The skill of hand weaving has been passed down from generation to generation and is truly a legacy of the ages. The Wind Song Collection has recruited some of the finest natural woven shade “artists” that still practice this ancient skill, and you will only find the exquisite quality of these traditions found in one of our Wind Song Collection natural woven shades.
To get an idea of exactly what goes into making each elegant woven shade, you have to start at the very beginning…various natural fibers including Palm, Ramie, & Banana fiber are first harvested, and then removed from the stem. The fibers are then soaked in water and dried. Since individual stripped fibers are usually no longer than 30”, the fibers have to be knotted by hand into continuous strands which is a very delicate and laborious task. They are combed to further clean them, which also makes it easier for hand knotting. Once the fibers are knotted and ready for weaving, our looms are specifically set up to the exact specifications of the shade that was ordered.
The weaving process takes the skill of one of our extremely dedicated hand weavers to operate the intricate loom. That person is in charge of setting up the warps, which are the vertical fibers that the weft(or horizontal) fibers are woven through. This is a critical step in ensuring that the shade is made to the correct size. Once our weaver is ready to begin, they start by pulling the strands of the warp up and down to lace the loom and make spaces between the strands, called the shed. Heddles hold the warp in place to create and maintain the shed. The weft is then woven horizontally through the shed, and the process is repeated until the desired length of natural woven fabric is attained. The woven fabric is then ready to be “tabled”, in which a hem is made at the bottom of the shade and rings are individually sewn by hand on the back. The shade is then corded and mounted to a wooden head rail for the finishing touches.
These extremely labor intensive steps are what goes in to creating each woven shade the Wind Song Collection offers, truly making it a piece of art that you will enjoy for years to come. Our dedication to quality and detail is a trademark you will come to know with all custom woven shades from the Wind Song Collection.
