Customer Reviews

Rep Weave and Beyond (The Weaver's Studio series)

5 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was very eager to learn to weave rep, and very excited that there was a brand new book out on the topic. However, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. It definitely has beautiful pictures, many inspiring projects, and offers alternative ways of doing the projects, for example, alternative wefts. But the long chapter on how to warp a loom was, in my opinion, not necessary, as that topic is covered in many other weaving books. I think a few hints about her special techniques would have sufficed.

I would have preferred more coverage of block theory to provide a broader basis for understanding the structure of rep weave. The chapter on designing your own rep weave projects was particularly disappointing since there was no discussion of blocks or how to design block weavings. It is basically a list of rules which are somewhat helpful but very thin in explanation.

A major problem I encountered is typos in the project notes. The project I am doing (the blue and white table runner) has a typo in the profile draft and the shafts are reversed in the treadle tie up.

I would still buy this book, and I would suggest anyone interested in rep weave consider buying it, mainly because I can't find any other books on rep weave. However, in my opinion, it is incomplete and doesn't serve up its promise.

A weaver.

Rep Weave and Beyond is a joy to look at and read. As a weaver of many years, this is at the top of my list of inspirational books. First of all, it's visually beautiful, being filled with full-color photographs of the author's work, which is gorgeous. Ms. Tallarovic lives in Arizona, and she draws inspiration for her elegant color ways from the hues of the southwest: ecru, gold, bronze, terra cotta, reds, greens, dusky purples, and turquoise. She seems to be comfortable using both earth tones as well as more vibrant colors. She has based many of her designs on Native American weavings and pottery patterns. These are sensitive interpretations done with respect for the traditions she borrows from, and her incorporation of the patterns into a European weave structure works very well aesthetically.

Second, the book is filled with projects which are clearly explained down to the last minute detail, along with color photos of each finished piece. The author lays a good foundation for these project recipes in the first section of the book, where she outlines her method of winding a warp, dressing the loom, tying on, weaving a heading, in short--all the preliminaries every weaver should know. Beginner weavers should find the instructions manageable.

Ms. Tallarovic wrote this book for weavers who want to explore rep weave, but for whom the traditional Scandinavian technique might be out of reach. Due to the very close warp setts used in the traditional version of this weave, getting a good shed on a jack loom can be a problem. In addition, weaving rugs with setts of 90 ends per inch might be beyond the patience level of many people.

To make rep weave more "weaver friendly," the author has spent years experimenting with using thicker threads at lower setts. All of the projects in this book can be woven using Maysville cotton carpet warp, which comes in over 40 colors. Using the Maysville cotton, her designs can be warped using setts of between 16 and 40 ends per inch. These warps do not completely cover the weft, which ends up, as she notes, "producing a livelier, more dynamic surface." From what I could see in the photographs, she is correct in that regard.

Also, as she uses printed fabric for many of her thick wefts, a layered effect happens when the block patterning of the warp threads floats over the printed pattern of the woven fabric strips. A further innovation she has come up with is using many colors in the pattern warp, rather than the traditional two colors.

Perhaps what I like most about this book is seeing how someone can bring a traditional weave forward into the present. Ms. Tallarovic has furthered the evolution of this ancient weaving form. She has added to its visual excitement, made it more accessible to the average weaver, and shown how patient experimentation can add new life to a tried and true technique. There are so many directions each individual weaver can go with this method of weaving once s/he has mastered what the author offers in the book. I can envision using painted warps and/or hand-dyed or painted wefts. I can also see using oriental papers as wefts as well. That would be only a beginning.

I bought this book with high hopes of learning the finer details of rep weave, but was dissappointed. While it's true that the photographs were lovely, there was not enough in depth instruction and the innacuracies in this book drive one to distraction. You're better served going to the Handwoven website and downloading the patterns directly from there as the innacuracies have been corrected there. I don't know if there was a single pattern that didn't require some correction and feel that Interweave Press should send this book back for revision rather than selling the same innaccurate patterns.

The title Rep Weave and Beyond led me to think that this book would be advanced. It is very basic and unhelpful to weavers who are familiar with Rep Weave.

Great project ideas for weavers who wish to extend their repertoire beyond plain weave to incorporate stripe and block effects. This technique is particularly useful for tablewear as it creates a sturdy fabric. Great ideas for colour combinations too!