Contemporary Interpretation of an Unusual Navajo Weaving Technique

I am not Navajo and, therefore, I do not practice Navajo weaving. I do use the wedge weave technique that was practiced by the Navajo for a period in the late 1800s. A Navajo wedge weave is easily recognizable because of the colors used and the shapes consistent with other Navajo weaving. Although I use the same technique, my use of color and shape transforms wedge weave into a contemporary weave. Wedge weave is an unusual form of tapestry. Pictorial imagery is not its goal. Instead, the weft is woven in such a way that the actual horizontal-vertical structure of the woven plane is challenged. The weft is woven diagonally from right to left in one section or wedge and then from left to right in the next section or wedge. This diagonal pressure on the warp forces it out of the vertical. The edges of the weaving push out as a result to form a scallop. Wedge weave will be explored and explained through traditional and contemporary examples