Variations, Adaptations and Iterations

Because I love the design process so much, I don't choose to make copies of my designs.
I insist on creating a one-of-a-kind piece for my larger items like guitar straps and sashes.
Smaller things like key fobs or bookmarks may be created in multiples to use the loom's weaving length to my advantage, however.

So, while I don't make copies of a design, I might make a similar one. This is usually because someone asks for it or I fell in love with the design or colors. Do you do this, too?

It happens sometimes that a customer sees a piece that I've made and asks for one like it. I say "I can make you a similar one, but I intentionally don't ever make two exactly alike."

And sometimes, I just like a pattern or color combination so much that I decide to do a variation on it using the same pattern in different colors, or using the same colors in a different pattern. Below are some recent examples.

These two straps share the same colors in the same sequence. But do you see how I shifted the colored bar?
The strap on the left became a purse strap, while the one on the right became a guitar strap. 

This strap was made to go with a Pimentel Southwestern Guitar and reflect the turquoise and mother-of-pearl inlay.
It went to the guitar's owner, but then someone else asked for a similar one. It is shown in the photo below. 

The addition of the turquoise line on both sides of the central pattern area made the design pop a bit more. I also used a darker shade of brown, one of my favorite yarn colors. 

You can see the Pimentel Southwestern Guitar in this previous post. It accompanied me to the White House in July. Below is a closeup of the inlay work on the fretboard. 

Similar, are these three "Southwestern Diamonds" shown below. 

The design on the left came first. I liked it, so decided to try some other color combinations. Click on the photo to enlarge it. 

After making this wrist strap, I decided that I loved the color combination so much that I should use it again. Next came the guitar strap shown below. The guitar strap is twice the width of the wrist strap, so I created borders to add width. The central pattern is the same. 

In my book, "In Celebration of Plain Weave: Color & Design Inspiration for Inkle Weavers"

 I talk about how to take a design you like and make it narrower or wider, 

and how to switch up the colors in a design. 

These two are just off the loom this week. The colors make me think of popsicles. Juicy!