Of course, if you’re a fiber-a-holic it’s sure cool too!

For five years, Simon Peers, a textile researcher, and Nicholas Godley, fashion designer, have been trying to harvest silk from the golden orb spider of Madagascar.

That’s right – silk from a spider.

Think about it though, spider silk is incredibly strong – how many times have you seen a spider’s web that’s survived a storm intact?  And unlike silk worms, the spiders don’t need to be culled to harvest the silk.

Well, the two men have succeeded and for the first time in history, have created  an 11 foot long tapestry of woven brocade fabric, entirely from the spiders.  It’s now on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Apparently the spiders could produce up to 400 feet of silk in one session, and were released after a day’s harvest.

image: Stock.xchg

Post from: Blisstree

Silk Fabric From Spiders?

Inkle looms don’t look like a traditional loom.

In fact, if you see a “naked” loom without any yarn on it, they can look downright baffling.

How on earth can you weave fabric on something that looks like this?

You can make all kinds of wonderful fabric with an inkle loom!  It doesn’t allow you to create a wide piece of fabric, but it does make long bands of fabric, quickly and easily.   I can create a strip of fabric many yards long with this particular loom.

You can use the bands “as is” to make bindings for clothing, blankets and accessories.  They make great dog leashes, purse straps and I’ve even used them to make horse equipment.

If you want a wider piece of fabric, just sew the strips together and presto!  You’ve got a hand-woven piece of fabric that can be used for almost anything.

image: C Findlay-Harder

Post from: Blisstree

What Kind of a Loom Is That??

 The Arts Bloggers have some great ideas to inspire you this week.  Take a look and enjoy!

Noreen, at Hankering for Yarn, gives us a great way to reclaim scraps of weaving to embellish garments and accessories.  Check out her post,  A butterfly T shirt with reverse applique, recycled weaving and spool knitting.

At Junk Creation, we find Creations from Organic Artist Paul Schick.  Learn how Paul transforms twigs and more. You’ll love the earthy feel of his work.  
Be ready to ooooo and aaaaah over Bonnie Meltzer’s mixed media pieces at Layers Upon Layers.
Chloe from Tangled Thread shares one of her quick & easy shortcuts to save you time when you’re sewing shirts.

Turn Off the (Mod Podge) Bubble Machine!  If you’ve been plagued by bubbling and wrinkling in your decoupage projects, you need to read Eileen’s solutions at The Artful Crafter.
Mary Emma Allen at Quilting and Patchwork will start you thinking about the value of your quilt(s).

Let us know which Arts Bloggers’ ideas you’ve tried and how you made out. 

(Amazon image; click on yard for details)

(c)2008 Mary Emma Allen

Post from: Blisstree

Monday Morning Inspiration from the Arts Bloggers