Tien Chiu

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You are here: Home / All blog posts / Happy (weaving) birthday to me!
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October 20, 2009 by Tien Chiu

Happy (weaving) birthday to me!

Yes, today marks exactly three years of weaving.  On October 20, 2006, I bought and carried home my new-to-me loom, an 8-shaft Baby Wolf…and the rest, as they say, is history.  🙂

A brief survey of the last three years:

first-weaving-project
My first weaving project

This was an advancing twill pattern from the Handwoven Design Collection.  I wrote a very interesting (in-retrospect-amusing!) blog post about my intentions for this project, and they were well and truly realized.  The colors don’t work out well, and I had a few skips,  but remarkably few errors for a first project.  I was quite pleased with it, and still am.  Beginners’ work, but quite nice nonetheless.

Six months later, I was weaving (and blogging) about my Silver Fox shawl:

silver_shawl

And, exactly seven months into weaving, I was drafting my own pattern, the Tiger Eye Shawl, and buying a 16-shaft computer-driven loom, a Leclerc Diana.

Tiger eye shawl, closeup
Tiger eye shawl, closeup

The one-year mark passed unnoticed, as I was (literally!) elbow-deep in chocolate at the time, but a month or two later found me weaving Liquid Fire:

liquid-fire

And the 1.5-year mark gave me my first ever weaving award, a silver ribbon at CNCH (the Conference of Northern California Handweavers).

And, at 1 year 8 months into weaving, I traded 16 shafts for 24, selling my Leclerc Diana and trading up to the one I have now, a 24-shaft AVL Workshop Dobby Loom.  At this point I was creating most of my own designs.

And, just past the two-year mark, I wove what is still my favorite piece to date, the Ocean Sunset shawl:

Photo courtesy Joe Decker, of Rockslide Photography
Photo courtesy Joe Decker, of Rockslide Photography

And, at two years and six months, the wedding-dress project was born:

72 epi pattern

So here I am at three years of weaving, midway through the wedding-dress project, with two articles (one for Complex Weavers, one for WeaveZine) en route to publication.  If I could drink, I’d raise a glass of champagne to celebrate this weaving anniversary!  But as it is, I think I’ll fondle my newly-woven fabric and dream of projects to come.

What do I want from the next year?  Well, fun primarily (life must always be fun 🙂 ), but I’d like to get into a juried show or exhibit of some sort.  Not for the fame and glory, but I’d like to know that my work has reached a level of technical excellence such that my work is worth including in a juried show.  Convergence fashion show would be nice, but  if that doesn’t happen, I might look around for other exhibits to enter.

And, design-wise, I want to understand profile drafts, block substitution (especially in Fiberworks PCW), tied weaves, and interleaved drafts.  I’d also like a better understanding of collapse weaves.

And now, excuse me.  It’s my (weaving) birthday, you know, and the candles are burning down on the cake…gotta put on my party hat and blow them out!!

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Filed Under: All blog posts, musings, textiles, weaving

Previous post: A pressing problem
Next post: And now what?

Comments

  1. Laura says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:17 am

    Happy, happy birthday and many more!
    Cheers!
    Laura

  2. Linda Adamson says

    October 20, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    Tien, what a remarkable 3 years of weaving!! You must have a mind like a sponge!! I’ve been weaving a long time and I am still trying to get some of the complex structures. Your work is beautiful. You have truly been blessed as an artist. Have a great birthday!!
    Linda in IN

  3. Lonni Jamieson says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:19 pm

    Wow Tien, what beautiful work you have done in these three years.
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tien!!!!!!!!
    May you have lots and lots of wonderful years of weaving ahead. :o)

  4. Bruce McLaughlin says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:27 pm

    Congrats Tien. Looks like you were “born to weave”. Gotta tell you, I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now and enjoy it very much. Ever thought of marketing all that energy?

    Happy Birthday,
    Bruce

  5. Sandra Rude says

    October 20, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    I think you’ve woven more (and more creatively) in 3 years than many weavers in a lifetime. You deserve accolades and praise, and I’m sure that if you want to get into juried exhibits, you will. Hip, hip, hooray!

  6. Myler Almandinger says

    October 20, 2009 at 8:52 pm

    Happy Day Tien.
    This young lady is the most accomplished artist I know. Her hands are like magic in what ever she dabbles. I started on the spin list with her years ago and her silk worms and playing with her wheel to prower drive it and then her trip over seas. If there was ever a person I would love to meet and touch her talented hands it would be this wonderful young artist. It is always a pleasure to know what you are up to. Thanks for letting us know you

  7. Benita Story says

    October 21, 2009 at 5:25 am

    For someone who has been weaving only three years, you are miles ahead of me at nearly 10 years. Keep pushing the envelope!!! Your work is amazing!

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