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Embroidery pattern books proliferated in the sixteenth century, disseminating popular imagery to needleworkers, weavers, and textile artists across an increasingly interwoven globe. For this wall hanging, I adapted a design published by Bernhard Jobin in Strasbourg in 1589. Like makers before me, I did not merely copy, but transformed the image through choice of medium, technique, color, and design — reaching back across time and space to make something new in the present.
Techniques:
This piece was handwoven in warp-faced compound tabby (also known as jin, turned taqueté, and intermesh) on a 24″ wide, homemade inkle loom. I made and used string heddles to open the four primary sheds (two pattern sheds and two tie-down sheds), while the pattern was woven using the pick-up method. For every pattern row, I used my fingers to pick up or drop each warp end individually. With 672 warp ends in each of the two warp layers (1,344 warp ends total), the design emerged only gradually–over a period of several months–and made the weaving a slow, tactile, and ultimately satisfying process.
Dimensions:
20 x 13 1/4 in.
Materials:
warp: size 20 cotton crochet thread; weft: nylon crochet thread
Loom:
Homemade (self-built) inkle loom, fitted with 24″ inch wide dowels.
Sabena Kull
Sabena Kull is a handweaver, textile artist, and art historian based in Colorado.
