MAD Weave!!

Many moons ago--1984 to be precise--I was fortunate enough to share some time with a fabulous basket weaver. She came to visit our state and I played chauffer & hostess to this delightful lady as we toured the state seeking unusual basket structures. We visited numerous museums and stopped in to visit native tribes and local folks who had knowledge about this fascinating weave. This lady was Shereen LaPlantz.  Shereen is now happily weaving baskets in heaven and her legacy is continued by her husband David.  Recently, there has been talk about "Mad Weave" or triaxial weave.  In that regard, memories flooded back.........................At one time, I was conversing with a gentleman who was working on a triaxial weaving loom--looks like he got a patent too!  And the memories continue!!

Most weaving is done with two elements--

but, with triaxial you use three elements, at 60* angle. 

You can use two colors or as in this sample three colors or just one color

 

This is one of my prize possessions--copyrighted in 1984, self-published by Shereen.  There was a period of time, I taught this interesting weave at guilds, workshops and conferences.

Fortunately, there is a new publication Hex Weave and Mad Weave by Elizabeth Harris and Charlene St. John. 

Here is a photo of the back of one of my indigo dyed silk vests, using stripes of silk fabric

The variation in the fabric gives unique texture

The front panels I used ribbon and you can see how different placement gives you different looks

 

Now we have the accessibility of the internet that leads us to instruction of 'mad weave' and understanding of the uses of 3D weaves.  Just type in triaxial weave--you can even WATCH and learn!  We can thank Shereen for the research on this topic and her love of weaving baskets.