This is the moment Miss Fit and I have been waiting for! We have come to the beginning of the end of the real tiered skirt. Or, maybe I should say it’s the end of the beginning, since weaving is just the beginning of this skirt. My next step is to finish the fabric: find and repair errors, wash, dry, press. And then, on to construction: detail studies, measure, cut, gather, sew seams. And lastly, of course, I will find an occasion to wear the summery subtly-patterned huckaback skirt, even if summer has already slipped into hiding until next year.
Beaming the 24/2 cotton warp on my 100 cm Glimåkra Ideal Countermarch loom.Fabric for the first tier of a three-tiered skirt. 16/1 linen weft.Fabric for the second and third tiers of the skirt. Classic pattern in five-shafthuckaback.Cloth beam fills with skirt fabric as I near the end of the warp.Weave until there is nothing left to weave. That’s my motto.Cutting off as dusk hits the windows.First view off the loom is always a special moment. Love at first sight!Miss Fit is modeling a preliminary muslin of the tiered skirt. I will do some detail studies with small pieces of the handwoven fabric, and then make a final muslin before sewing the “real” tiered skirt.Detail of skirt fabric.
Handwoven textiles help make our house a home. Home is where the heart is. And our home is where the art of the heart is. The most recent addition is a linen runner for our dining room table. I also wove a small table mat from the same warp. Linne Runner, design by Joanne Hall. 16/2 linen warp and weft, 8-shaft two-block broken twill. Glimåkra Julia countermarch loom.
Linen runner and small table mat just off the Glimåkra Julia loom.Colors for the runner were chosen with our dining room in mind.
Watch the process for creating this runner from beginning to end in this short slideshow video:
I like having a project on one of my looms that is within reach of any friend who drops by. This new warp on the Julia fits the bill. Since I am using up several nearly empty tubes of linen, I am giving this warp an irregular color sequence. That should be interesting in this very structured 8-shaft broken twill.
Emptying a few tubes of 16/2 linen.Irregular warp stripes are formed on the warping reel.Odds and ends of linen get used for cloth that will be used.
I am making dish cloths here. Linen dish cloths. Why not wash dishes with something interesting? I am eager to see what develops as I add weft colors. Anyone else who sits at this loom can choose their own mix of colors. I hope we get some wild combinations that bring a smile to the one whose hands are washing dishes.
God’s wisdom is a far reach for our human understanding. The complexity of his creation shows us how much we still don’t understand. How could we ever reach that far? Our best efforts are like irregularities in a well-structured cosmos. Good news! God put himself within our reach. He did it at his own expense—the cross of Christ. When we trust in Christ our wild threads are expertly woven into cloth that he can use. Some of our wild combinations probably make him smile.
I first noticed that something was amiss right after advancing the warp. Something brushed my knees when I sat down. Aha!Beam cords, attached to the tie-on bar. I see that the tie-on bar is going straight from the cloth beam to the breast beam. I had forgotten to bring the tie-on bar over the knee beam. Really? Nearly everyone does this at least once when they are starting out. But it has been a few years since I made this mistake. Apparently, I still need my checklist.
Fortunately, forgetting the knee beam is one of the easiest blunders to remedy.
See the beam cords going from the cloth beam to the breast beam? The knee beam is feeling left out.
Re-Set the Knee Beam
1. Remove the knee beam. Rest the beam on the loom frame.
2. Unlatch the front ratchet to release warp tension.
3. Pull the knee beam all the way out. Put it back across, underneath the beam cords. Rest the beam on the loom frame.
4. Reseat the knee beam gently, positioning the beam cords along with the beam.
5. Tension the warp. Resume weaving.
Now you can see the beam cords through the warp, located where they should be.Swedish Monksbelt weaving resumes. 16/2 cotton warp and groundweft, 6/1 Fårö wool pattern weft.
May your trouble be inconsequential and short lived.
Welcome back into my studio. I have been weaving, finishing, winding warps, and dressing looms. And spending time with friends. What better way to enjoy friends than to go on a floor-loom-weaving expedition together? Weaving Extravaganza at Homestead Fiber Crafts in Waco, Texas is the getaway. The looms are dressed and ready for us when we arrive. Abilities and experience are irrelevant. Anyone can do this!
From the projects available, I choose to weave a textured shawl. Keleen, a rigid heddle weaver (sitting at a floor loom this time), chooses to make fabric for an apron with a monksbelt border. Jan, who has never touched a loom until now, weaves natural-colored-cotton dish towels. Four hours pass in a flash, with weaving and camaraderie. We each complete our handwoven cloth. After returning home our fabrics are washed and finished, ready for use. My shimmering shawl is just right for a cool evening. Keleen’s fabric is soon to become an heirloom apron. And Jan’s first handwoven towels are drying dishes. Success!
Textured Shawl, mixed fibers, plain weave.Golden yarn is used for weft stripes near the border.Monksbelt apron fabric, cotton, plain weave and two-shuttle monksbelt pattern weave.Natural-colored-cotton dish towels, plain weave.Towels are made with all natural colors of cotton thread. This set uses a brown weft.
Abilities and experience come in all shapes and sizes. Anyone who wants to learn, can. Your heart goes in the direction you turn it. The Lord sees your heart. He’s not looking for ability or experience. He reaches the heart that is turned toward him. That’s where his grace comes to life.
