My name is Camilla Stege (rhymes with Peggy).

I grew up in northern New Jersey, graduated from Barnard College (B.A.) in New York City and Rutgers University (M.L.S.). I have lived in Maine since 1972.

My interest in weaving began while I was a cataloging librarian at the University of Vermont in 1968: some weaving publications passed across my desk and I have been ensnared by threads ever since.

I studied all the weaving books and periodicals I could find, then took an intensive one-on-one workshop with Janet Nyquist, a nationally known weaver from the Albany area. Her versatility, problem solving skills, and her passion for creating beautiful functional textiles have been a continuing inspiration.

I believe in making useful, attractive and durable textiles, well designed and meticulously executed. I know the things I make will be in use and part of someone's life for many years. Each creation is an original design, taken from concept through hand weaving and finishing by the artist.

- Boldly designed wool carpets
- Fine lace table runners
- Elegant silk and merino wool
   shawls and scarves
- Warm wool throws
- Whimsical bags
- Bookmarks and note cards

Contact Information

MOOSETRACK STUDIO
Camilla Stege
388 Bert Gray Road
Sullivan ME 04664
207-422-9017

cstege@roadrunner.com

Open May through October
Friday - Monday 10-6 Other times gladly arranged.

From U.S. Route 1 in Sullivan Harbor, turn onto Rt. 200 (Bert Gray Road). The Studio is 1.8 miles on the left.

ABOUT MY RUGS...

Each rug is a ONE-OF-A-KIND ORIGINAL DESIGN derived from visual impressions or ideas inspired by my surroundings or experiences. Music often plays a part.

The construction of each rug focuses on DURABILITY. I have selected linen as a warp material for its strength and beauty. Linen has been cultivated and used since the Stone Age. It has sheen unmatched by any other fiber used for warps, but it is inelastic and challenging to work with. Other warp materials, such as cotton or wool, would be easier to manage, but the very attributes that make linen a demanding material contribute positively to the structure and quality of a rug.

In making the warp for my rugs, I double the linen strands: whereas one strand would suffice for structure and execution of the design, I use two strands. This gives the rug WEIGHT AND SUBSTANCE so it lies flat on the floor. The extra warp ends also make for a more luxuriant finish at the ends of the rug.

The weaving technique I most often use (three end block weave with shaft switching) produces a rug that is very DENSE and completely REVERSIBLE. This not only produces two different color effects from the same rug, but also distributes the wear to extend the life of the rug. The density of the wool surface makes the rug easy to keep clean and also prevents the kind of wear caused by shifting of loosely packed weft yarns.

To add COLOR INTEREST to my rugs, I sometimes use two strands together of a fine wool yarn in different but related colors. This eliminates the visually flat effect of using one solid color. Another way to achieve this depth is to use a specially spun yarn from New Zealand, hand-dyed in small batches. This yarn has a natural variation of shade from the dye bath that gives the rug a certain subtlety.

Another way I introduce an area of special color is to use a TAPESTRY TECHNIQUE, the single interlock contrary motion method. When this method is combined with the two-surfaced three end block weave, two layers of tapestry (also in the three end block weave) are worked at the same time as the main part of the rug. The process is extremely time-consuming and exacting, since each strand of yarn must remain in its appropriate layer, interlock with its counterpart in the main part of the rug, and also move in a consistent fashion so the interlocks do not create a distortion or lump leading to a weak spot in the rug structure. In regular weaving of this kind without tapestry, two shuttles are used, one for each surface of the rug. When an area of tapestry is introduced, four shuttles are needed for the main part of the rug (two on either side of the tapestry section), and two more for the tapestry section (one for each surface/color). Keeping the shuttles in proper order can be challenging.

I devote a great deal of time and care to the END FINISHES of my rugs, since the ends of the rug are apt to receive the most wear. I do more than is strictly necessary to protect both the linen warp and the wool weft. At the beginning of the weaving and again when the weaving is complete but before the rug is removed from the loom, I work a row of COUNTERED TWINING (using four strands of linen) across the warp. This stabilizes the warp and also the first and last shots of wool weft. After the rug is removed from the loom, a row of PHILIPPINE KNOTS is tied across each end of the rug to further stabilize the rug structure if a fringe is the chosen end finish. Each strand of the fringe is formed by twisting and plying two small groups of warp ends together. The end of each plied group is TIGHTLY WHIPPED using a knot borrowed from camel girth makers in Rajasthan [Peter Collingwood, Rug weaving; beyond the basics. 1990]. Using whipping rather than the more common overhand knot avoids the harsh lump that bruises bare feet.

If a FINISH WITHOUT FRINGE is chosen, the rug is removed from the loom after working the ending row of countered twining. Another narrow warp is set up first at one and then the other end of the rug perpendicular to the rug warp. This is woven in the tablet weaving technique, using the warp of the rug as the weft of the tablet weaving. The resulting finish is a tightly twined band about an inch wide that protects the ends of the warp.

The linen is dampened during the execution of the selected finish. This allows tighter twisting and firmer knots because the moisture eliminates the inherent slipperiness of linen and also causes a small amount of shrinkage upon drying that tightens the finish.