This blog has been a great way for me to tell the story of Little Fool. There is so much more to each scarf than the final product, and through images and the rambling musings of yours truly, I try to convey the back stories wrapped up in the very threads of my scarves. The goal has always been to bring awareness to all dimensions of what I do and how I do it, and to the great value of the handmade object (my handmade object, specifically). The purpose of the blog is also to help people understand why a Little fool scarf costs what it does, and why it is worth it. So the question becomes, how do I translate the sense of history and value I express in "little fool...(a small business romance)" to my new online storefront, which must be the professional face of this often goofy (yet oh-so-endearing) blog (visualize, please: Little fool Handwoven Textiles...and a mullet). I think I need a section in my website called "The Lf Scarf" or something of that nature, which must be a condensed version of all the stories I tell here, illuminating the most important parts of the processes that result in a handwoven Lf scarf. This is what I have so far...and it took forever...I had to do some ruthless editing, but I think I've covered the big stuff:
"The Lf Scarf"
Each Little fool handwoven scarf is made with great care in my Richmond, VA studio. Every scarf is an absolutely unique piece: a soft, luxurious work of art for the adornment of your neck and shoulders. Here are a few things you might like to know about the making of my scarves (handweaving is only part of the story):
Design
My love for the mechanics of weaving and the unique qualities of handwoven cloth is reflected in my designs. I explore shape, color, and pattern in my scarves to complement and enhance the beauty of their handwoven structure. During the design process, I consider the look of the cloth as a whole, and just as importantly, the different ways in which the piece will reveal itself when worn bunched around the neck, or draped over the body. When a design is translated from a drawing on paper to painted threads, it comes alive.
Materials
The look and the feel of my materials is a top priority. My hands are in constant contact with thread, and if a thread does not feel absolutely lovely to my touch, I don't use it. My scarves are made only from 100% natural fibers in very fine-gauge threads: lustrous mercerized and Perle cottons, shimmering silks, crisp linens, and soft, light wools. I purchase my threads in a "neutral" palette only: bleached white, natural, black, and navy-black. All colors are hand-dyed in my studio.
Warp Painting and Ikat
Warp: the long, vertical threads which are attached to and pass through the body of the loom.
Weft: the horizontal threads which are wound onto bobbins and passed back and forth perpendicularly through the warp threads, creating the grid structure of the cloth.
Warp painting and ikat are two techniques I use to apply dye to unwoven threads, which are then woven into a scarf. In the image to the left, warp threads are in the process of being painted with the motif seen underneath. They are not yet cloth: if the threads are disturbed, the whole pattern will disintegrate.
Ikat is a dyeing technique in which warp threads are bound in areas to resist color when the entire warp is dyed. In this image, you see a small portion of a much longer warp, after it has been dyed. I have just begun to remove the bindings from it, revealing the areas that have remained white after dying.
This is a detail of the warp above, after it has been woven.
By applying my motifs to the warp threads only, I am able to highlight the beauty of the woven structure itself. As I weave, the painted or dyed warp threads begin to take a life of their own on the loom. Though I may paint or bind enough warp to weave up to six scarves based on the same motif, each portion of the warp will change subtly in its own way. No scarf will ever look like any other.
Dyeing
I explore color with the passion of a painter: dyeing skeins of thread before weaving, crossing different colors of warp and weft on the loom, and dipping entire finished scarves into brilliantly-colored dyebaths. This adventurous approach to color is balanced with technical knowledge and a respect for proper dyeing procedures. The results are fresh, sophisticated, evenly-dyed colors that you will not find anywhere else.
The Signature
The finishing touch before a piece leaves the studio is a hand-painted Lf signature, front and back, in one corner of the scarf: a work of art, signed with love for my craft and pride in my product.
Design 
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