The Swallows Embrace: Weaving Friendship
This is a story of two friends, being reunited after years apart and, literally, and figuratively, through the ties that bind ~ weaving.
-
With the warmth of Spring sunlight, my friend of 40 years and I met for tea. Though decades had passed, our families had grown, and we had both retired from our professional lives, it felt like no time had gone by. Our friendship picked up right where it left off.
As we talked, the idea of me weaving a wrap for her naturally came up. She is an artist, and I am a weaver, so we slipped easily into a creative rhythm—discussing color, texture, and imagery that could reflect the depth of our friendship.
-
For this piece, we were drawn to the quiet elegance of kasuri and decided to create a wrap inspired by Okinawan ikat—using a warp-painting technique rather than traditional resist dyeing.
-
We chose imagery that felt symbolic and personal:
Tsubame (swallow): love and fidelity
Igeta (well): life, stability, and good fortune
Before it even existed, we named the piece “The Swallows Embrace.”
-
Our color palette reflected calm and clarity:
Sea Spray (teal)
Dove White
To achieve a light, airy fabric, I used 30/2 silk.
We chose a warp-faced 3/1 twill structure from Anne Dixon’s The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory to enhance the warp-painted design. A benefit of the twill’s structure is that the images are more visible on the top side of the cloth.
-
338 ends
90 inches long
24 ends per inch
~14 inches wide
-
Because the design would be painted directly onto the warp, keeping the threads aligned was essential. I used a second reed at the back of the loom to maintain even spacing throughout the process.
Carving the Design
Instead of tying threads for traditional ikat, I carved the motifs into linoleum blocks and printed them directly onto the tensioned warp.
Painting the Warp
After stamping, I painted both the top and underside of the threads using Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow. This allowed me to create the look of ikat with more control over the imagery.
Weaving the Cloth
The weaving structure itself was simple, but the process required focus.
I alternated Dove White and Sea Spray in the weft, weaving at about 60–70 picks per inch. Because of the fine silk and light colors, the pattern was difficult to see as it developed.
Finding My Flow
I worked in short 15 minute spurts.
I used the Weaver’s Perfect Memory to keep my place.
Finishing Touches
To frame the piece, I added a border using a different tie-up and hand-manipulated wrappings in slightly darker tones.
Once off the loom, I:
Washed the fabric with Jacquard Dyeset Concentrate
Let it air dry
Twisted the fringe by hand
The finished wrap measures 74 inches, including fringe. It’s light, soft, and quietly expressive—exactly what we envisioned.
More than anything, this wrap is a reflection of a lifelong friendship, our shared creativity, and the beauty of reconnecting after time apart. It carries not just pattern and color, but memory and meaning woven into every thread.
We would love to share your stories on our Creative Portfolio page. Looking forward to hearing from you!
