My grandma weaves breathtaking wall hangings (and blankets and sweaters) on a giant loom that just looks so crazy and complicated to me. It’s a beast. I always used to say, “someday I’ll learn to weave…” in a wistful way like it would take me years and years. It wasn’t until I started seeing small-scale weaving tutorials (see list at the bottom) that I realized I could actually do this at any time, with a random old cardboard box. I am much less intimidated by weaving now, but even more in awe of it.
1. Wild Columbine Textile
2. Ran Ran Design
3. Oh Albatross
4. Hiedra
5. Toni Penrose for Moorea Seal
6. Straw & Gold
7. Liz Toohey-Wiese
8. Combed Thunder
9. Heddle & Needle
Here is one of my very favorite weavings made by my grandma. For a long time she lived in Gualala, a tiny town along the Northern California coast. Gualala is all redwood trees, oceans, and artists. It’s my favorite place in the entire world and my heart aches a little every time I visit because it is so full of wonderful memories. Anyway, this weaving is inspired by Gualala. Amazing, huh? I’ll share more of her work in the future.
Is weaving something you have tried or would like to get into? Also, does anybody else have a favorite place like Gualala, that is filled to the brim with sweet childhood memories?
ps. Here are a few weaving tutorials that I think are quite excellent:
Weaving 101 | Playful Learning
DIY Woven Wall Hanging | Honestly WTF
Weaving Class: The Basics | A Beautiful Mess
Learn to Weave | Clare McGibbon on The Etsy Blog
Alex says
Your grandma’s weavings are amazing. Patterned designs are always nice, but the ones depicting scenes are really something special.
D. Renée Wilson says
These are simply fantastic!
(Stopping by from EBT.)
chelsea says
These are absolutely stunning!
Tiffany Ima says
These are so beautiful! I wish I had the patience to learn this technique!
BTW I haven’t been by in a while and love this new blog look :)
Tiffany Ima
Style Honestly
Jennifer | Earl Grey Blog says
Thanks Tiffany! I’m not sure I’ll have the patience once I try out weaving, but perhaps it will become a relaxing pastime. :)
Nina says
Wow, your grandma makes amzing work for sure! I’ve seen weaving popping all over my Instgram/bloglovin feed recently and I SO want to try it (as if I needed a new creative hobby…) . Actually I had a weaving kit as a kind and did not use it so much, because as much as I loved the process, I didn’t want to finish the balls of yarn, maybe for fear that I counldn’t find more afterwards? Or maybe because I liked the thing too much to use it (you can’t imagine how much pretty candies, cakes, candles or soaps I didn’t use as a kid because I didn’t want to alter them!) Well, now my parents have sold it or gave it to a charity anyway. So I’m on the hunt for a new loom but I guess I’d better start with one made out of cardboard to see if I really enjoy myself and will keep on weaving (because that might just be a trendy thing that will pass, you know?)
There is one place in which I have SO many childhood memories, and this is the island I used to go on vacation every summer with my parents. We always rented the same house and met the same friends year after year, from childhood (involving long hours at the beach, bodyboarding, eating churros on the beach -and probably a few sand covered ones!-, fishing tiny shrimps at low tide, building castles, picking shells and other beach treasures, hiding in the dunes, throwing algae and sand balls at each other, digging holes, …) to teenage (with campfires on the beach, with or without alcohol, hours of sunbathing, flirting with guys, learning windsurfing and surfing, being throwned in the water by the guys, …) Oh how many experiences I had every year during these two weeks! Also, the Bask country where I lived the first 4 years of my life and my grandma’s garden are place that make me feel very nostagic!
Toni Penrose says
What a lovely curation of weavings!! Number # 5 is actually my own work that I made for the Moorea Seal shop. I’ve seen it posted a lot, but I’ve never been credited for my work. Either way, thanks for including it :)
http://pinterest.com/pin/353673376959945927/
Toni x
Jennifer | Earl Grey Blog says
Oh wow! It is so beautiful! Happy to find out you made it. I’ll update the source link to be a little more direct. :)
Toni Penrose says
Thank you so much! Xoxox
Toni :)
Sofia says
Hi there!i was on Pinterest today, and came across this post! I made one of those ( and was wondering why suddenly that one in particular got so many views…
Wall Tapestry says
Gorgeous tapestries and it’s pleasant to see some with beautiful wall tapestry. I really love this.