Judy Fisher
Weaver
HAND-WOVEN CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES
"I love the creativity involved in designing and producing my own yardage and enjoy the next step of creating wearable pieces from the handwoven fabric."
I’ve explored the ways of using fiber and fabric since I was a little girl. I I’ve had a long love affair with the fiber arts starting when I was seven and learned to weave potholders with loopers on a metal frame. Growing up, I tried knitting, embroidery, sewing my own clothes, and quilting. However, it was my daughter’s 4-H project -Angora Rabbits- that sparked my interest in spinning and then weaving.
The rabbits are long gone and so is their yarn, but weaving has been my calling since 1982.
Process:
Weaving has many steps. Deciding what to make, choosing the yarns, the colors and the pattern. Then there is setting up the loom: winding the warp threads and putting them on the loom, threading the loom, tying on the warp, checking the threading and then weaving a sample to see if it is what you want.
Clothing is fun to design from start to finish. All handwoven garments are unique. After the fabric is woven and off the loom, it has to be finished by washing or sending the material to the cleaners to prevent shrinkage.
After the garment is cut out and constructed, the scraps end up in other projects. Larger pieces may become handbags, totes or book covers, or wine sleeves. Some scraps with the correct fiber become pot holders. Smaller pieces become beanbags that can be used as paper weights, door stops, or conversation pieces.
