TO PLACE AN ORDER
Procedure
I specialize in custom coloring and custom sizing making each piece unique to its surroundings. Once a client has decided to proceed, an initial deposit is required. Depending on time and location, I can incorporate a home or office visit in order to capture the spirit of the environment in which the rug will reside. Clients are also encouraged to send me samples, fabric swatches, paint chips and floor coverings. After all materials have been received, I will send the client preliminary yarn samples in the appropriate color scheme. Once these color choices are agreed upon, final yarn samples and a design layout will be sent for approval. Upon approval and receipt of a production deposit, rug construction can begin.
Price— Wool $75.00 to $110.00 a square foot
Wool with Rayon Accents $5.00 square foot additional
Seaming $15.00 linear foot

Bound Edge $50
Please call or email for more detailed pricing/contractual information.
Shipping-- Shipping charges are not included in the cost of the rug and are paid by the client.

Custom Design
I specialize in custom design and will work with you to develop your own design, color palette and size to suit your requirements.

Materials and Techniques
I am one of a few weavers in the United States currently weaving in the Ripsmatta or warp face technique of rug weaving, creating works of art that are both durable and aesthetically pleasing. The rugs are reversible and equally successful on the floor as area rugs or runners, as wall hangings or panels, or as space dividers to be viewed from both sides. My designs feature bold, graphic patterns in jewel-toned colors. Rayon accents are often added to create highlights.

The distinctive quality of my rugs lies in their construction. Unique to my work is the use of 48 all wool warp yarns in every inch. By hand manipulating the warp yarns at each weft pick, I am able to create hints of shadow and illusions of depth on the woven surface. Using dashes of rayon as reflective accents and incorporating subtle variations of tone and hue with each yarn threaded, I create a moresqued, painterly effect that simulates movement and an element of surprise within the color fields—a pointillism with yarn—my way of bringing a little sunlight into the piece.

Construction
Rugs can be woven as a single panel in widths up to 72” and any length. For wider rugs, multiple panels are required and the seam is incorporated in the rug as a design element. All rugs are woven with the highest quality wool yarns that are densely sleyed 48 yarns to the inch, with an extra weft binding thread to ensure durability. The weft channels can be woven with the desired density of yarn in order to customize the thickness of the rug. A choice of fringe treatment includes a) twined, twisted and wrapped ends for a hefty six inch fringe on either side, b) a bound edge, or c) for wall hangings, one edge bound and one edge either twined and cut, or twined, twisted and wrapped.

PATRICIA BURLING
BIOGRAPHY

Imagine Nature’s Palette! Colors reflected in the heat of summer, the icy cool of winter, the whispering breezes of early spring and the brilliance of autumn are captured in this award-winning artist’s work. Influenced by the subtleties of nature, the movement of light and the richness of earthly textures, she finds inspiration in natural settings. Colors seen on garden paths and country lanes are featured in her “Fibers of the Fields” collection. Names like “Autumn’s Promise” and “Country Road with Day Lilies” evoke these images and allude to the secrets of the seasons. Her new body of work, “Homage to Impressionism,” further explores the dichotomies inherent in natural environments and personifies the delicate complexities so championed in impressionistic art.

Highlighting these impressions, Patricia is one of the few weavers today utilizing the warp face technique of rug weaving. With bold contemporary pattern and jewel-toned color, her wool rugs are woven into cylindrical ridges, creating hints of shadows and illusions of depth, resulting in a three-dimensional texture on a woven surface. Rayon accents are sometimes used to create design highlights and reflections—her attempt at bringing a little sunlight into the work. Further interest is added with hand manipulation of each weft shot to create a moresqued, painterly effect causing movement that simulates light within the color fields—pointillism with yarn.

A line of elegant throws is woven of luxurious textured mohair, wool, silk and rayon, and are available in current and custom colors. Each piece is color-blended to create a rich sumptuous appearance and hand brushed to produce a desired softness.

Her site-specific wall pieces go a step further in relief and depth. Linear expressions are juxtaposed on padded, three-dimensional geometric forms, creating shadows that cause the eye to wander over the surface. These mixed media architectural works exhibit a classic simplicity.

For nine years, Patricia lived, worked and taught among the craftspeople of North Carolina. The rich heritage of mountain crafts coupled with the exposure to contemporary technique made this an ideal place to explore design possibilities and perfect her craft. Several years of teaching weaving and participating in workshops at the Sawtooth Center for Visual Design continued to enrich her textile experience. It was here that Patricia Burling/WillowWeave began. 

Now with a studio in the Connecticut countryside and after thirty years of hand-weaving experience, she continues to cultivate these techniques by experimenting with reflection, graphic patterns and delicate color tones. Her work has been included in national juried exhibitions and traveling shows, galleries, numerous private and corporate collections, and received the 2006 Excellence in Fibers Award at the Philadelphia Furniture and Furnishings Show. She has been featured in several media publications, such as American Craft Magazine, Old House Journal, Home Magazine, American Style Magazine, Surface Design and is currently featured in a new book, The Artful Home.  In 1996, she co-founded and is Chair of the Fiber Artist Collective, a national organization of artists working in decorative fiber.  She is also on the board of 100 Percent Blast, a consortium of artists who collaborate in promoting their unique visions for private and public spaces.

Patricia’s work is constantly evolving as she continues to look with an artist’s eye for sources of inspiration and exploration of pattern, texture and color. Custom work is her specialty. She enjoys working with clients to create unique designs. Each piece is adapted to the needs of the space and client in a careful and sensitive manner and created with the greatest attention to detail. Since much of her work is functional, she is also concerned with the quality of its construction and its ability to stand the test of time. The size of her work is limited only by the size of her clients’ imaginations. The two largest rugs she has done to date measure 15' X 21' and 4' x 27'.

A detailed resume is available upon request.