Crossing

When I look at the ‘fence’ that runs through the centre of my last panel, much of it looks woven. Wikipedia explains that “weaving is a textile production method which involves interlacing a set of longer threads (called the warp) with a set of crossing threads (called the weft)”. I like the word ‘interlace’. That ‘fence’ between the tapa strips is an “inter-lace”, if you think of it as a lace between (in Latin = inter) other materials.

My mind plays with the concept of crossing. Migrants cross borders. We cross boundaries. There’s that liminal element again that threads itself across the work. In a woven textile, threads cross (mostly) at right angles. They come from directions that are far from each other and they depart again into a far place. For a moment they meet, they form a double layer and give the material its strength. It is an altogether new thing, this fabric that is created thanks to the crossing of materials. A bit like the social fabric of a community which is composed of many different elements, men and women, old and young, nationals and expatriates. Once the element has crossed the other, it continues on its way, but it is not the same anymore. A common interface has been reached; its straight solitary line has been interrupted, texture has been added.

I want to weave a strip of tapa into a piece of coffee-dyed gauze. I make cuts at more or less regular intervals. When I weave through my tapa, the strip I use is much too solid, the areas between the cuts that will act as wefts look boring. Maybe they need to ‘dress up’ a little?

Y knot?

I proceed to knot them together in their middle and think of corsets and wasp-waists. They look like a collection of hourglasses. Hourglass – time – deadlines. Sometimes it is hard to remain patient in view of this deadline approaching when you work on slow cloth.

A backspine?

The effort is worth it. A great improvement. I weave through the tapa strip.  Instead of the long, but too solid first one, I chose three shorter yet delicate Tongan bark cloth strips. Bingo, that does it! Much better.

Ready for sewing

I add some embellishments to the gauze and start sewing. I want to get it finished tomorrow.