Warp-Faced Thing

So, some of you might have noticed the odd looking object popping out at the bottom of my rug samples...

A few days before our samples were due the instructor demonstrated another technique. Up until then, we had been working on weft-faced techniques. (Important information: The warp runs vertically through the entire rug . The weft is laid in horizontally string by string.) In weft-faced construction it is the weft that is most visible. If the warp is laid down with less space between each string the warp becomes more visible and is thus called warp-faced construction.

Last semester, I made a small footstool out of plastic tubes woven together with yarn. During the development process I had also woven some flexible plastic tubing. Even though it wasn't the direction I wanted to pursue for that project I really liked the sample and wanted to come back to it at some point (See Value Container post). This warp-faced technique was the perfect opening.

It took me seven hours to string my warp and set up the loom. This particular technique is time intensive on the front end but the weaving process is really quick since the weft is somewhat irrelevant.



A few hours of weaving and I had this...

Six feet of something. Here it is sitting in a folding chair. The long-term plan is to make some sort of chair frame and have it become the seat and back. Given its length it might turn into more of a lounge chair.

Rug Samples

On Wednesday we presented the rug samples we have been working on for the past few weeks. We each had to have 12 to 15 samples representing a few of each of the techniques. Here are some examples of our work.



These are mine...


Most everyone had a favorite method of working that they planned on incorporating into the final. I spent my time on the samples trying out various materials. I wish I had spent a little more time developing some of my more successful samples. Instead I will have to do a little more work this upcoming week to perfect my plan for my final rug.

emo.table

So...this post is a bit delayed. I realized over the holidays that I had never posted on my final group project for the Art and Design seminar class. If you remember, my midterm project for this class was The Wall posters and accompanying video. Our group enjoyed working together and had a similar vision for what we wanted the next project to be so we stuck together (plus a couple new members) and started brainstorming. Really all we knew was that we wanted to develop a marketable product. After a couple meetings we settled on a vague concept which would use light to facilitate community and connectivity around the dinner table. We just ran with the idea not thinking too much about the technical aspects, confident that they would somehow work themselves out. We wanted the table to look basic and unassuming in its normal state so we decided to build a parsons table.

The trick being that the top of the table is a piece of clear plastic covered in thin maple veneer. This means that any light inside the table will show through the top of the table. We spent hours trying to come up with a brilliant pattern which would communicate our ideas and look great at the same time. In the end, I think we fell a little short here. We just needed more time and maybe a little space from the project to allow some fresh ideas in.


The table turns on by motion sensors placed underneath the table. So when someone sits down at a particular place setting the table lights begin to turn on. There was quite a bit of programming involved and many hours of soldering LED lights to little wires. In the end, though, it was quite amazing. It is like the table is alive in the room!

The Woven Rug

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2008.

Unlike most schools, which have two semesters per school year, RISD has three – a fall semester, a spring semester, and something called Wintersession. This is a short six-week period where students are only allowed to take one class. Additionally, there are no department restrictions so it is a chance to take classes outside of any given person’s particular major. My class this term is titled The Woven Rug and it is basically exactly that. We spent the first day setting up the looms which, it turns out, is quite a process.

It took about four hours before anyone was even ready to start weaving. The loom may be complicated, but once everything is in the proper place the weaving process is fairly straightforward. To get acquainted with the process the class has been practicing various patterns and techniques.

Our options fall into three basic categories – weave, tapestry, and pile. Pile is similar to the carpet or rugs many of you probably own and is characterized by cut yarns packed tightly together. In contrast, the basic weave is flat and tight, with the yarns laying down horizontally. Tapestry is a technique for incorporating pattern or image into the basic weave. I have just begun to feel comfortable using all of the techniques so I am looking forward to trying some different materials this next week, such as fabric, rubber, and paper.