Cupcake Shapes

When I began to weave I was sure samples were a waste of time.

Now I relish them - why rush? There's so much information in that tiny piece of cloth.

I designed a class I call "Cupcake Shapes" and  needed a set of samples to show students the possibilities of shape building in tapestry weaving. My idea was to create a series of still lifes with desserts as the focus.

Why should Wayne Thiebaud have all the fun?

Cookies

I wanted to design samples simple enough for a beginner to weave but challenging enough for a more advanced weaver to be engaged.

Oreo Cookie Pie

Bon Appetit!
Best of all, these are calorie free...

Cupcake Shapes

Weaving a Selfie

What in the world is a "selfie"?

I have always been a fan of self portraits, after all the subject is agreeable and within reach. There has been some recent discussion about weaving a "selfie" and with extra warp on the loom I took up the challenge. The drawing was very fast and much of the design choice happened on the loom. I liked the result and have had good feedback.

Selfie, 5 x 7 inches

I'm not sure I can call it a selfie though.
I recently read Jeff Lundberg's column on the subject, "Narcissistic or Not, 'Selfie' is Nunberg's Word of the Year", in hopes I could understand how that word is really used. After reading I still wasn't sure I had an answer.

I thought back to 1970 when I majored in photography in college and did a quick review of its history:
- Daguerrotype, takes forever, heads were clamped, had to be wealthy
- Eastman Kodak, Brownie camera, you take the picture we do the rest
- Polaroid, see the picture right away
- Digital, take a bunch, use the ones you want
- Smartphone, my phone is a camera
All provided the ablity to see you, the nature of the image changing as the technology changed.

Next I turned to my daughter in law. "You must be aware of the word "selfie", what's your take on that? Here's what I took away from that conversation:
- Selfie IS social media
- Selfie is about choosing the right pose
- Selfie is about having your phone (that's the camera now) always on hand

So there you have it, my research on the topic. The question remains, can a tapestry weaver take the word 'selfie' and use it to describe a piece they have woven?

What do you think?