After the workshop with Mary Sleigh last weekend and having bought her book, "Exploring African Themes in Fabric and Stitch" I had ideas brewing from the last week which needed to be released.
A visit to the local garden centre with an extensive craft department saw me buying raffia in three different shades. I didn't know what I was going to do with it as usual, but they would become part of the ideas at some point.
On arriving home I remembered the child's weaving kit I had salvaged from a jumble sale some time ago. I kept picking it up and putting it back and it nearly went to the recent jumble sale in a fit of tidying up! Just as well it was given a second chance as I began weaving the raffia whilst watching the F1 race at Silverstone on the TV.
Here's a photo of the weaving at the beginning.
And here are two pieces of woven raffia, I did them in strips in keeping with the textiles I had seen recently.
Keepng the tails of unused raffia for effect.
I tried to join them together with the third shade, but I fear it must had been bleached to get the white colour and this had weakened the raffia, making the joining the two strips together most frustrating. So I turned to orange thread instead. I have bought some orange felt and some cotton trapestry wool to add some more embellishments later this evening.
Now I have to work...
