A New Idea In Dyeing

Dee is ever the adventurer.  She purchased a set of dyes called Alter Ego Dyes from Dharma Trading Company.  This product allows you to dye two different colors in the same bath.  One dye affixes itself to protein fibers and the other to cellulose fibers.  The original use of these dyes was to dye velvet devore fabrics where the backing is usually silk and the velvet is rayon.  However, it seems like there may be other possibilities for handweavers and Dee was the first in our group to bite the bullet and put down hard cash for a sample set.

In this first photo, the scarves were both woven on the same warp and were all white.  After dying you can pick out that the blue and red are Merino and the shiny rayon is copper in the blue scarf and purple in the red one.  How cool to be able to put on one long warp, weave several items and then dye them in a variety of color combinations (think Henry's Attic yarns).

This next set of two scarves are rayon and silk and also woven on the same warp in the same weave structure.  Notice how the pattern has almost entirely disappeared from the blue scarf, but shows up nicely in the red/orange scarf.  Dee says the scarves were neon bright after dyeing, so she toned them down in a Lanaset dye bath, which affected the silk only. 

If you have followed the link to the Dharma site, you will see that these dyes are pricey and I'm thinking that this is mostly a matter of having fun experimenting with something new.  But as was discussed in the meeting, you could try a variety of fibers - silk, wool, rayon, cotton, bamboo, soy silk in the same piece.  Each of the fibers would take up the dye a bit differently and the reflective qualities of the yarns are different so your finished piece might be very complex in appearance.  There is obviously a lot of room for experimentation here.  Dee says the dyes were easy to use and do require heat setting.

Dee's other contribution to the show and tell was a lovely brick colored shawl.  The multicolor thread that

runs through the piece in warp and weft is broken up by the brick colored rayon.  Dee started weaving the shawl with every pick being the multicolor rayon, but soon decided that it was too much.  So she left what she had done (afterall the hem stitching was already done on that end) and started using it every third pick, alternating with the brick rayon in the warp.  At the other end of the shawl, she repeated the pattern started at the beginning so there is a nice little design touch in what might have seemed like a troubled beginning.

More from the June Meeting

Carol brought in an interesting garment that was given to her son  while he was working in Indonesia.  The garment takes a month of weaving and all of the detail design is woven, not embroidered as it may appear.  Carol said that the guy that gave it to her son had received it as a wedding piece and that they were made for special occasions.  Carol's son protested that he couldn't take a wedding piece, but the guy said "no problem".  The garment is called an Ulu and they aren't worn because the climate it too hot, but they are used for decoration in the home.

Carol also brought in some great hot pads she wove in rep weave. Don't these color just pop off the page?  The pieces themselves are even better than in the photo.

Our group recently ordered yarns from Henry's Attic and Carol ordered a cone of pigtail.  It comes in two sizes and the one pictured is the smaller grist.  This yarn makes wonderful baby blankets and Carol brought in a blanket she wove 10 years ago for a grandson.  It is still in use (probably not the same grandson) and in excellent condition after many, many launderings.  The warp for the blanket is Henry's Attic Alpine Petite sett at 10epi and the pigtail is the weft yarn. The surface of the blanket is  like a really high quality terry cloth towel.

There's more show and tell, so stay tuned for the next post.

June is Busting Out All Over

Summer - or at least something that appears much like it, has arrived.  We had our June meeting at Sue R's home this month and greeted new member, Betsy, to our group. 

 

Sue started the ball rolling by sharing a twined rug she had purchased from a man whose art is usually quilts.  However, he had fabrics he didn't think much of and put them into a twined rug.  It was a very sturdy, thick rug and must have weighed 6 or 7 pounds.  We were all interested in the twining process and found that there is a book by Bobby Irwin called Twined Rag Rugs which details the process and shows you how to make your own simple loom.  Many people use the technique to make rugs from old clothing that is too worn to give to a thrift store, or even fabric you have never found a use for.

Sue also had some knitted wool blanks that she had purchased and dyed.  She has a good technique to get two blanks that are dyed in an identical manner.  She lays one on top of the other and then stamps the dye in with stencil brushes, turning over the two blanks together to paint the other side once the top is saturated.  She hasn't decided if she will knit or weave with the yarn once it has been unravelled.

On another dyeing note, Betsy brought two scarves woven from the  same warp.  She painted a Merino wool warp chain at a friend's dyeing party and then  used a gold colored tencel to weave a variety of twill structures for three different scarves. One scarf has already found a new home (lucky recipient), but the remaining two are shown in this photo.

Ingrid has been weaving  towels with an interesting  12/2 cotton/linen blend thread.  She used an M & O's draft sett at 24 epi.  There are more pictures and information at her blog post.

  All those nooks and crannies in the cloth should make for an excellent tea towel.

Ingrid is also a big double weave fan and has taken several workshops over the years with well known weaving teachers.  She brought a sampler from a workshop (on the left) and also a sampler of her own (on the right) to show the number of different color variations and patterns you can weave on a two block double weave draft.  You can find instructions for something similar in A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns - chapter 22. These are neat pieces for an in depth color study in double weave.

There's more meeting show and tell in the next post.  Stay tuned!

Tops and Towels

Sometimes it's really amazing just how much mileage you can get out of a single threading and tie up.  At this month's meeting, Marcy brought towels she wove from Anne Dixon's book The Handweaver's Pattern Directory. The draft is Ms and Os on page 129.  This book is just full of fun stuff to weave on four shafts and I recommend it highly.  Marcy's towels were a delight and I'll bet she will use this draft again for future projects.

Sue finished up her fabric and top that was inspired by the Thiebaud painting, "Big Pond".  Check out the slide show in a previous post for an array of handwovens using this painting as a color and pattern inspiration.

In the detail, you can see that Sue sett some of her yarns more closely so that the stripes are more prominent.  She used a lovely soft spaced dyed chenille yarn for weft, alternating it with a finer cotton yarn so that the fabric is less dense than an all chenille weft would have made it.  The top features fringe detail at the neckline and is so luxurious and wearable.

See everyone again after next month's meeting!  Hopefully our rain and snow storms have ended and weather will no longer be a factor in where we meet!

Blankets and shawls

In part two of our May meeting items were some lovely blankets woven by Ingrid.  Ingrid has a stash of cotton yarns and is turning them into wonderful, soft baby blankets.  The colors are yellows, blues and soft greens in wonderful plaids and stripes.  For more views see Ingrid's blog post.

Gus brought a wonderful shawl that she wove using some handspun mohair, fine silk thread and a rayon chenille weft.  The structure is an 8 shaft twill; one side looks a bit different from the other side and both are lovely.  The shawl is very luxurious and long (I believe Gus said the warp was 3.25 yards long).

The shawl is destined for Shawlsunlimited - but maybe not before it gets shown around a bit!

May Meeting

JoAnn wove this top which features a neckline that was loom shaped.  Getting the neckline just right as you are weaving the shoulders, can be tricky.  One suggestion was to trace around a commercial pattern's neckline and then use the curved shape above the neck as a guide while you weave the shoulders.  Since the center part of the warp wasn't being woven as JoAnn shaped the curve, she was able to use those unwoven threads as a decorative fringe.  Note the finish in the  detail photo.

I looked for a written source on shaping necklines on the loom, but couldn't come up with anything in the magazine indexes.  I did find instructions in an out of print book Weaving in Style which is available from several booksellers.

Dee had a couple of interesting things for show and tell.  The first piece is an off white shawl with a bit of gray/brown boucle threads for an accent in the warp. This is a two block twill giving the shawl an interesting texture.

Dee belongs to a wearable art group and their latest challenge was to make something from a Lois Ericson design for a meeting in which Lois herself will be present.  This vest is handwoven wool with decorative ribbon applique and a bright green lining that Dee decorated with a gold scribble pen. Note the interesting seam finish on the right side of the photo below.

Snow Day continued

A few meetings ago, Jackie gave some handwoven yardage to Marcy.  Marcy made pillows that enhanced her living room decor and brought one as a present for Jackie.  The dark blue sofa at Ingrid's

home  overwhelms the subtle colors from the pillow and  I should have looked for a more neutral backdrop to take the picture.  But having seen Marcy's living room colors, the pillows will be very much at home there. 

Marcy's husband frequents estate sales looking for old books.  He found this throw at a sale and purchased it because it was so intriguing.  After examining it, we decided it is huck embroidery done on what may have been handwoven cloth. The structure of the underlying cloth is used in a manner similar to counted cross stitch to embroider a design. It is quite a large piece and must have taken a long time to embroider.

Sue H. brought some examples of her wall hangings and rugs.  This striking piece is called wedge weave and was woven in a tapestry technique done by Navajo weavers. One of the features of this kind of weave is a wavy edge. Sue has left the working threads loose on this piece. She told us that the weaving starts at one corner and then progresses from there. 

The photo below is part of a rug sampler piece Sue wove using techniques in Peter Collingwood's rug book.  What a good idea to do a practice piece before you tackle an entire rug.

Snow Day

We had to do a bit of last minute planning on where to hold our April meeting.  Snow -- yes, snow was falling at our planned meeting location.  Some of us are prepared for such weather -- some of us aren't.  We were lucky that Ingrid agreed to host the meeting.  She lives at a bit lower elevation and it was simply raining a bit at her house.  Everyone managed to make the meeting except for Sharon, who had made a trip to California and was really hoping to join us.  The snow made her flee back to Nevada -- where it was snowing too!

Jackie H. brought in two new shawls that are light in weight and will make stunning summer wear.  The yellow shawl shown below is in a cotton and rayon mixture.  Someone will find this a fantastic light wrap for a summer picnic or a walk on the beach.    Jackie thinks the weave structure may be idiot's delight -- but couldn't remember for sure.

Her next shawl is a two block twill with some of the twill blocks outlined in a darker color.  This gives the shawl an optical appearance of being embossed, even when it is not.  This shawl was woven in cotton and silk.  The weft is a very fine boucle cotton and the shawl is as light as air.   

Gus brought in the shell that she sewed with the handspun silk yardage (in one of last month's posts it was still on the loom).  The shell is lined with a fine batiste and is ever so airy and light.  The variations in the handspun silk make this a very elegant wearable.  To do it justice, we really needed Gus to model it and maybe that can be arranged for a future post.

Stay tuned for more posts about our Snow Day meeting.

Spring Forward in Dee's Newest Shawls

Dee brought three (yes three) new shawls to the meeting.  I am simply amazed at her loom output.  And, Dee also knits up a storm, does design work for Mountain Colors and finds time for designing and making art quilts.  Whata woman!

First up is a purple shawl with mixed warp and a subtle diamond design.  The weft is an interesting wool/rayon mixture.  The wool dyed purple (Dee also dyes), but the rayon naturally stayed white in the acid dye bath.  The shawl has a sparkle to it because of this.

Next are the Blues.  This would be a great wardrobe addition to someone who lives in blue jeans and can't be bothered with dressing up.  This is woven with yarns of cotton, rayon and bamboo. 

And the last shawl is another mixed warp and woven in a two block twill design, except that the blocks are only treadled once.  This makes for a texture design, rather than a block design.

Modeled here by Gus

Close up of the fabric.

Inspiration from a Painting

Last month's blog post featured some towels that Gus wove using Wayne Thiebaud's painting, Large Pond as inspiration. This month we have two more interpretations.  The first is a top woven and sewn by Sue H.  shown below. 

Sue added a band with fringe around the neckline and also the bottom of the back making this a short sleeved jacket.  The warp for the trim is the same as the material for the top, but the weft colors differed.  Click on the photo above for a more detailed view of painting and handwoven top.

Here is a close up. What a great garment using the painting as color and texture ideas.

The next handwoven inspiration comes from Marcy's loom.  She wove a series of towels in colors found in the painting. 

All of the towels are lovely, but my favorite color combination is in the close up below.  The structures are twill and basketweave.

By the way, Thiebaud is pronounced Tee-bo!

Rugs and Baby Blankets - Problems and Solutions

Jackie H. has been weaving a series of rugs and right now she is working on rag rugs.   She brought a trial piece to the meeting that has been delegated for a little mat that the dog sleeps on in the kitchen (to keep him out from under Jackie's feet).  This rug is woven in a two block 3/1 and 1/3 twill; Jackie used strips of 1.75" wide fabric from her yardage stash for the body of the rug.  Then, she gave us a tip on how to finish off a hem.  She weaves four shots of rug warp, then several shots of fabric strips that are cut narrower than the rest of the rug weft.  For the turning point on the hem, there are another four shots of rug warp, several more of the rag weft and finish with four shots of rug warp yarn.  This makes the hem less bulky to turn and it also turns easily where there is a line of rug yarn used as weft.

The technique used on the hem, might come in handy for other handwoven pieces in which the hems are bulky.

Spring time always brings babies!  Marcy wove this lovely cotton blanket as a gift, but was dismayed that the fringe was so troublesome when she washed the blanket.  She has decided to stitch along the edge and then bind it with a satin binding instead of leaving it fringed.  We would love to hear from our readers about what they think of fringe on baby blankets and their favorite finishes.

Handspun Silk on the Loom

The March meeting was at Gus home and since the group always likes to check out what is on the host's loom, I thought I would start with these pictures of her current warp.  This is handspun silk, folks.  Both in the warp and the weft.  Gus spun this silk over the past five years and gathered it all together for weaving yardage for a shell top.

Look at the waterfall of blue silk over the back beam.  Simply gorgeous.  

The picture below is more of the silk waiting to be woven.

 

Gus showed us a pillow that was pieced together from samples she wove in a deflected double weave class.  The pillow backing and the piping are handwoven plain weave to coordinate with the pillow colors.  The different designs are simply the reverse side of the cloth put together in a traditional nine patch design.

Show and Tell Included Beauties from Around the World

I have an online friend  (Indira) who sent me this fantastic handwoven piece of sari cloth as a gift.  She has a large collection of sari cloths and instead of letting them languish stored away, she is making them into scarves  and selling them at 1000 Markets. Here is what Indira says about this piece of handwoven cloth

This piece of cloth is about 35 years old and is from Kanchipuram (a historic city in Tamilnadu, India). The yarn is mulberry silk from Karnataka, India, which has the largest sericulture industry in India.

 The gold brocade (zari) is threads dipped in liquid silver and 24k gold. Because of that it still retains its bright shine.  As for as weaving goes, Kanchipuram silk saris are considered very strong and durable because of the double warp-double weft twisted thread technique the weavers use. The two different thread color for the warp and weft in this scarf give it a special shimmer.

 Kanchipuram silk's distinctiveness is also that the border is woven using interlocked warp and the brocade is woven using interlocked weft. Actually if you cut the border exactly on the line where it is woven into the body, there will by no frayed edges. The shoulder piece is also constructed similarly. The huge steeple design along the border is an innovation on the basic motif of "temple" (common in saris made in southern part of India) which came into fashion around the time this sari was made.

Barbara has a fantastic collection of ethnic textiles from all over the world.  Her daughter brought her this basket made from rolled up newspaper which was woven into the basket and then finished with a clear sealer of some sort.  The basket maker was from Bangkok, Thailand

And talk about complex, Barbara also showed us this piece of warp and weft ikat cloth which was  dyed and woven in Thailand.  The yarn is handspun cotton.

I can hardly wait until the next meeting to see what everyone has been doing.  We have had some snow storms and lots of rain, so maybe people have been weaving.

Having Fun with Color

Dee has a marvelous touch with color in her handwovens. This shawl was alive with color and since it didn't translate all that well in the photo, I will tell you that the colors are lilac, purple, magenta and sparks of bright spring green. The green really makes this shawl come alive.

Dee combined commercial and handspun yarns in purples and lilacs again in her warp yarns. Then, she added a bright red weft. The color interplay is marvelous.

Here is what happens to the same warp with different wefts. These two pieces of yardage are on the same warp but the left has a white weft. The white yarn suddenly becomes pink in appearance. One of the mysteries of color changes in woven fabric.

Still a couple more things to show from our meeting. The next post will be on items that weren't woven by our members, but are handwoven. Treats from around the world.