Random Inlay Runners

They say setbacks are opportunities and this time it was certainly true. After I wrenched my back last month, I needed to find a way to ease back into weaving, so I tried some inlay techniques that had been on my list of things to explore. This was a perfect time to do this because the plain weave background requires that the treadles lift only one shaft at a time, which is much easier on the back. I tried a few variations, and the one that I think worked best was where a few picks of the ground weft are followed by placing the inlay weft. This made for a nice, easy pace for my “therapy” weaving. In keeping with my renewed ergonomic mindfulness, I chose to create a simple, random inlay pattern for these runners. The ground fabric is my favorite organic color-grown cotton and the inlay is four strands of a fine organic cotton in black.

I’m happy to say I’m pretty much back to normal now, and I’ll sure try not to hurt myself again, but there is always a silver lining. I’m glad I was forced to push this inlay technique to the top of my list, because I know I’ll be using it again very soon.

Carol