12.4.10

WEAVING WITH THE FAN REED.

In 1998 when I did an exchange to the Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science, I came across these beautiful samples at a little museum, which were connected to the college.
The samples are all woven with a fan reed, some also call it ondulé. In Japan this kind of reed is called YOROKE. There are different kinds of ideas behind these two reeds, and therefore for me it is the fan reed I weave with.
I took these pictures, and as you can see there are diffenrent kinds of possibilities depending on how you set up the threads on the loom.
It was first many years later I start weaving with the fan reed, after my graduation from the Danish School of Design in 2000.
I have three fan reeds with different settings and is therefore able to use diffenrent kinds of thick and thin yarns for the warp material.
My first fan reed I got it from an old man, whose wife had past away. Here I am able to use very fine and thin yarns. In the middle of the reed the setting are 70/10. This means there are 70 holes per each 10 cm.
Another reed where the setting are 30/10.
And finally the last one which I have had made specially for me. My idea was to make a mix of the 70/10 and 30/10 in the same reed. When taking contact to the place in Sweden where I have had the 30/10 made, they told me it was impossible to make the reed as I wanted. Fortunately I found another place who could make the reed and because this one is much more difficult to make the price became much higher.
When working with the fan reed, this can be woven on an ordinary contramarch loom. I have put this extra equipment on my loom. This means I can change the positions of where the warp threads are in the reed. It is also possible to make the changement of the warp threads if you have a loom with a lot of holes in the beater. Both of these two takes time to weave, but the result you get is stunning and is worth the effort you put in to the work.
The threads are in the lower part of the reed when you beat the weft threads together.
And here in the top part of the reed.
A close-up of my first room divider I wove with the fan reed. The material are polyester and monofilament. The technique is gauze.
Another friend of mine Anne Selim weave beautiful scarfs with the fan reed.

7 comments:

  1. Hi RIOS,
    liked your fan reed woven textile. just wanted to know is it possible to have a fan reed in a carpet hand loom?
    plz reply me an mohtashim916@gmail.com

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  2. Thanks for this wonderful post and showing your beautiful work. You mention that "It is also possible to make the changement of the warp threads if you have a loom with a lot of holes in the beater" Wouldn't you have to cut the warp threads to move their position in the beater?

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  3. Hello dteaj,

    I am not sure what you mean about cutting the warp threads? Perhaps you are thinking about cutting the warp threads in different parts, as when moving the top part of the beater, there are some places in the fan reed where the warp threads does not change much in possition. And other parts where it changes a lot. So of course it would make it easier to weave when doing it like this. The comes the next challenge, as I have never seen a loom where you can have so many different kinds of beams on the back. Anyway I usually just put in small sticks of wood when some of the threads becomes too loose. I also think it depends of what material you use.

    Karina

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  4. nice weaving's visit us at http:www.unn.edu.ng

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  5. We can supply fan reed for ondule weaving. We can ship to anywhere in the world. We are manufacturer of all type of special reeds.

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    Replies
    1. What is your contact info?

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    2. How can I reach you? dirk@delente.net

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