In the afternoon light the linen takes on a golden appearance. The halvdräll pattern in the cloth is no less distinguishable in these low-contrast weft colors. In fact, the pattern seems more embedded in the fabric now than it did with the vibrant red weft in Weaving Christmas. Natural unbleached linen over white bleached cottolin brings monochrome elegance to this table square.
Unbleached and half bleached 16/1 linen are combined for the pattern weft. Bleached 22/2 cottolin is used for the warp and for the tabbyweft.View of the back of the halvdräll cloth under the advancing warp.
God has a life plan for us that reveals His glory. His instruction gives me wisdom, insight, and understanding for life. It is much like following a halvdräll weaving draft to produce halvdräll fabric, and witnessing the fabric at its best as it glistens in the afternoon sunshine.
If it weren’t for Christmas, this would be one of those times I would wish for a longer warp. Why is this halvdräll so enjoyable to weave? Simplicity and complexity, cottolin and linen, two shuttles, and interesting treadling. This peppermint red and white is striking and cheerful, and makes the weaving studio feel like Christmas!
Red cutting line separates the sample piece from the first table square.
I may have it off the loom by Christmas. I am going to try, because I would love to have this festive cloth on the table Christmas Day as my gift to our family. Our children and their spouses, and the four grandchildren, and one on the way!… All will be here with us to celebrate together. That’s a beautiful gift. Family.
The most extravagant Christmas gift is the Son given to us. The majestic choral and instrumental lines in Handel’s Messiah have familiarized an ancient prophecy. Can you hear the singing as you read these lyrics?
It is sampling time! Before I weave the first table square with all red pattern weft, I am testing other options. I have several colors of 16/1 linen left from the linen lace weave scarves (Linen Air Scarves). Just what I need!
Linen in various colors line up as pattern weft options.
This uses a doubled weft. Besides doubled red, there is red with magenta, doubled royal blue, royal blue with periwinkle blue, lime green with periwinkle blue, lime green with unbleached, and unbleached with half bleached. But another reason for this sample is to practice the halvdräll before weaving the “real thing.” This isn’tplain weave, after all. Weaving with two shuttles and being attentive to a changing treadling pattern is quite a challenge. Why is it, then, that I experience such satisfaction weaving this halvdräll? As I’m immersed in weaving, everything else fades away.
Samplequills for testing color combinations. Each quill is wound with doubled 16/1 linen.Temple is moved out of the way to observe how the first picks are working out.Seven color duos make an interesting sample piece. From bottom to top – Doubled red, red/magenta, doubled royal blue, royal blue/periwinkle blue, lime green/periwinkle blue, lime green/unbleached, unbleached/half bleached, doubled red.
When the world is not making sense, when we’re too busy for our own good, when things are out of control… We need a place of refuge–right in the challenge. My loom bench is a place of refuge like that, where my mind is occupied and my hands are usefully engaged. You find refuge in the place you trust. Take refuge in the Lord. Immersed in his peace and comfort, our soul finds rest in him–right in the challenge.
The start of a new warp takes my breath away. It’s magic, isn’t it? It’s at this beginning point that I often feel the wonder of the whole weaving process. Expectation, anticipation, and wonder. A new warp is a fresh start.
Warpends are tied on in 1″|2.5cm sections, with 1/2″|1.3cm going over, and the other 1/2″|1.3cm going under the front tie-on bar. The leveling string then flattens the warp by going over and under the little sections of warp ends, being pulled tight and tied through a hole at each end of the tie-on bar.
The loom is dressed through a series of steps. In the Swedish method of back-to-front warping that I have been taught, the steps are logical and systematic. They make sense. If I simply follow the steps, I can expect to have an evenly-tensioned, ready-to-weave warp. If the warp is good, it means I’m off to a good start.
Side view of new cottolin warp, set up for halvdräll table squares.Halvdräll is a Swedish block weave that has weftfloats. The tabby weft is white 22/2 cottolin, and the pattern weft is doubled 16/1 linen.
Christmas is about God offering us a new start through Jesus. It isn’t about trying to be good enough. Being good is never good enough. Trust in God’s goodness instead. Jesus is God coming to us in all his goodness. I can never repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me. What I can do is receive what he has given–a fresh start. Then, as the beginning weft appears across the warp, I see my hopes coming to life.
I just crossed an item off my weaving bucket list! Make a ‘cello skirt from handwoven fabric. A ‘cello skirt must be long, and full, and pretty. And if I can wear boots with it, so much the better. A favorite tiered skirt that I made a couple years ago from commercial fabric became the pattern for designing the handwoven fabric for a new skirt. This project included weaving a printed design by stamping the warp on the loom before it was woven. (To see this project develop, check out Related Posts in the sidebar.)
I needed five lengthwise tiers, so I planned it out so that each tier would have a different stamped pattern. This is light blue 8/2 cotton in plain weave, with a dense sett of 30 epi, making a medium-weight fabric. I softened the fabric as much as possible by washing and drying it on hot settings. By strategically placing selvedges at the top and at the bottom of the skirt, I was able to minimize thickness at the waist, and eliminate the need for a hem at the bottom. The finished tiered skirt is long, and full, and has a subtle pretty printed pattern that mildly resembles ikat. And this skirt is made for wearing with boots!
Just off the loom, cloth is rolled out on the floor. Five-tiered skirt was made from lengthwise rows of printed fabric.Tiers are cut and raw edges serged. Each tier seam is sewn. Floor layout helps to plan placement of seams and printed patterns.Bulk is reduced at elastic waistband by adding pretty grosgrain ribbon for the casing, right next to the handwoven fabric’s selvedge.Selvedge forms the bottom edge of skirt, so no hem is needed. Warp-stamped fabric appears as a subtle print.Happy ‘celllist.
