tutorial – Page 18 – Warped for Good

Quiet Friday: Warping Trapeze

February 28, 2014February 27, 2014 Karen

When I was a girl I dreamed of being a flying trapeze artist. No fooling! I practiced stunts on our backyard swingset, including hanging from my toes. I grew out of that. My new stunt now, is with a different kind of trapeze. A warping trapeze. (Some people call it a warping valet, but let’s call it a trapeze, okay?)

The warping trapeze is used for beaming the warp. The warp comes over the breast beam, under the foot beam, and then over the cross bar of the trapeze. I use two-pound walking weights and S-hooks to weight the warp bouts, since the warp needs to be under sufficient tension as it is wound onto the warp beam. The warping trapeze makes it easy to single-handedly beam a warp with even tension.

Warping trapeze set up for beaming the warp. — Warping Trapeze: Two tall boards set into place just inside the sides of the loom, angled at the base, between the cloth beam and the breast beam. I clamp them on the sides for extra security. The top piece slips into a cut-out opening at the top of the side boards. Reed will be moved to the beater before beaming.

Walking weights are used to weight the warp bouts for beaming the warp. — Two-pound walking weights are perfect for hanging from S-hooks to weight the warp bouts. I can easily increase the amount of weight by adding more walking weights, as needed. For a longer warp, I tie a piece of texsolv cord in a slip knot around the warp bout, and hang the S-hooks and weights on that cord, moving it down as the warp is wound on.

Warping trapeze explained. Karen Isenhower — The trapeze is ready, with the warp weighted. Next steps: Remove the support sticks; move the lease sticks to behind the reed; straighten warp ends; place reed in the beater; slide lease sticks toward the reed. Okay, go! Wind the warp onto the beam.

(Did you notice Becky Ashenden’s flippy book, Dress Your Loom the Vävstuga Way: A Bench-Side Photo Guide on my cart? I still like to follow her step-by-step instructions to make sure I’m not missing anything.)

Enjoy this little time-lapse video I created of myself dressing the loom using the warping trapeze. (You will not see me hanging from my toes.)

I fly through the air with the greatest of ease, my threads all in place with the warping trapeze…

Thank you to Becky Ashenden for introducing me to a warping trapeze at Vävstuga Weaving School.
Many thanks to my talented husband for creating my very own warping trapeze. He’s the best!

May you come up with fantastic new stunts.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Tools Day: Temple Technique

February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 Karen

What is the secret weapon for improving selvedges, preventing draw-in, and getting a more even beat, leading to better quality handwoven fabric? Use of a temple (also known as a stretcher), of course! The temple is a tool that simply holds the woven cloth on the loom at the proper width. I almost always use a temple when I weave because I like the consistency that it brings to my weaving. It may seem counterintuitive to stop frequently to re-set the temple, but I have found that moving the temple becomes part of the rhythm of weaving. The cloth develops inch by inch, and the temple is in sync with that.

How to set a temple:

1. Place the temple upside down on the warp next to the reed. Remove the pin. Expand the temple to the width of the warp, with the center of the teeth aligned with the outside warp thread on each side.

2. Put the pin in aligned holes to hold the width of the temple.

3. Turn the temple right side up, with the pin facing toward you, and the metal slider on the right half of the temple. Place the temple near the fell of the weaving; set the teeth on the left side of the temple into the warp threads near the selvedge.

4. Keeping the left teeth in the cloth, set the temple teeth on the right into the threads near the selvedge on the right side of the cloth.

5. Press down the center of the temple. Move the metal slider toward the center to secure the temple, keeping it flat.

6. Weave. The reed should not touch the temple when you beat. After weaving an inch (or two, or three, depending on what is being woven), release temple by moving the metal slider. Remove temple. Repeat steps 3 through 6 until weaving is complete.

Small pin holes from temple teeth will disappear with wet-finishing. — Two small pin holes from the temple teeth can be seen near the left selvedge of the cloth. These holes will disappear when the cloth is wet finished.

(Compare this three-shaft twill fabric to my first attempt HERE with threading errors.)

May you find the tools that enhance the quality of your work.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Rag Rug Finishing

January 24, 2014January 23, 2014 Karen

How many people get to have a handmade article right under their feet? You come in from the world, with your feet dusty and weary; you look down, and the rug says, “Welcome home.”

After the weaving is complete, the only thing left is finishing. For rags rugs, that means securing the warp ends, and finishing the ends with fringe or stitched hems. I prefer the look of hems over fringe, so my rugs usually have turned-under hems (occasionally, I do a bound hem, but I’ll save that for another time). The hem area is woven with narrower strips (about 1/4 in. or 1/2 cm) than the rest of the rag rug, to make it less bulky for turning under, and it lays nice and flat on the floor. Ah, rosepath rag rugs, I shall truly miss seeing you on the loom!

Rosepath Rag Rugs rolled up on cloth beam. Karen Isenhower — The end is the beginning. The end of the warp means the rugs are ready to be unrolled from the cloth beam.

Rosepath rag rugs unfurled from the loom. — Rosepath rag rugs being unrolled and cut from the loom. This always feels like the moment of truth: I ask myself, “How do they look?” (Note, this view is the underside of the rugs.)

Upholstery needle helps separate warp ends from header to secure ends of rag rug. — Step 1. An upholstery needle helps separate warp ends from the header. A clothespin keeps finished ends out of the way.

Securing rag rug hem with square knots. — Step 2. Secure the hem with square knots. Four ends at a time, pulled out of the header, are firmly tied into knots.

Finishing rag rug with square knots, and trimming warp ends. — Step 3. Trim the warp ends about 3/4 in / 2 cm from the knots.

Steps for finishing rag rug hems. How-to pics. — Step 4. Fold hem edge to the back side of the rug, keeping the knotted ends inside the fold. Press. Fold again to complete the turned hem. Press.

Stitching rag rug hem. Steps for finishing rag rugs. — Step 5. Stitch close to the fold of the hem. Stitch the side edges of the hem closed. Be sure to use sewing thread in the needle that matches the underside of the rug, and bobbin thread that matches the top of the rug.

Rosepath rag rug. Karen Isenhower — Rosepath rag rug, hemmed and ready, with the look of a breath of fresh air.

Rosepath Rag Rug. Welcome home! Karen Isenhower — Let’s call this one the “Welcome Home” rug. We’d love to have you stay a while.

May weary feet find your home to be a welcoming place.

Still being finished,
Karen

The Secret to Making Lattice Fringe

November 22, 2013October 9, 2014 Karen

First, a short tutorial for tying ~~perfect~~ lattice fringe, and then some thoughts about keeping our eyes open to reality. I decided to tie three rows of knots with this fringe for a pretty lattice effect, knowing the results are worth the time it takes.

How to Tie Lattice Fringe – Step-by-Step Tutorial

Supplies:

7/8″ (2 cm) blue rigid foam insulation (mine is Dow Styrofoam Residential Sheathing Insulation, found at The Home Depot or Lowes), cut to 32 x 36″ (81 x 91 cm) (This great idea came from Thrums, one of my favorite weaving blogs.)
16 straight pins
7/8″ (2 cm) warping slat (or template of desired width)

1. The first row of overhand knots has been tied. (More detail HERE.) Lay the fabric over the foam board, with the fringe laying toward you at the front of the board.

2. Place a straight pin through the top thread of each of several knots in a row, into the foam board under the fabric.

3. Use warping slat (or other template) as as spacing guide for the second row of knots. Lay warping slat flat, and place it flush against the row of pins. Using the width of the warping slat as a spacer, place a pin in the second row just below the slat, at the point where the knot will be formed.

4. Remove warping slat. Loosely tie an overhand knot below the just-placed pin in the second row, leaving the center of the knot wide open.

5. Insert another pin through the center of the knot just a fraction below the point of the first pin.

6. Slowly pull the knot to cinch it up to the point of the second pin.

7. Holding the knot firmly between the fingers of one hand, with your other hand gently tug each strand of the knot to its full length.

8. Continue tying knots across the entire row.

9. Repeat the process to add another row of knots.

My confidence in my ability to tie these knots can drift into careless thinking. Maybe I’m good enough at this that I can leave out some steps. Do I really need that guide stick for spacing the rows? I think I can eyeball it. Pulling each strand to close the knot takes too much time. Why don’t I just skip that part? And soon, I am blind to the haphazard results I am creating. Pride is like that. In relationships and in life circumstances, though, the consequences are more severe than in fringe-tying.

Pride keeps me from seeing my own vulnerabilities. Pride puts me in harm’s way because it blinds me to the reality of my own shortcomings, and makes me think I’m above it all. I want to keep my eyes open to my need to learn and grow. Who wants to drift into haphazard results in life? Not I. Not you, either?

May you never be blind to the things that matter.

Feeling vulnerable,
Karen