cotton – Page 50 – Warped for Good

Stop Threading Heddles the Boring Way

February 21, 2014February 20, 2014 Karen

Practice makes perfect. Do you believe that? If that were true, wouldn’t some of us be perfect by now? Threading heddles is a repetitive activity, but intentional awareness makes it a thoughtful learning experience instead of boring repetition. This deliberate thinking produces the kind of practice that brings improvement. You mentally zoom in to see what it takes to become efficient and effective. Like practicing a musical instrument, you constantly consider how to produce the best sound (fabric) from this instrument (loom).

Heddles threaded with doubled threads of 20/2 cotton. — Heddles, threaded with two 20/2 cotton threads each, stand ready on four shafts, like orchestra members tuning up while waiting for the conductor to come to the podium.

I learned to thread heddles from Leigh, and then from Joanne, and then from Becky. They each have their own approach. Their methods vary, but what they teach in common is accuracy, efficiency, and enjoyment of the process. When I thread heddles, the wealth of experience from these teachers benefits me, even as I find my own style emerging. They taught me awareness, problem-solving, and enjoyment of learning. What a gift!

Learn from the best, and then practice what you learn. Gain foundational truth. Walking in the truth is the best way to give back to your teachers. In your quest for truth, practice what you learn.

May your practice make perfect sense.

Still learning,
Karen

Look Behind the Knee Beam

February 18, 2014February 17, 2014 Karen

As the cloth cascades over the knee beam, let’s take a sneak peek at the other side. Crouching below the warp behind the shafts, we see the mechanics of weaving. When I sit on my loom bench at the front of the loom, throwing the shuttle, it feels like magic. Thread by thread, fabric just appears. Under the loom you can see it is not magic. It is heddles on shafts, shafts connected to lamms, lamms tied to treadles. It is a system that works behind the scenes while you sit in front and weave. Sometimes we put our trust in what we see out front, neglecting to consider what goes on behind the scenes.

Cotton handtowels on the loom. View from back of loom under the warp. — Red cutting line between towels is seen just to the left of the upper lamms. There are no floats on this back side of the cloth, though the front has warp floats as part of the pattern.

Cut ends of the heddles are in focus, viewed from back of loom under the warp. — Cut ends of the heddles are in focus. The heddles, carrying warp threads, hang on shafts that are just above the camera view.

When I finish a weaving project, I untie and disconnect everything so the loom is ready for the next project. The warp has a purpose while it is on the loom, but when it’s over, it’s over.

Beware of putting your trust in human heroes. Keep in mind that your human heroe’s plans will last only as long as their life. When it’s over, it’s over. Do not put your trust in a person, a leader, a superstar, a human hero, to save the world. Put your trust in the grand weaver who holds the system in his hands.

May you encounter trust-worthiness.

(To see the warp floats on the front of the cloth, click HERE.)

Yours Truly,
Karen

What Difference Does the Weft Color Make?

February 14, 2014February 13, 2014 Karen

Does the weft color influence the cloth as it intersects the warp threads? Of course! The distinctive textural quality of this 3-shaft twill with warp floats is enhanced by the colors. In this case, the weft follows the same arrangement as the colors across the warp, making an interesting plaid. What does your influence look like?

3-shaft twill with weft floats. Hand towels. Karen Isenhower — Weft colors coincide with warp colors to create a plaid design. The pattern in the weave structure appears to change according to the weft colors and the angle of view.

Before weaving, the untouched warp colors look well-defined and clean. Introducing the weft, however, changes everything. How can you predict how the weft colors will interact with the warp? Hold tubes of thread next to each other, or wrap different colors on an index card, or even combine threads by twisting them together in your hand. Yet, when the threads become enmeshed in woven cloth, as weft interlaces warp, a new color is revealed.

You and I have strategic influence. How we choose to use that influence makes a difference. As you intersect with people, you bring a unique thread into the picture. The results may be surprising at times, not what others expect. But you are the only you. You have a creator-given purpose. Let your influence make a positive difference. Who knows whether you have not come to these present circumstances for such a time as this?

May you be an influence for good.

(To follow the color planning and sampling for these towels, click HERE and HERE.)

You are loved,
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

Cut It Off and Start Over

February 7, 2014February 6, 2014 Karen

This is what starting over looks like. After weaving a couple inches, I had a bad feeling. Uh oh, there is a fatal mistake in the threading. Not just one or two wandering threads, but I mis-threaded all the way across the warp!

Threading error. Re-threading 866 heddles. — Sample with various weft color options. After cutting off the sample, the process of re-threading the 866 heddles begins.

Cut off the sample. Pull 866 threads back out of the reed and out of the heddles. Re-thread 866 threads. Re-sley. Redo the tie-up. Tie-on again! Breathe. Even so, I am thankful I get to begin again. The mistakes are completely removed and I have a fresh start.

I had to search to find the root of this error. I examined the threads in the fabric; and I compared the woven sample to the draft. Not until I studied my planning sheet did I see that I had written out the draft incorrectly. I had mistakenly exchanged shaft 4 for shaft 2 in the threading draft. Aha! and Ugh! My instructions to myself were faulty!

We cannot fix everything in our lives. Often, we cannot even find the root of the problem. Fortunately, our grand weaver, who searches hearts and minds, is able to reveal the source of our error. And then, in his grace, cuts away what was not working and gives us a brand new start. No old strings attached.

May a fresh start come your way.

Grace to you,
Karen