Tag Archives: Woven Women tapestries by Noreen Crone-Findlay

Butterfly Woman Spreads Her Wings Tapestry

In 2012, I wove a tapestry that was quietly part of a series of tapestries that I have been working on for many years:

In the last few weeks, she has let me know that she wanted to really spread her wings….

So, I wove her a face on my hexagon loom from Dewberry Ridge looms: LINK

I built a little loom to weave hands for her, and stitched on butterflies that I had designed and crocheted many years ago.

I used really thick wire to make and armature for one of the larger butterflies.

And, then, she had wings!

I am so pleased with her, and she is very pleased with me, too!

She’s about 39 inches/100 cm  tall and her wingspan is about 22 inches (55 cm).

Here’s a little video that I made about her:

My book, Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks LINK shows you how to weave tapestries on the peg loom.

If you’d like to know how to weave tapestries on the hexagon loom, here’s a how to video:

 

After a very long, very cold and very snowy and icy winter, I do believe that Spring and Butterflies on their way!

 

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Filed under Dewberry Ridge looms, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, tutorial & how to, video tutorial, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

6th Sense One of a Kind Art Doll- Tree Mother

Last month, when there was a spectacular Super Moon, we stepped outside to admire it.

The gigantic moon looked like it was suspended in the huge trees that line our street.

The image of the Great Tree Mother, rocking the Moon in her arms, rose up in my mind….

and I knew that I had to build one of my 6th Sense one of a kind art dolls.

Here she is:

Great Tree Mother Rocked The Moon in Her Arms:

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While I was contemplating how to build the Great Tree Mother piece, my husband and our daughter took the dogs for a walk one morning.

Chloe came home with a wonderfully gnarly branch that had been pruned from someone’s tree and tossed into the alley.

She just knew I needed it…. even though, at that point, I hadn’t told her what I was mulling about 🙂

We have a very deep connection!

It is perfect.

So’s our daughter….

Anyhow…

The faces….

Years ago, my dear friend found a moose antler that had been shed and she asked me if I could use it.

I cut 3 faces from it, and carved them and painted them.

Two of them became part of this piece:

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Tree Mother’s face.

She also has a ‘Hidden Face’ that is hidden inside the piece and will never be revealed.

Too bad I didn’t photograph it!  Oops…

Here is Moon’s face:

6th-sense-tree-mother-rocked-the-moon-in-her-arms-3-c

I carved the hand from wood.

I wove the bands on 2 different looms and knitted the grey hand spun cloth of her robe.

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All of the 6th Sense Woven Women have 6 pennies incorporated into them, as a metaphor for coming to our senses, and embracing intuition, intelligence and inspiration.

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She is 29 inches/72.5 cm  tall and the branch spreads out to 15 inches/37.5 cm wide.

She is not for sale.

By the way, she is also a celebration of creative adaptive re-use and upcycling.  I love that.

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Woven Women- The Stories We Tell

This is the latest in my series of Woven Women mixed media tapestries: “The Stories We Tell”.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

Here’s the video that explains it:

I wove the center galaxy section on a 15 inch peg loom from Dewberry Ridge looms. The dragonflies and star were also woven on looms that I designed for Dewberry Ridge.

I wove the words on my double slotted rigid heddle.

I worked the hand in Teneriffe lace and lucet cords.

It’s 20 inches/50 cm wide and 21 inches/52.5 cm tall.

It took more than 8 weeks of intensive weaving for me to complete this piece.

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Woven Word Tapestries by Noreen Crone-Findlay

I am working on a series of woven tapestries and mixed media woven works that have prayers, poems and blessings woven into them.

The light hasn’t been good enough to photograph my latest piece: ‘Thank You’, so I have made a short video showing her and a few other ‘Woven Word’ pieces in the series.

I am working on several new pieces at once, and when they are done, I’ll post videos and photos of them, too.

 

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Woven Women: Stardust Woman

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

For many months, I have been working on a new Woven Woman that is based on Rumi’s poem:

‘We came whirling out of nothingness

Scattering stars like dust…..

The stars made a circle

and in the middle

we danced’

I wove the words on the magical narrow band loom that my son and I created- LINK

using a double slotted rigid heddle.

To weave the letters, I graphed out my hand writing and experimented until the letters wove up in a pleasing manner, both technically, and aesthetically.

I also used the dragonfly and star looms that I designed for Dewberry Ridge looms – LINK

And, I included some tatting, too.

I made the face and hands from 1/2 inch plywood and the backdrop from 1/4 inch plywood.

She’s a departure from the direction I have been going with my Woven Women, so I really questioned myself about her.

She spent quite a long time on the dining room table as I moved her component parts from here to there.

And now,  completed, she measures 11 inches wide and from the top of the arch to the tassel at her hem is more than 60 inches.

But, I feel really drawn to weave words right now, so I will continue to do more….

The next Woven Woman is on the loom already. 🙂

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Two hand carved crochet hooks

On the weekend, a friend of mine in North Carolina posted photos of a collection of crochet hooks that I carved several years ago.

She has been nudging me to start carving crochet hooks again, and seeing the photo of all those hooks inspired me.

So, I picked up my carving tools and have been carving non-stop.

Tadah!  Here are the first 2 hooks that I have carved in absolutely yonks!

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

The little girl, carved from birch,  is just a touch under 6 inches tall (which is appropriate, as she’s inspired by Hitty dolls).  The hook is about a size “N’ 10mm

The Rabbit is carved from a mystery hardwood that was in our woodworking shop (and was hard as nails to carve)

and is not quite 8 1/2 inches tall. The hook is about a size “N’ 10mm.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

They are both for sale.  Each is $95.00 + shipping – if you are interested, please drop me a note! 🙂

Thanks for the inspiration, Maitri! 🙂

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Itty Bitty Hitty’s great adventure- 2

Itty Bitty Hitty vanished through the Story Door  on a magical small Tall Ship,

leaving Coco and the other Story Door Dolls to worry and fret.  See LINK

She amazed Coco by coming home safe and sound, with a new friend, Lettie.

Lettie Bunny apparently rescued Itty on her great adventure!

Coco and Lettie sat down to listen to Itty’s story.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay www.tottietalkscrafts.com

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

As soon as the Story Door shut behind Itty and the tiny Tall Ship,  they whirled away through clouds and fog.

Itty was sure that the fog went on forever, and when she had finally given up hope,

Itty heard a rumbling roar!

The fog cleared, and there was a huge fiery Dragon!

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

Itty was terrified!

Luckily, a mighty Wizard strode out of the mists and sent the Dragon packing:

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

The Wizard tossed a small fireball that sent the Tiny Tall Ship soaring to a peaceful

garden in front of a very appealing door:

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

 

Itty knocked and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

Sadly, Itty sailed on until she came to another lovely garden,

where a beautiful Lady of the Earth was sleeping.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

Itty whispered to her, hoping to wake her up just a little, without really disturbing her.

She leaned over the Lady of the Green Places and whispered again….

still, no answer…

Itty leaned sooooooooooo far out of the rigging of the Tiny Tall Ship that she tumbled

out and down,

down,

down….

until she landed

upside down, with a serious thump….

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

She thought about things for a moment and decided that a bucket might be a

better place to be than a Tiny Tall Ship that didn’t pay much attention to where

she wanted to be…..

‘Um?’, she mumbled.

There was no response.

‘Hello?’.

A bee bumbled by to investigate.

‘HALLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?’

‘Um and Hello to you, too, Little One!’, a soft, not-about- to-eat-or-sail-unexpectedly-away voice came close to the bucket.

‘And,  what, might I ask, are you doing in my bucket, Little One?’

‘Standing on my head’.

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

‘Ah, yes…. well, let’s set that to rights…. my name is Lettice Bunny, but you can call me, Lettie’.

And, then, Itty burst into tears…..

‘I want to go home!’

‘Which is where?’

‘In the studio where the Story Door is!’

‘Well, that’s easily done! I was born in the studio by the Story Door!’

‘REALLY?????’

‘Yes, Little One, perhaps you were busy while all the carving was happening, come on now, just close your eyes….

The Story Door is just a small wish away…..’.

And! Then! Lettie and Itty were right there at the Story Door, and couldn’t be happier about it!

The funny thing about Itty’s great adventure was that it all seemed to happen at the Muttart Conservatory….

and Jim and I were right there!

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

You would think we would have noticed a tiny flying ship with wee Itty Bitty Hitty on it, wouldn’t you?

🙂

 

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A small video of my ‘Woven Women’ tapestries

Yesterday, a dear friend helped me to hang some of my ‘Woven Women’ tapestries at the Blue Chair Cafe in Edmonton AB.

They will be hanging at the Blue Chair for the months of September and October 2014.

I took a small video after the show was hung….

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Woven Women tapestries- Seven Ravens

The story, The Seven Ravens, by the Brothers Grimm inspired me to weave a tapestry.

I have been working on it for more than 5 months, and I am thrilled to have finally (!!!) finished it!!!!

While I was weaving it, I tried to remember to take progress pics, so I could make a little video showing how it grew.

I wasn’t very good at remembering to do that, so the pics really lurch and skip, but c’est la vie- sometimes, we lurch, don’t we?

And, now, thank goodness, it’s finally done!!!! yay!!! done done done!

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

And, here is the little video showing how it grew:

I am now delighted to be warping up for a new tapestry- yay!

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Woven Women – Three Sisters

Three sisters of the heart- tapestry/mixed media pieces that I wove and fabricated this summer:

copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay http://www.tottietalkscrafts.com

On the left:  Woven Women- Asking for Miracles 36 inches tall
Center: Woven Women- Edith’s Song (no regrets) 31 inches tall
On the right:  Woven Women- Small Bird Sang and All Was Forgiven 36 inches tall

Woven on my Mirrix tapestry looms (16 inch wide loom and 8 inch wide loom).

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