You might think that the inspiration for wonderful weaving pieces comes from things that are grand, like the Bolshoi or the Grand Canyon, but in my experience, great weaving designs also come from everyday objects as is the case with the Pool-Inspired Towels by Connie Westbrook.
Bumble bee and lavender Photo Credit: Pixabay
Many weavers take pictures of ordinary things to record color palettes; I‘ve taken pictures of plums and cherries in a turquoise bowl and a bumblebee on a lavender bush just to remember the color combinations. We also take photographs of patterns—brick walkways, columns of windows in a skyscraper, birch trees seemingly lined up in the forest—and then imagine them translated into a weave structure. Connie Westbrook designed her Pool-Inspired Towels, featured in Handwoven March/April 2018, based on the white and blue tiles in her local swimming pool, combining the tile pattern and colors into one design.
The royal blue border in the towels mimics the blue tile borders on many swimming pools. Photo Credit: George Boe
Perhaps for most of us the local swimming pool seems less than inspiring, but these towels prove otherwise. Connie used an 8-shaft-turned-twill design to evoke the lanes in a swimming pool with royal blue, white, and light grey 8/2 cotton. Using the royal blue as weft, she added a blue border to 2 of the 3 towels that is a nod to the blue tiles often found on pool rims. The crisp design works equally well in a traditional or modern setting, and the 3 patterns blend perfectly together. Alone or as a set, they are a great addition to your own stock of handwoven towels, and they make an ideal gift.
Once you have woven the Pool-Inspired Towels, perhaps another design in the magazine will inspire your next project. And look around: you might be surprised by the weaving inspiration you see in everyday objects.
Weave well,
Susan