Tuesday, September 18, 2012

"Repurposing"? Or just using yardage?


The fabric from the Convergence yardage exhibit is being (gasp!) cut up into pieces.

A few people, after admiring the fabric, asked me what I planned to do with it after the exhibit was over.  I honestly hadn't thought about it; I had made the fabric specifically for the show.  But yardage is just that, yardage, usually made to be sewn into an end product.

What to do with this fabric?  It would make attractive throw-pillow covers, but nautical isn't really my thing in the way of home decor.  The doubleweave is too heavy except for maybe a blazer, but the pattern is too loud and contrasting for clothing.

So what will I sew from it?  Stay tuned for a future post in which its destiny will be revealed!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

I never claimed to be perfect

It seems that with each new warp comes a new problem to be solved.  After getting a 33-inch-wide warp (that's over 1500 ends of yarn) threaded, drawn through the reed, and tensioned, I was checking for errors by lifting each shaft, and discovered a major threading error: in one particular 1-1/2-inch-wide block of threads, instead of threading them on shafts 11 through 15, I had threaded them on shafts 10 through 14.

I had to go away from the loom and think for a bit.

Can you say string heddles?  Eighteen of them.  Here they are.  They seem to be functioning all right, and the weaving is now progressing.

Monday, September 3, 2012

My Helper

 
This isn't weaving-related, but it's fiber-related at least.  We've had a few hot days this summer which made me decide I wanted linen sheets.  But have you priced linen sheets?!  It's more economical to buy linen fabric retail and make your own.  So I was going to put the fabric on the bed to mark where to make the box corners for the fitted sheet...
And someone thought it was time to make the bed, so he came to "help" as usual.
He likes to jump up on the back beam of the loom, too, to check out what's going on and make sure things are going right.