I have my weavings mounted in plexi shadow boxes. The front and back are clear and the sides, top and bottom are white. the boxes are unobtrusive and I like the way the pieces have their own space with this system.
Frames for my Weavings
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Weaving with an Extra Warp
Weaving with more than one warp is something I really like to do. We call it a “supplementary warp” when in theory, it could be removed and an intact cloth would remain.
“Red Square” was woven on 10 shafts–2 for the foundation warp and 8 for the red warp.
The sewing thread warp I’m weaving on now has a supplementary warp, too. In this case these warps aren’t threaded in heddles, but between them. See more in previous posts.
I weight my supplementary warps with washers that are hanging from shower curtain hooks.
The knot to use (because it is easy to undo and redo as needed) is described in 3 of my books because I think it is so useful. “Weaving for Beginners”, Book #2: “Warping Your Loom & Tying On New Warps”, and Book #3: “Weaving and Drafting Your Own Cloth”. See the chapter, Two or More Warps in Book #2 for details.
Peggy’s 101 Weaving Tips
Fiber Optics Progress Report
Orchid No. One
I’m working yet again on a fiber optics project. I’ve woven two new pieces to take care of the glitches (I dearly hope) in the one shown here. the glitch is that it didn’t light up enough. My collaborator, Rob Suttman, and I went to visit a geek last week. We decided we need stronger LEDs and will go to an electronics shop this week. That’s the next step. It’s just step-by-step at this point. I hope to have it working for our weaving conference (CNCH) in May. The topic is tradition/innovation. I have my fingers crossed that we can make something wonderful that will light up in interesting ways.
An Art Book Retrospective
I’ve had my work photographed recently and over the years and am working now on a book like a portfolio–sort of like a retrospective. Organizing the photos was the job for today–a big one. It will be hard to cull them because they are all my “babies”. The photographs look wonderful and I’d love to be able to include them all. The next job: titles. My thinking is to make a few copies that I will sell at cost. It’s really a way to see what I’ve done over time.
One of My Own Stories
I got a good “stash” story on my Facebook page. Reminded me of my own. I hid a warping reel in the guestroom shower. When we had overnight guests, I had to sneak it over to my neighbor’s garage.
Help for Keynote Speech
I’m looking for weaving jokes or good stories to punch up the keynote speech I’ll be giving to The Northern California Handweaving Conference–CNCH–. It’s not until May, and I’m not panicking but if you have some good jokes, stories, or words of wisdom, please, please remember me and send them along.
News at My Weaving Blog
I’ve been moving 97 weaving tips over from my old web site which will go “off” sometime soon. I’m proud of them, and glad to make them available again. I clicked and clicked, cutting and pasting over the weekend so much that I felt twinges in my mouse wrist. I’m giving it a rest then will add them a bunch at a time. They aren’t “live” yet, except that you can search for words and they will come up. I’d love to know if they are helpful.
My blog designer has really been working overtime–do you like the look of the new images?
New in My Weaving Life
Three new things:I began weaving again on the sewing thread warp. After being away from the loom awhile, it really feels good to be throwing the shuttle–even to weave samples. The blog is being redesigned and I’m thrilled with the new images. Better yet, the button to order my books is working. So, with a click you can now add to cart! Go to the Book and DVD section on the home page.
My Weaving Progresses
New Weaving (click to enlarge)
Here’s the first piece of cloth that I wove on Sunday. The warp is sewing thread and supplementary warp… I like the sheen of the cloth.
Spools for Warp (click to enlarge)
Weaving Begun (photos)
Weighted Supplementary Warps
Here is the back of my loom–weights are holding the purple supplementary warp and also the selvedges. I’m sampling to see what the colors in the warp will be like and to see if I can get sheer again. The extra warp isn’t threaded in the heddles, but between every 8th warp thread. They are in the same position as floating selvedges–in the middle of the sheds. When I want the supplementary threads on the top, I shoot the shuttle under them. When I don’t want them to show, I put the shuttle over them. I learned this technique as “split broche.”
Supplementary warps above heddle eyes
Weaving Has Begun! (but no photos)
I made this post yesterday–but suddenly the blog software isn’t allowing me to post any images. You” have to imagine. I hope when I get back at the end of the week it will be fixed.
Here is the back of my loom–weights are holding the purple supplementary warp and also the selvedges. I’m sampling to see what the colors in the warp will be like and to see if I can get sheer again. The extra warp isn’t threaded in the heddles, but between every 8th warp thread. They are in the same position as floating selvedges–in the middle of the sheds. When I want the supplementary threads on the top, I shoot the shuttle under them. When I don’t want them to show, I put the shuttle over them. I learned this technique as “split broche.”
Not a Weaving Vacation
I’m going up the coast to Gualala, CA, for a few days. I love the country-side and ocean so much. Back in time for the SF Opera Opening Night, then back to blogging, I hope to take some pictures of naked ladies (amaryllis) and the surf/coast for future blogs.
My Weaving Apron
My Weaving Apron (click to enlarge)
Here’s my weaving apron. I couldn’t weave without it. The pattern is in my book, Weaving for Beginners, beginning on page 374. I hope you are inspired to invent your own.
Weaving Advice
Things to know before you throw a shuttle:
Important Information About How to throw the shuttle
Weft Diagonal (click to enlarge)
Beginning weavers learn about the diagonal of the weft but they think they should have the weft loose at the selvedges. In my book, Weaving for Beginners, I tell how to snug up the weft for good selvedges and no draw-in problems.
Throw the shuttle into the correct open shed. Take out the shuttle so the weft is in the shed on a diagonal as shown in Figure 245. Holding onto the shuttle, snug up the weft to the outside warp thread—the side where the shuttle entered the shed—just so it touches and barely moves that outside thread. Then, swing the beater and gently place the weft next to the previously woven weft. You do not want to actually beat it as the name implies. You are simply placing the weft against the one woven before it. Now, while the beater is toward you after placing the weft, change the shed. Then, swing the beater back toward the heddles and begin the process again. The steps
are: throw the shuttle, beat in the weft, and change the shed. I like the rhythm of saying: “Throw, beat, change the shed.” That’s 4 counts, with “the shed” as one
beat. (On the fourth beat you’re pushing the beater back toward the shafts.)
Weaving Class: Sheds Too Small
The other day a student complained that the boat shuttle I loaned her was too big for the sheds on her table loom. I suggested that she throw the shuttle closer to the heddles and advance the warp often. The reason is that the shed is bigger the closer it is to the heddles (shafts). It’s obvious that the shed is small when it is closer to the fell of the cloth (the place where the last weft is woven).
My New Piece Again
Ruffle No. 1 detail (click to enlarge)
I made the picture horizontal–a big achievement for me, and a thrill!
Ruffle No. 1 full size (36" wide)
Here’s the piece I’m putting in the show as it should be.
A New (sort-of-old) Piece!
Ruffle Number 1: Turn it horizontally
This is my first ruffle, maybe a year or two “old”. Today a special friend held it horizontally–it looked fabulous! I’m thrilled to be entering it in an exhibit where there will be mostly painters. I think it will hold its own in the show. There will be 144 pieces. I’ll keep you posted. Be sure to look at it horizontally (turn it 90 degrees).
Detail, Ruffle No. 1: Turn it 90 degrees.
More About My New Warp
Two Kitesticks and Horse Hair (click to enlarge)
Close-up of Kitestick (click to enlarge)
I’m using a supplementary warp (egg plant color) for the punch. The technique for the supplementary warp I’ll use is split broche. The threads will not be in the heddles as they are threaded amongst the warp threads which on are 4 shafts. More on this when I get started. For now, you can see those threads on their own small kitestick.
I think I’ll put in some horse hair–I love the color of it.
My New Warp
Sewing Thread Warp (click to enlarge)
Here is my new warp–sewing thread–for some art pieces. More ruffles, probably. You can see the 10 spools that I used on my warping reel with a heck block. Otherwise, for 10 spools you would definitely need to use a paddle (which is a good idea). See my book, Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle). The warp is on its kitestick, ready to load the raddle.
Spools for Warp (click to enlarge)
I’m using sewing thread and hoping for sheer again. I increased the sett a bit from the yellow warp so I won’t have to beat so gently to get the wefts not to pack in too much.
I’m making separate selvedges out of white rayon and using a supplementary warp (egg plant color) for the punch. The technique for the supplementary warp I’ll use is split broche. The threads will not be in the heddles as they are threaded amongst the warp threads which on are 4 shafts. More on this when I get started. For now, you can see those threads on their own small kitestick.
I think I’ll put in some horse hair–I love the color of it.
A Diagonal I Like
Japanese Sample: Diagonal
I have an old Japanese weaver’s sample book–a treasure given to me by my special friend and mentor, Helen Pope. I have it opened to the page with this glorious diagonal. Somehow, it seems beautifully simple to me. I see that the piece of cloth is cut on the bias. I think surface design techniques could create diagonals, too. I think what I love it it’s boldness.
Japanese Sample Book Pages
Bias Diagonal Close Up (click to enlarge)
Rigid Heddle Weaving
Rigid Heddle Loom (click to enlarge)
Do you know that I have a chapter on Rigid Heddle weaving in my book, Weaving for Beginners? Someone mentioned it so i thought I’d mention it, too.
A Color Lesson I Forgot
White Border Too Big (click to enlarge)
I wove what I hoped would be a narrow band to be sort of a border separating parts of my wavy wefts cloth. I used white because that was what the warp is and it would blend in since a lot of white shows in the wavy wefts cloth. I forgot that light colors really advance and actually look larger than darker ones. I made my “border” 2 inches tall–it looked much wider. In fact it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Narrow Borders Look Better
What to do–it came near the beginning of my proposed hanging. Well, since the lam broke, it made me stop and think about it. I cut off what was woven and made narrow hems which look much better. In the illustration the wide border is a little rigged up, but it shows an inch of white. Originally the border was 2″ tall and really looked too big. But that lesson of light colors looking larger really came home to me.
Wavy Wefts Bibliography
Wavy Wefts, detail (click to enlarge)
Here is a list of books I’ve found with information on wavy wefts. There are a number of ways to accomplish it.
Collingwood, Peter. “Two Weft Distortion Effects in Plain Weave”. The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers. Number 36, December 1960.
Collingwood, Peter, article above reprinted in: The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, Peter Colllingwood Special Edition. Summer 2009.
Straub, Marianne. Hand Weaving and Cloth Design. New York: Viking Press, 1977. pages 86-87.
Sutton, Ann., The Structure of Weaving. London: 1982. pages 50-51.
Sutton, Ann, and Sheehan, Diane. Ideas in Weaving. Loveland, CO: Interweave Press, 1989. pages 104, and 97-101, special reeds.
Wavy Wefts Update
Wavy Wefts, Linen and Silk (click to enlarge)
One of the lams broke! Yesterday my friend beefed up the lams. I am waiting for the glue to dry before proceeding again. There is a lot of pressure on the treadles and thus, the lams. I played with what I had woven already until the loom is fixed and ready to go. It’s a good thing, really, because there was a part I wove that didn’t look good and needed to be removed. At first I thought of unweaving down to the “bad” place. Then I was thinking of cutting the whole piece off and cutting it into parts that I like. I did cut it off and mounted the pink area you see on a card. It can stand alone but could be matted, too.
Wavy Wefts, silk wefts, linen warp (click to enlarge)
The blue part looks very nice, too.