Weaving Again after Months!

I finally got to the loom this week after months of distractions. There were lots of ideas in my head, but not a specific one to start on. I saw the rose hips on my desk where I left them months ago so I thought to put some in the new weaving. At the loom, I decided to wet the pice and see how the “cloth” would collapse. Here is the result. I had thought of removing the headings and rag weft, but am thinking that’s part of it so I’ll keep them for awhile.
The background cloth is from a coat that came from  the San Francisco Opera costume sale last week (the first in five years). Rumor has it that one of the divas wore it in the opera, Mary Magdelin, performed last season. It’s monumental–probably a foot too long and weighs a ton but I think it’s beautiful–the cut and the fabrics. Notice the gathers on the sleeves–a great idea to shorten them without cutting anything. I have a gorgeous Afghan coat with very long sleeves. I’m going to try this on it. I see there is a gros grain ribbon (1″ wide”) inside the sleeve that is hand stitched to the cloth to gather it up. The ribbon adds the support needed.