Handwoven Garments
& Accessories
by Alice Cappa ...
Throws
& Lace "SeaShawls"
CONTACT ME FOR WHERE TO SEE THE LATEST,
OR FOR CUSTOMIZING ONE OF YOUR OWN.
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Recently, I won an award and became part of a succession of artists who are "passing the torch". The winner creates something for the next winner. The shawl in the pics is my contribution. It is "modeled" by one of my fav paintings, Wm. Holman Hunt's Lady of Shalott. "While weaving,
edges of the |
Imagery
is created by |
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Throws
(3ft.x5ft, or larger) and Shawls
(26"x78") More on larger, cotton or woolen throws below. Wedding Shawls: bringing to mind doves, flowers, shells, and lace.
"Starry
Beach"
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Cassat's "Lydia" wears "Dove" throw. |
SeaShawls:
bringing to mind all things of the waters. They also make great cover-ups at the beach.
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"Angel
Fish" | | "Conch
Shell" |
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"Wentletrap
Shell" | "Seahorse" | "Whelk
Shell" |
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"Seashawls"
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Handspun Woolen Throws | ||||||
Cotton Throws Cotton is ideal for summer AC, or more natural outdoor cooling. THROWS (3'x5' or 4'x6') can be light-weight cottons in nubby textures -flake, boucle, or nub yarns. Or include an image, as in the "SEASHAWLS" above, shaped with fingerpicked leno-lace. This technique is not pulled threads, but is woven line by line as the weft progresses up the length of the weaving. Besides sea images, others that have been included are leaves, butterflies, or a graceful curving lizard. |
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Most edges have an inch of leno-lace. Options: macrame'd fringe and beaded weft.
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Finished
blanket, | ||||||||
Wools are even more labor-intensive, requiring the fleece to first be handspun. My sheep provide much of the wool, but I will also include commercial yarns, textures, and colors for a varied surface, as with the cottons. The handspun, however, is also hand-dyed, and may be processed with natural plants, berries, barks, etc. | To order woolen throws, have a range of shades in mind and allow 8-12 weeks. | |||||||
Most
cotton content (with occasional metallics for sparkle
or rayon for sheen), are woven in a variety of nubby
textures - flake, slubs, nubby, boucle... giving a feel-good touch. Some may also
have bits of silk, linen, tencil, etc. | ||||||||
~ Handspun Woolen Throws ~
Rodin's "The Kiss" with handspun wool throw. |
| ![]() | In natural fleeces of creams, whites, browns, greys, or black.Also with vegetable and fiber-reactive dyes. |
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| Handspun
wools are soft as new lambs and the colors from natural
dyes are soft too. Earth colors never clash, are permanent, and mellow
with age. By "earth colors", I mean pigments from natural sources, sometimes called
"vegetable dyes": leaves & barks, berries & flowers, vegies, or minerals
from the ground. Most are simmered with wools (or other natural fibers) and yield
a full range of rainbowed hues. Handspun yarns are
textured: thick/thin, nubby, curly, etc, and have character from the
touch of the spinner that a machine can never duplicate. Mine are fairly thick
and fluffy (why spin fine, even threads when a machine can do that?) and feel
wonderful on cool evenings. The grade, or texture, of wool ranges from the finest Merino used for soft baby clothes, up through stiff, wiry rug wools from breeds such as the Hampshires, or Coltswolds. (Wearable grades of wool should not itch, unless you have an alergy, but that's a different story.) Wool is a natural insulator, lets your skin breathe, and keeps you warm even when wet. Yes, even in the South, I can sure use a nice fluffy, warm throw or scarf on the pan-handle's cold winter days. Click for more about WOOLs from my sheep, general terminology pics of the spinning processes, and lots of new lambs. | |
Handspun
throws are a labor-intensive craft, requiring first the spinning of many yards
of yarns, the dyeing of colors, and then weaving on the loom. My sheep are generally
raised organically
(natural grains, no hormones)
and the wool washed without chemicals, retaining some natural lanolin and is soft
enough to be worn next to the skin.
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Contact me for more info.
To Order, contact me with the following:
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