Woven Medieval Bird

About 2 weeks ago I went on a weaving course with Louise Oppenheimer. I arrived with my frame already warped and an idea of what I wanted to weave.
I love old books and a while ago I came across The Book of Deer which is a C10 gospel written in Latin with C12 notes in the margin in Scots Gaelic [probably the earliest written form] with the most amazing illustrations of  the apostles and minute drawings of beasts in the margins.

The text is in Latin which makes a beautiful pattern on the page but what caught my eye was a small drawing of a bird at the bottom of this page.

I found this enlarged drawing on the computer and thought I would have a go at simplifying the drawing and weaving the bird.

I chose my colours of wool and made a few marks on the warp for to help me visualise the shape and I was off.

I wove about half the bird on the workshop and then completed the weaving at home.  The weaving was cut from the loom and the threads on the back tidied..
I decided to mount it on a canvas covered in "aged" paper and surrounded by a plaited braid.

The weaving is not perfect but I am still improving.
This is not the first time I have used the illustrations in the Book of Deer. I made this embroidery involving metal shim based on two of the beasts. The metal shim used for the beasts is the inside of tomato pure tubes and the leaves are the foil from Ferrero Rocher!

Some time in the future I hope to have a go at making something with the apostles.