Diversified Plain Weave Vest, Plan C

While I was eventually able to straighten out my tangled chenille warp and weave it, the resulting fabric was not what I'd hoped for. So, on to Plan B: I warped my loom again; different yarn, different colors, but after weaving four or five inches, my reaction was (as Snoopy would say), "Bleh!" It looked like mud. I cut that warp off and moved on to Plan C. Again, different colors, different yarn, but this time the result was just what I was looking for.

I love this weave structure-- a variation of diversified plain weave-- the same I used for the black and natural tote bag I wove a couple months ago, and it's fascinating to see how the yarns used impact the finished fabric. The tote bag fabric is woven of 8/4 cotton rug warp and produced a sturdy, durable cloth while the vest fabric yarns--primarily rayon-- resulted in a soft, silky, lustrous fabric.

Diversified plain weave is difficult to visualize when reading an explanation of how the threads interact, so I took some photos that, I hope, will make sense. Notice how the balance of colors raised in each shed shifts from less to more of the gold, allowing more or less of the rose-colored weft to show on the surface. The colors appear in opposite positions on the reverse of the fabric.

In the photo below, the colors are more accurate (not sure why I was getting such strong red and orange in the ones above).

And, finally, the finished vest!

Now...off to the loom to sample for my next project!

Elemental Huck-Lace Top, Etc.

The huck-lace top I designed for the most recent issue of Handwoven magazine is now available as a kit from Cotton Clouds, and owner Irene Schmoller has asked me to share a little more about the weaving and construction process here.

Photo from Cotton Clouds website

The design for the top was inspired by a challenge in my Clothing study group to create a garment made of strips, the huck-lace my weave structures study group was exploring, and my interest in using Bambu 7 (100% bamboo) for the first time. I chose four colors of Bambu 7 and a coordinating Luna ribbon.

I wove a sample using all four colors...

but decided to use only two for the top; Walnut for the warp and Water Chestnut for weft.

Below is the photo I submitted to Handwoven for their consideration. Please note that the top is unfinished; the hem is only pinned in place, so it looks a little strange at the hem. I finished it before sending it to Handwoven, of course!

Back view:

 And a close-up of the back:

I love the way this top turned out; it feels silky and soft, drapes beautifully, and is loaded with textural interest. I wish the photo in Handwoven showed more of the fringe on the one front panel; it adds another element of texture. 

The Handwoven article includes three process photos I took that provide good visual instruction for joining the woven panels with ribbon. If you are weaving the top and have any questions, please feel free to contact me. And... please! send me a photo of your finished top. I would love to see it.

Elemental Huck-Lace Top

The latest issue of Handwoven magazine finally arrived in my mailbox yesterday. The March/April issue is the first solo effort for Handwoven's new editor-in-chief, Anita Osterhaug, and she did a fabulous job! I'm excited for this issue for three additional reasons: First, it includes one of my designs...

 

Photo by  Handwoven

First page showing the back of the top

Second, an article I wrote after sampling some new yarn from Habu Textiles...

Page 1 of  2

And, third, it is the first issue I worked on as a technical editor!

I learned a lot, thoroughly enjoyed working with the editorial team, and have a new-found, huge appreciation for what goes on behind the scenes to pull an issue together successfully. We're finishing up the initial tech edits this week for the May/June issue...it's going to be another good one!

Diversified Plain Weave, To Be or Not to Be

The black and natural tote bag I wove last month inspired an idea for using multiple colors in the same weave structure. I ordered several colors of rayon chenille from Cotton Clouds, and when the box of yarn arrived, I swear, it looked good enough to eat! These colors make my mouth water!

The biggest challenge in planning the warp was deciding how to arrange so many colors in a random, but balanced order. To get an idea how they would look on the loom, I wrapped two or three plastic embroidery floss bobbins with each color and experimented with various arrangements. Here you see some of the bobbins and a partial drawdown I'm using for threading and treadling.

As soon as I began winding the warp on the back beam I noticed a tension differential between the chenille and the 20/2 cotton I'm using for the tie-down ends. In haste (rarely good for making decisions!), I pulled everything toward the front of the loom, and in no time had created a giant, tangled, gnarled mess. Aaagh!

To make a long story short, I've spent hours (won't tell you how many days!) untangling and retensioning. It would have been faster and easier to throw the whole mess in the trash and start from scratch, but... I don't have enough yarn, and I was determined to make it work. I did end up cutting out the fine warp --all 500 ends--since I had enough to redo that. And, finally, order has been restored. Whew!

Well, almost whew. I'm just about finished threading, so by this time tomorrow will have a better idea whether or not I've actually solved my problem. Keeping my fingers crossed!

Weaving Divas

Opening my email this morning, I was delighted to find a message from Ann Maxvill of Springfield, Missouri. I first heard from her a couple months ago when she and a friend had a question about the summer and winter pillows I designed for Handwoven magazine. This morning's email included a link to Ann's blog where there is a photo of her friend, Kathy, and the fabric she wove using my design. Kathy's program, "Color Rotation in Summer and Winter", was presented at a meeting of the Weaving Divas. What a great name! Below is a photo of Kathy...

 
And Handwoven's photo of my pillows from the March/April 2011 issue.

 What a treat for me to know my work is interesting to other weavers and that they are studying it and learning from it. Thank you so much, Ann, for sharing!

Transparency with a Twist

Handwoven transparency is a technique typically used for window coverings or room dividers, but I just finished designing a top using the transparency inlay technique.

 The transparent quality is more evident in this photo of the back where you see the camisole underneath.

Linen or other 'sturdy' fibers are the traditional choice for warp and weft, but  wanting something soft that would be suitable for clothing, I chose tencel which I love for it's silk-like hand and drape. The inlay was done with a variegated rayon boucle. Some of the motifs are solid squares while others are open in the middle.

I used a commercial pattern for the top - Butterick 5948 - which was a pleasant change after the time-consuming task of making my own pattern for the last garment I made.

I changed a couple things on the pattern - 3/4 length sleeves instead of short or long, and I bound the edges with bias cut linen. My woven fabric involved quite a bit of special handling, so the "two hour" tag definitely didn't apply! Maybe I'll try the pattern again with commercial fabric - it would be fun to see if it really takes only two hours!

Diversified Plain Weave Tote Bag

Diversified plain weave is typically woven with two sizes of thread, one being four or five times as heavy as the other. While sampling for a vest I plan to weave in diversified plain weave, I wondered what would happen if the two threads were closer in size.  I wove another sample with the thinner thread about half the weight of the other.  The result is this tote bag.

 Here is a photo of the fabric on the loom,

  and a close up of the weave structure.

 It's always interesting to see what happens to the fabric when it's wet-finished.  These yarns are cotton, so they shrink quite a bit and bloom when washed. This photo was taken after washing, drying, and pressing. You can see how the shapes in the cloth become more defined.

The fabric for the handles and top edges was woven on the same warp, different treadling. You see it here in a shot of the inside of the bag.

The pattern I used for the bag is a Japanese design (featured on the cover) from the book "Carry Me; 20 Boutique Bags to Sew". 

From the book: "Designed with shopping at flea markets and antique fairs in mind, this bag is especially roomy. Its deep side slits allow the bag to open wide, accommodating anything you want to toss in there." I guess it's time to head to the flea market!