Lauren Walker Lee, Tacoma Weavers Guild, Tacoma, WA
Material & Technique: Warp: Astra 8/2 mercerized cotton dyed in myrobalan and indigo. Weft: 20/2 cotton dyed in indigo; linen bouclé dyed in myrobalan; Lana Grossa blue textured viscose. Sett: 24 EPI. Technique: Random wrapping of warp with ikat tape, three part dye of warp, shifted threads, plain weave
Description: One year ago, I was inspired to reflect the colors of field mustard, wheat, and skies of the Palouse hillsides in springtime. Starting with a small tapestry, I was disappointed with the commercial color yarns and needed more information. I enrolled in the Maiwa School of Textiles ten-week Natural Dye Workshop and Mary Zicafoose’s online ikat class so that I could create colors more befitting to springtime in the Palouse and learn about dying warps. In this innovative scarf project, I used Zicafoose’s random wrap method on the warp and dyed two thirds in myrobalan from one end for field mustard followed by two thirds dipped in indigo from the other end for sky. This created a spring wheat green in the center with white ikat bands representing clouds. I was curious about using a natural linen bouclé dyed in myrobalan and a blue novelty yarn in weft stripes to create a sense of texture for the variance in colors. Unsatisfied with the light blue I used for the main weft, I returned to the indigo vat after Tacoma Weaver’s Guild mentors suggested a darker hue. The colors in this scarf are more befitting of my memories of the Palouse.
