Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Winter Leaves: Sample #4 (The Winner?)

 This one is actually the backside of sample #2, which I discovered with a mirror when I was examining sample #3

Could be leaves. Could be feathers!

It required a little tweaking; I 

  1. Retied my treadles the opposite of what they were before (very easy to do with my new lamm-top treadle tie-up system.) This put the back of the fabric on the top.
  2. Reversed the treadling order to give the leaves a "right side up" appearance.

I'm quite happy with this sample. I like that the white weft outlines the leaves and ribs of the leaf, even though perhaps the white makes it harder to make out the leaves. 


I'm wondering if a darker color would outline the leaves better, although I like the white because it's the color of snow. The other option would be darker warp colors, but then muted is the color of winter as well. I do like that the random winter color palette for the warp is much more prominent than in the other samples. This is more the look I was wanting from the beginning.

I'm definitely happy with Sample #4. Onward!

10 comments:

Michelle said...

If you squint to increase the contrast (something I was taught to do in art classes), it definitely looks like leaves!

Leigh said...

Michelle, I'd forgotten about squinting. Hopefully that's not the only way to see the leaves, lol.

Meg said...

Success!!

Leigh said...

Meg, it's the best so far. (I still try the original if I had an 8 shaft jack loom).

Valerie said...

Yay! I'm so glad you have enough extra warp to sample with. Whatever colors you decide on for weft, remember it's the value contrast that shows the pattern you've worked so hard to achieve.

Toirdhealbheach Beucail said...

I can see the leaves if my eyes adjust for a moment. I first see waves.

Leigh said...

Valerie, this is where the value of sampling lies! I like all the colors, but do wonder if there's enough contrast. As TB says in the next comment, it initially looks like waves to me too. I have to wonder how increased contrast between warp and weft would behave visually. (Only one way to find out.)

Leigh said...

TB, me too, except I know to look for leaves. If someone didn't know, I wonder if they could see them? Visual optics are an interesting factor, especially with weaving where color blending is different than say, paint.

Linda's Relaxing Lair said...

I really like this!

Leigh said...

Thank you Linda!