. (And yes, she is named for O'Brien in Downton Abbey.)
 |
| O'Brien |
I have several photos of O'Brien, though she didn't really want to pose for me. And one of them looks like it will be a fun challenge to weave. Not easy, and not fast. The loom is warped at 10 epi, and I will probably be weaving with singles. I normally weave at about 8 epi, and use doubled weft threads. So this will be twice as slow. The photo maquette I'll be working from is below. I will turn it sideways to weave, so those beautiful lines in the neck can be woven eccentrically in a more horizontal way. The completed tapestry will be about 8.5 x 10 inches.
(By the way, the title of this post is not a suggestion that I bake O'Brien, who is a good laying hen, but is in reference to another British TV show I love, the Great British Baking Show. And has anyone else fallen in love with The Detectorists? I love British TV!)
4 comments:
I can't wait to see what you weave. I have been thinking of a chicken portrait for years, but haven't gotten around to it. I had Buckeyes when we lived in Virginia. I miss my chickens and donkey....thanks for sharing.
She's a beautiful hen, should be a beautiful tapestry. Look forward to seeing her in yarn.
I can't wait to see it either! I haven't begun her, as I'm working on the big loom. I mostly needed to choose an image so I could enter the exhibit. But soon....!
TECHNICALLY, she's named for a character in Muppet Treasure Island: Big Fat Ugly Bug Face Baby-Eating O'Brien, who is actually a beautiful lady pirate. But her secondary naming is, indeed, from Downton Abbey. ;)
Post a Comment