Mixed-Media Weaving Reader Challenge

We challenged Cloth Paper Scissors readers to create a mixed-media weaving. The sky was the limit for materials, and we received quite a variety. Driftwood, straw, seedpods, and air-dry clay are just a few of the materials participants used. We had so many great entries we couldn’t fit them all in the issue; here’s a sneak peek.

Check out the rest of the finalists’ art in the September/October issue.

Marcia McCormack • Lake Forest, CA
“Spun Once, Woven Twice”
11½” x 12″

“I spun yarn out of gift tissue and fiber on my drop spindle, and wove the yarn on my Rigid Heddle Loom. I cut the woven fabric into strips, then wove the strips to form a new fabric. I sandwiched bits of fabric, yarn, and thread between layers of plastic and ironed the edges to seal them for the top and bottom “tiles” in the center row. The beads are made from plastic drinking straws wrapped with batik fabric, yarn, and ribbon, and embellished with jewelry beads. Angelina fiber and a funky bead sit in the center. The edging was couched with silk yarn that was spun on my drop spindle and dyed with Kool-Aid.”

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Ginger Samuels • San Marcos, CA
17½” x 10″

“This is my first weaving. I incorporated seashells and driftwood I found on the beach. I love the colors and the sea theme.”

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Michel A. Puckett • Columbus, OH
10″ x 8″

“The woven strips are gel plate-printed cardstock. The pieces were woven and wet felted, using a Joomchi technique. Mulberry paper strips run horizontally across the paper strips. The felted paper was sprayed with a clear medium to make it water resistant. After the strips were felted, I wet felted a purse, felted the woven piece to the purse, and added bead embellishments.”

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Aisling Hassett • County Tipperary, Ireland
10¾” x 9″

“‘The sea casts its spell and captures you in its net; find me among urchins’ (my quote). For my weaving I made an air-dry clay weaving form, and used dyed silk carrier rods, embroidery threads, various yarns, beads, dyed TissuTex, beaded braid, passementerie weaving, and text on paper scraps.”

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Elizabeth Mayberry • Middletown, CT
“Straw into Gold”
11″ x 10″

“I chose to take a slight detour on the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale for ‘Straw into Gold.’ This mixed-media creation features a natural straw warp and a variety of threads for the weft (natural linen thread, gold-dyed linen thread, cotton with metallic gold crochet cotton, and metallic gold thread). It is decorated with gold ‘leafy’ lace, gold metallic spots, and gold chain with coins. Using straw as the warp was a real challenge. It finally came together after many experiments and at least two full-scale previous attempts failed to work.”