Palm & Canvas Weaving

Polly Jacobs Giacchina uses date palm seed fronds to create unique wall hangings.

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Filed under: Weaving, Art, Wall, Crafts

"I am intrigued by my surroundings, the contour of a tree or rock, an outline and color of a single flower, repetition of water breaking on the shore or patterns left in the sand." Polly Jacobs Giacchina obviously feels connected to her surroundings. So connected, in fact, that she uses them to create works of art that reflect those feelings.

Giacchina uses date palm seed fronds as the primary material for her wall hangings. She gathers it herself--or actually gets some from landscapers as they trim the trees back. She then cleans and soaks the fronds to prepare them for use. Meanwhile, she paints a canvas in three to four colors in a very random fashion, sometimes overlapping the colors. Then this is set aside to dry. Once dry, the canvas is ripped into small strips and set aside to be used later.

The palm fronds are woven into a basically flat piece, with waves and dips worked into the structure as the weaving progresses. The canvas strips are added into the weaving pattern. This adds color and interest to the piece. Steel cable will also be woven in for added dimension and a little sparkle. The weaving continues until the wall hanging is completed. Giacchina says, "There is a sense of completion as my work transforms unique parts of nature to a new interpretation." There is a sense of the nature in her work that goes beyond the materials used; it comes from the work itself.