Glimakra – Page 20 – Warped for Good

Weaving with Friends

August 3, 2021August 2, 2021 Karen

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 woven at Homestead Fiber Crafts. — Textured Shawl, mixed fibers, plain weave.

Monksbelt apron fabric woven at Homestead Fiber Crafts. — Monksbelt apron fabric, cotton, plain weave and two-shuttle monksbelt pattern weave.

Natural colored cotton dish towels woven at Homestead Fiber Crafts. — Natural-colored-cotton dish towels, plain weave.

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.

May you have true friends.

Your friend,
Karen

Typical Questions for a New Warp

June 29, 2021June 27, 2021 Karen

I have questions galore as I begin a new warp on the combination drawloom. Is this the best sett for these threads? How are my sheds? What will orange-ey weft colors do on this pewter and blue warp? Is the image of this first design better face up, or face down? How can I include a couple extra colors in the design? The loom is set up with 45 pattern shafts and 148 single units. I’m eager to begin!

Combo drawloom with 45 pattern shafts and 148 single units.

Sampling at the beginning of the warp gives me answers. The sett is good—18 ends per centimeter, with 16/2 cotton in 6-shaft irregular satin. After some tweaking, the sheds are good—and all the treadles touch the floor when the optimum shed is reached. The weft colors look good—better than expected. And, definitely, the jam jars need to be face down—so, I reverse the image in Affinity Designer on the computer and print out a new chart. I can sneak in some extra colors with narrow weft stripes—beginning and ending borders. I’m ready to roll! New kitchen towels in various designs are moving forward! First up…Peach Jam Jars.

Mirror shows reversed side of drawloom fabric.

Testing patterns and colors on new drawloom warp.

Ready - Sett - Go! New towels on the drawloom.

~It is a joy to have you visit with me every week! It is time for my annual pause for the month of July. I’ll see you back here on Tuesday, August 3, 2021.~

Until then, may the Lord bless you and protect you; may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.

May your questions get answered.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

What Is Creativity?

June 15, 2021June 12, 2021 Karen

I can follow a published weaving draft to the letter and expect to get the prescribed results. Or, I can change details and make the project reflect my own ideas. That’s creativity. And that’s why each handwoven piece reveals something about the one who made it.

Two-block broken twill on 8 shafts. Lovely linen! — Two-block broken twill on eight shafts. I like the natural variations in the linen thread.

With every given draft, I determine the width and length for the project I want to weave, and make adjustments accordingly. That may mean adapting the threading sequence to fit. Sometimes I choose a different size of thread. In that case, I change the sett, as needed. Treadling variations also come into play as the fabric takes shape according to my preferences. I almost always choose my own colors. It’s in the colors that I find the most enjoyment of letting my creativity flow. What is your favorite element for creative expression?

Weaving a linen table runner. — *Linne*, draft by Joanne Hall. The only adjustments I am making are some treadling variations at the start and end of the runner, and the color selection.

Eight-shaft 2-block twill. — Beginning of the runner is wrapping around the slender cloth beam of the Julia.

Creative ability is meant to be an expression of wisdom. Wisdom is a combination of things—experience, intellect, understanding—all put into practice. What you create makes your inmost contemplations visible. Each individual’s creativity is a small example that points to the most astounding example of all. Our Creator reveals his supreme wisdom in every facet of his creation. And you are a prime example of his wise attention to detail.

May your creativity blossom.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Tried and True: Just in Case

June 8, 2021June 7, 2021 Karen

Texsolv cord is ingenious! It suspends shaft holders while I dress the loom. It also suspends the heddling bar during drawloom setup. A small anchor pin or arrow peg does the trick of holding everything together.

How to use Texsolv cord and anchor pins. — Anchor pin is buttoned through the Texsolv cord and placed into the hole at the bottom of the shaft holder.

Talking about Texsolv cord and arrow pins. — Thread one end of the Texsolv cord through a hole in the other end to make a loop. Insert an arrow peg through a hole to secure the loop.

But there is one potential hazard…

In order to adjust the height of the suspended heddling bar at the drawloom, I want to move the arrow peg. I hold one end of the bar while pulling the peg out of the Texsolv cord. That little peg fumbles out of my hand and drops to the floor. OOPS! I am left holding one end of the bar that has 148 threaded pattern heddles, weights included. Now what?! Alone in the room, I am now the sole support for that end of the heavy bar. The peg on the floor is out of reach.

Super Simple Tip of the Day

Always keep a spare anchor pin or arrow peg on the loose end of the Texsolv cord. Always.

Just in Case strategies. — Spare anchor pin stays on the shaft-holder cord. You do not want to be left holding a shaft holder with eight shafts if your anchor pin ever falls out of your hand…

The rest of the story…
When that pesky little arrow peg slips out of my hand I calmly take the spare peg that is there “just in case,” and secure the Texsolv loop that holds the heddling bar. No big deal, after all.

Strategies for Just in Case! — Spare arrow peg dangles below. Whew!

Tips for just in case! — Spare arrow peg is a life saver on the rare occasion it is needed. There is a significant amount of weight on that heddling bar.

May you be ready for anything, just in case.

Ready or not,
Karen

Process Review: Happy Blues

April 27, 2021April 25, 2021 Karen

Cutting off is like reading the ending of a good short story. Even though you are eager to get to the end, when you reach the final paragraph it seems to soon for the story to be over. Fortunately, even though I am cutting off these happy blues, I still get to enjoy the fabric a while longer as I bring it through the finishing process.

Handwoven cotton fabric. Happy Blues. — All blue. 8/2 cotton in eight-shaft twill. Soft and cushiony.

The 8/2 cotton fabric is woven, washed and dried (multiple times), and ready for its final step. I will cut and hem individual pieces to be used as covers for the arm rests and the headrest for my mother-in-law’s recliner. I can’t think of a better place for this story to end up.

Enjoy this little video slideshow of the making of this cloth:

May you keep starting and finishing good stories.

Love,
Karen