Handwoven Magazine Weave-Along Continues

I'm weaving a front and back for each of three pillows; six pieces total, and today started the sixth and final piece.

So far, I like this last pillow best.  The three weft colors are chocolate brown, wine, and eggplant which give a deep, rich tone to the pillow.

I hope to finish the pillow tops tomorrow; then I have about 48" of plain weave to do for the bias covered cording.  Can't wait to see how they look!

Pieces of the Past Linen Tunic, Altered Couture Magazine

The summer issue of Altered Couture magazine includes an article I wrote about a reconstructed linen tunic I designed.  The tunic proved to be a perfect way to use some of the vintage textiles I've collected.  

Photo by Altered Couture

 I love the photographs at the beach; just right for California!

Photo by Altered Couture

I made the tunic a little over a year ago, and, in fact, wore it to my sister's birthday party last June.  Not with shorts, though!   I wore it with a long, white linen skirt. 

This issue includes a lot of fresh, colorful ideas for altering existing clothing.  An added bonus is that my niece, Lindsay, wrote two articles about children's clothing for the same issue.  How cool is that?!  A "family" issue!

 

Weave-Along Eight Harness Turned Twill

My loom is warped and threaded and I'm on my way.  While dressing the loom is not my most favorite part of weaving, there are elements of it I enjoy.  Here you see the warp chains sitting on top of the loom ready to be attached to the back beam.

The warp is six yards long; over 3400 yards sitting there!  I love to see it when it's all piled up like that.  It looks good enough to eat!

Here's the warp wound around the warp beam;

There's something very satisfying about seeing all those threads lined up precisely as they come off the warp beam and go through the heddles and the reed.

I started by weaving the lightest pillow top first:

Detail:

And detail of the transition between the first and second colors where the two colors alternate for 32 picks.

 So far so good! 

Weaving Today Weave-Along Profile Draft

I finished my sample for the pillows I want to weave based on the profile draft published on www.WeavingToday.com.  I used three shades of red in the warp; a muted barn red, deep lipstick red, and a brighter, almost pinkish red.

I wove five sections, each with a different three-color combination, and it's amazing how different each looks depending on the interaction of the colors. 

 The three shown here are the ones I chose for the pillows.  Now, off to warp my loom!

Swedish Lace Tunics, Handwoven Magazine May/June 2011

Photo by Handwoven magazine

The latest issue of Handwoven magazine includes two tunics I designed using Swedish Lace for the border and sleeves.  I loved weaving the creamy white fabric and was very happy with the resulting soft, drapeable hand after it was washed and pressed.   Curious to see how it would look in another color, I wove fabric for a second tunic using colors called strawberry and clay. 

Photo by Handwoven magazine

This one I made with a three-quarter length sleeve which I like almost as much as the longer version.

It has been a great encouragement having my work published in Handwoven four times out of the last five issues.  That record will be hard to top!  Currently, I'm working on an idea for the profile draft I discussed in the previous post.  More on that will follow!

Handwoven Magazine Weave-Along

Handwoven magazine is sponsoring a Weave-Along.  Everyone starts with the same profile draft, a two-block design from Mary Meigs Atwater's Shuttle-Craft Book of American Handweaving. 

My weave structures study group decided to participate, so everyone will choose a structure to "plug in" to the profile draft.  I decided to weave an eight shaft turned twill and these are the colors I chose:

I plan to weave pillow covers for the sofa in my family room.  The sofa is sage green and I think these colors will really wake it up!

The next two photos show the sample on the loom before I started weaving.

And here is the sample underway.

This is a weave structure I've never tried before, and it's proving to be a lot of fun to weave!

More Crackle Handbags

Several members of the Weave Structures Study Group I belong to (part of South Coast Weavers and Spinners) have been posting some of our work on Handwoven magazine's online site, Weaving Today.  I posted my doubleweave jacket, and today, posted a photo of some more of the Crackle handbags I've woven. It's fun to see them in a photo gallery with work from weavers all over the world!

Maybe you would like to check out Weaving Today!  http://www.weavingtoday.com/

My photos are posted under Galleries: Weaving Today Study Groups