Every surface deserves to be seen as beautiful. Some find their beauty in simple, quiet attributes like materiality and durability. Others find their beauty in color, pattern, and artfulness. Both shine in their own ways, but one thing that isn’t great is when products or spaces are made with no thought and no care for the people that want to---and have to--- live in these spaces. I impulsively bought a body pillow from Target when I moved down to Savannah for college. I figured I needed one because of the discomfort of a dorm room bed, so I picked the prettiest one I could find. When it comes to Target, they skimp on comfort and quality more often than not. But, this was my best option at the time. So I buy this pillow, its seemingly great. Measuring 48 by 21 inches, it was a great size and looked lovely on my bed. As time went on, I realized that the quality was sub-par. One the front facing side of the pillow is a silky faux crushed velvet in a sage green. On the back facing side was a woven polyester that felt almost rough to the touch, and not something that you would want to rest your face on. I never felt the need to fix this issue until it came to this weaving project. 

 

This was my final for the intro to weaving class I took. For this project, I used a Macomber 4 harness loom, white 5/2 cotton warp, and a variety of yarns for the weft. I wrestled with different ideas in my head about what I could create with this project. Usually when I am faced with this choice, I opt for creating a fine art piece or something that is not meant for everyday use. But after considering how wide I was able to go on the loom, I figured this was a perfect opportunity to revamp this ugly pillow. I designed it mixing my three favorite weaving styles: monk's belt, honeycomb and rya knots. I chose colors that would match my pillowcases, and planned my yarn purchases accordingly. After weaving, sewing the edges, and pinning it to my pillowcase, I hand stitched it over that ugly polyester cloth on the back of the pillowcase. Overall, I loved the process and the care that went into this, and I love how it looks. 

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