Bring Style to Your Space with this Fresh Look at Overshot

Tegan Frisino enjoys dyeing, especially with indigo. She designed this pillow to represent the color changes that textiles undergo as they are withdrawn from an indigo vat. Enjoy this subscriber bonus project from Handwoven Winter 2024.—Handwoven editors

Inspired by Indigo Pillows by Tegan Frisino

Dyeing with indigo has always inspired me. My favorite part of the process is watching the fiber change from bright leaf green to rich blue when it’s pulled out of the vat and oxidizes as it hits the air. I have dreams of growing my own indigo, building my own vat, and having a steady supply of this magical dye. The trouble I run into is that I have a black thumb. Truthfully, I am not the best gardener.

For this pillow design, I wanted to capture indigo’s color-changing process. The undulating overshot represents the ripples in an indigo vat as material is pulled out slowly so as not to introduce too much oxygen into the vat itself.

The warp is long enough for two matching or coordinating pillows—the choice is yours! I decided to weave coordinating pillows, swapping the Sapling (light green) with the Dreamscape (dark blue), while leaving the transitioning Ocean Storm (teal) color the same for both.

The coordinating Inspired by Indigo Pillows, designed by Tegan Frisino, take a fresh look at overshot.

Project at a Glance and PDF Link

STRUCTURE
Overshot.

EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 16" weaving width; 8- or 16-dent reed; 3 shuttles; 4 bobbins.

YARNS
Warp: 8/2 US organic cotton (3,360 yd/lb; Comfortcloth Weaving), Natural, 1,098 yd.
Weft: Tabby and plain weave: 8/2 US organic cotton, Natural, 1,034 yd. Pattern: 3/2 US organic cotton (1,260 yd/lb; Comfortcloth Weaving), Dreamscape and Sapling, 153 yd each; Ocean Storm, 63 yd.