Last Sunday morning, I had an inspiring dream.
I dreamt that I was invited to visit the workroom of a friend who passed on awhile ago.
She and I had written back and forth for several years before her death.
I still hold her dear in my heart, even though we never got to meet, face to face, in this world.
Anyhow, in the dream, I was invited into 2 gorgeous little rooms that were full, floor to ceiling, with antique drawers and shelves, full of exquisite handmade lace and yarn, and thread and weaving and embroidery.
It gave me a whole new view of heaven! 
I was particularly moved by the colors of one jacket and 2 bags that were woven with a range of reds and blues and then embroidered with yellow silk thread.
For the rest of this week, I have been glued to my loom, and then my sewing machine, weaving a vest that was inspired by the dream.
It has been such an interesting voyage of discovery, as it took me places that I didn’t expect to go, and it had it’s own rules and requirements.
Here it is:
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
I wove it on my Saori loom, blending the yarns on the bobbin, and adding and picking up strands of weft as I wove.
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
I knew that I was going to be shaping the vest by pulling on warp strands to add the curves that would build the vest, so I worked at making the shapes of the clasped weft be conducive to the warp pulling process.
I had thought that I would use the narrow band to add another ruffle to the outside edge, but I decided instead, to use it to weave the back of the vest.
This is one of the things I love about Saori weaving- being able to do freeform work that takes off in a different direction than I had originally planned!
I like to shape the garment after I have woven it, so I do my warp pulling after the weaving is off the loom, and don’t do any shaping on the loom.
The butterfly was woven while it was still on the loom.
I had thought that I would embroider lots of dragonflies onto the vest.
I didn’t embroider the dragonflies while it was on the loom, as I wasn’t sure where I would be placing the pulled warp sections, and didn’t want the embroidery to be distorted or to interfere with the pulling process.
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
I had woven the butterfly a couple of weeks ago, and set it aside, as the piece that it had originally been part of felt like it was a ‘fail’.
How wrong I was! The butterfly and another section of the ‘fail’, fitted into the back of the vest just perfectly.
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
I thought that I would tat some dragonflies and stitch them on, but they just didn’t work.
It’s a wonderfully comfortable vest, and every time I wear it, I will think of a dear friend, and how she still inspires me!
So, my friends, here’s to life, to color, to love, and to the creative process!
May you weave sweet, colorful dreams!
And, here is a video on how to shape fabric by pulling warp strands:
