|
Crafts from Colombia In Colombia, a special type of weaving, called bambulina, is
done. It is characterized by diamonds formed by leaving out the weft weave and tying
sections of the warp to form the diamond shapes.
You can make a bambulina tree of life weaving using
burlap.
Bambulina tree of life
Materials needed:
Burlap (preferably green)
Yarn
Ribbon
Embroidery floss
Large needles
Safety pins
Glue
Thin dowels
Give each crafter a 9" by 12" piece of burlap.
Have them cut the 12" sides at an angle so that the piece is roughly triangular, but
is not pointed at the top. With the narrow end at top, go down about two inches and begin
to pull out the weft (horizontal strands) of burlap. They should pull out easily if you
can one strand at a time. Pull out strands until you have a section 1 inch high that has
only vertical strands.
Now pinch together a one inch width of those strands and
tie them together in the middle with a piece of yarn or floss. Take the next one inch
section and do the same thing. Once you have tied two sections, you should begin to see
the diamond pattern. Continue all the way across the weaving, tying off the sections.
Now make two more rows like the one described above. Leave
several inches of plain burlap between each row.
To further enhance your weaving, pull out enough weft
strands so that you can weave ribbon into the warp. Pin a safety pin to the end of the
ribbon, and weave the ribbon in and out of the burlap. You can weave over 4, under 4,
rather than in and out of each strand.
Fold over the top inch of the hanging, and use yarn to sew
a casing in which to slip a dowel through for hanging.
You may wish to use glue around the edges to keep the
burlap from unraveling when handled.
|
