Some things are better seen without color. Hence, an enlarged version of my lizard in black and white. Variances in value are not as easily discerned in the full-color print. These subtle value distinctions bring realism to the lizard tapestry. For this reason, I sort all the yarn into small groups of color and value, which clarifies my choices for each wool butterfly.
Lizard portrait in black and white shows nuances in color value.
Yarn Sorting Process:
1. Select yarn colors for the tapestry.
2. Group like colors together.
Wool yarn, much of which has been accumulated from previous projects.
For each color group (I have seven color groups):
1. Arrange yarn on a white background in value order, from light to dark. Take a picture.
Green, from light to dark.
2. Take another picture using the smart phone black and white setting (“Noir” in the filters on my iPhone).
Photo shows that a couple adjustments are needed for the yarn-value order.
3. Adjust yarn to make value order corrections.
Adjustments made.
4. Divide the yarn into three value sections. 1. light, 2. medium, 3. dark.
5. Label baskets to hold each yarn section; i.e., “G 3” for green, dark.
The preparation for a project like this is immense. And tedious. But this is a weaving adventure. Indeed, the results may very well be astounding. That’s my hope.
Little baskets of yarn next to the loom, sorted by color and value.
Life itself is a full color project. Immense and tedious. Rise above these earthly things. Our Grand Weaver sees the value distinctions that we miss with our natural eye. What hope this gives! Trusting him through this real life adventure brings assurance of astounding results. Setting my mind on these “above” things turns troubles into treasures whose values will be evident in the final real tapestry.
Alignment, security, and visibility are the main things I think about in regard to attaching and supporting the cartoon. In order to weave a tapestry this size, or any size for that matter, you need a good way to manage the cartoon. My cartoon is drawn onto a thin Pellon product (Pellon 830 Easy Pattern, 45″ wide) that is meant for pattern making. This material is easy to pin, doesn’t tear, and only barely wrinkles.
Alignment Align center of cartoon to center of warp.
A blue dashed line from top to bottom of the cartoon marks the center. I also have a pencil mark on the exact center of my beater. When the blue line on the cartoon is perfectly aligned with the center warp end, as seen from the mark on the beater, I know my cartoon is in the correct position.
Pencil mark on the beater is above the center warpend.
Security
Pin the cartoon in two places on each side of the woven tapestry.
This warp is too wide for me to reach all the way to pin the cartoon in the center. So, on both sides of the weaving I place one flathead pin near the selvedge, and another one as far as I can comfortably reach toward the center. I move the pins forward each time I am ready to advance the warp.
Two flat-head pins hold the cartoon under the tapestry weaving on the right-hand side.
Hang a support slat under the cartoon.
I learned this from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell, p. 239, 2008 edition. I used this method previously for a rag rug that had a cartoon for a large inlay pattern. It also works well for holding the cartoon for a woven transparency.
Seine twine loop with rubber band hangs from beater cradle. Slat holds cartoon up against the warp.
Supplies: 12/6 cotton seine twine, 2 rubber bands, long warping slat
1 Make a loop with the seine twine to hang from the beater cradle to just below the warp, with a rubber band on the loop.
2 Tie the ends of the loop with a bow knot or a weaver’s tie-up knot (this useful knot is described in How to Warp Your Loom, by Joanne Hall, p. 39).
Top of loop tied in a bow knot.Weaver’s tie-up knot is perfect for this application, since it is quick and easy to undo and re-tie if repositioning is needed.
3 Make another loop the same way, with rubber band, and hang it on the other beater cradle.
4 Place the warping slat in the hanging rubber bands, underneath the cartoon.
5 Adjust the length of the loops so that the slat lightly presses up on the cartoon and the warp.
Rubber band gives flexibility to the seine twine loop that is holding up the cartoon.
Pin the rolled-up cartoon underneath.
I roll up the Pellon cartoon under the warp and pin it once on each side. As the warp and cartoon advance I can reposition the pin as needed.
Under the warp, the cartoon is loosely rolled up and pinned.
Move the slat toward the breast beam, out of the way, to beat in the weft.
Because of the rubber bands, the slat support has flexibility and does not impede the movement of the beater.
With the slat under or near the fell line, it presses the cartoon up to the warp. By doing this, I can easily see what comes next as the tapestry weaving develops row by row.
Placing the slat under the fell of the weaving raises the cartoon to visibility where it is needed most.
I wait for my ordered yarn to arrive. Meanwhile, I dream of this tapestry becoming a reality as cartoon meets wool.
May you have the alignment, security, and visibility you need.
A tape measure is a weaver’s best friend. Think about how many ways the tape measure serves you. I have one at each loom. Always. And I have a few others scattered around, hanging up, and in bags. Because you never know when you might need to measure something.
Tape Measure Uses
Take measurements to determine the desired size of the finished cloth, such as window measurements for curtains, floor space for area rugs, or length of skirt tiers for skirt fabric.
Double check the width of the warp after it is pre-sleyed.
Check the width of the warp on the back tie-on bar.
Center the reed in the beater for beaming the warp by measuring the distance from the warp in the reed to the outside edge of the beater on both sides.
Find the starting point to sley the reed by measuring half of the warp width outwards from the center of the reed.
Double check the width of the warp in the reed after it is sleyed.
Center the reed in the beater for weaving.
Adjust to the correct width of the warp on the front tie-on bar after the warp is tied on.
Mark the measured weaving length on twill tape or ribbon to use as a weaving length guide.
Measure the distance between pieces that require unwoven warp, such as for fringe, or for tying knots between rag rugs.
Measure the distance from the first shaft (nearest the back of the loom) to the back tie-on bar (especially when you are hoping there is enough warp left to finish a symmetrical pattern).
Measure the width and length of fabric that has been wet finished, dried, and pressed.
Measure your pleasure at the loom. Immeasurable!
Tape measure with imperial and metric units, both of which I use regularly. Metal ends have been removed from the tape to clearly see the tape’s markings, and because I slip the tape into a dent of the reed when I am marking the spot to start sleying.Glimåkra Ideal loom, with tape measure in its usual place hanging on the end of the loom bench.Glimåkra Standard loom, with tape measure ready for the next measuring task.Tape measure hanging over the back beam on the Texas hill country loom while pre-sleying the reed and positioning things to prepare for beaming the warp.Extra-long tape measure hangs on the peg strip above my work table.Occasionally, I borrow Steve’s metal carpenter’s tape measure from his wood carving bench.Compact retractible sewing tape measure rides in my travel tapestry bag. It has imperial and metric units.No purse is complete without a tape measure, right? (A tape measure can outlive the business it promotes.)
What have I missed? Can you think of other ways your tape measure comes in handy?
I’ve been waiting for a bright sunshiny day to thoroughly examine this tightly-woven linen satindräll fabric. Today is perfect. Fixing errors must be done before the fabric is washed, when the weave will become even tighter. I am looking for unwanted floats where the shuttle skipped threads, and for loops at the selvedges.
In my examination I did find an errant float and a few small selvedge loops. Let’s get started.
Tools:
Blunt-tip needle. Sharp needle tip has been sanded to a rounded tip.
Thread. Use the same weft or warp thread that is in the area needing repair.
Good lighting. If the fabric has a complex structure, good lighting is essential.
Magnification. I take a photo on my iPhone, and then zoom in to see the minute details.
How to Mend Skipped Threads:
1 Locate the error. Here is a long weft float.
2 Thread the blunt-tip needle with a length of the same thread as the float.
3 Following the exact under-over pattern of the weave, start one inch before the float and needle-weave toward the float. I lay my iPhone nearby, with the magnified iPhone photo clearly showing the weave pattern.
4 Needle-weave the correct path of the thread through the float area. Continue needle-weaving along the same thread pathway, going one inch beyond the float.
5 Check the front and back of the fabric to see if your stitches match the correct pattern of the weave.
6 When you are certain that the float thread has been accurately replaced, clip the float and remove it (or, leave it and trim it after washing). Leave two-inch tails on the replacement thread, and trim after wet finishing. (I leave the replacement tails so I can find and check the repair after it is washed. This also allows for shrinkage before trimming.)
How to Fix a Small Selvedge Loop
1 Locate the loop.
2 Using the blunt-tip needle, gently ease the excess thread to spread over four or five stitches inside the selvedge.
3 The thread that has been eased in (just above the needle) will completely smooth out in wet finishing.
What skipped threads and loops would be found if I were examined this closely? Would I leave them and hope no one notices? Or, would I allow re-weaving and cutting away? A negative attitude is replaced with a thread of thankfulness. A loop of complaining is eased back in. The result is joy. A thankful heart knows joy. When the fabric is washed, the errant floats and loops are gone. What remains is the woven fabric with lustrous threads of joy.
You are not going to believe how many knots I came across in this 16/2 linen warp! Too many. As I wound the warp I made the decision to leave most of the knots, and deal with them on the loom. (I did remove knots that were close to the beginning or ending peg on the warping reel.) I lost count, but I’m sure I have spliced the warp on this five-and-a-half-meter project at least a dozen times. (To see more details about how I splice the warp, visit this blog post and video: How To Splice the Warp – Video.)
I do not weave over warp knots. A knot introduces a spot of vulnerability to the fabric. Knots can fray, loosen, or come undone over time, even if the knot is originally imperceptible.
In a couple instances, a knot distorted the tension of the warp end because of catching on a heddle or passing through the reed. For that reason, I now try to eliminate knots in the warp before they reach the heddles.
Tool: Warp Separator
Identify the warp end that has a knot, and insert the warp separator between warp ends to isolate the thread.
With a length of repair warp thread, follow the path of the original thread to splice in the new warp end, feeding it through the heddle of the original warp end.
Bring the repair warp thread through the reed in the same dent as the warp end that has a knot.
Attach the repair warp thread near the fell by wrapping it around a flat straight pin.
Remove the warp separator from between the warp ends.
Place a weight on the floor below the back beam. Wrap the repair thread around the weight two or three times to hold the thread at tension that matches the rest of the warp. Loosen the wrapped-around thread before advancing the warp, and then re-tighten before resuming weaving.
Weave one to two inches with both the original warp end and the repair warp thread in place.
Then, cut the original warp end with the knot (behind the heddles) and let it hang over the back beam.
The original and replacement warp ends overlap in the weaving for about one to two inches.
Remove the straight pin when it reaches the breast beam.
Re-attach the original warp end when it is long enough to secure in front of the fell line with a flat straight pin.
And then, cut and remove the replacement warp thread.
This warp separator was a gift from The Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin, included in the goodie bag from last summer’s Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference. It would not be hard to make a warp separator like this from wood or sturdy cardboard. I have not been able to locate a supplier online.
If you know where to find a warp separator tool, please put a link in the comments.
