Mar
5
2019
Lynn Langhoff
The creative process of weaving is extremely satisfying to me – from yarn selection and designing the weave structure through dressing the yarn on the loom, weaving, and the final finishing of each piece. I work on multi-harness floor looms using intricate weave structures and fine natural yarns (silk, wool, and cotton) as well as Tencel, to weave contemporary fabrics for decorative accessories and wearables. To create multi-tone warp for scarves, I either paint permanent fabric dyes on a stretched length of warp yarns with brushes, or dye skeins of yarn, each in several colors. To achieve unique hues for the yarn, I custom blend primary colors of the dyes. The yarn is heat set, washed and dried. After the warp is dry, the weft yarn is custom dyed in a color blend to enrich and complement the warp yarns. The threading of each warp yarn end and the treadling of the harnesses with the weft yarn determine the interlacement or pattern. After each woven scarf is removed from the loom, the fringes are hand twisted, and the scarf is washed and pressed to “finish”. The Natural Collection of scarves includes advancing twill, shadow weave and other intricate structures woven with fine natural yarns (silk, wool, and cotton) and Tencel, in black, white and neutral tones. In the Glitz Purse Collection, synthetic lurex yarn is used in the weave to add sparkle and a contemporary look to a traditional design. I sew each purse using silk lining, hand twisted cord and antique reproduction buttons. My background as an interior designer greatly influences my weaving. The emphasis on pattern and structure has developed from a sense of order and balance in design work. The ability to achieve unique color blends comes from many years of developing color palettes for design projects.