First handwoven gown!

Although this image looks dark, you can scroll down to see a much brighter version of the black and elderberry fabric using the 8-harness 13th c draft. I'm also wearing one of my knitted silk purses. Even though I wore this at the Midrealm's Kingdom Arts and Sciences day, only one person commented on the gown--and that was after complimenting me on the lavender silk hairnet I had made and was wearing! Oh, well, I was excited! Happily, it was unusually cool that morning in northern Indiana, so I was able to wear it through lunch, after which I changed into a linen gown.

Green Spring!

April was the second rainiest in Indiana (.01 short of the record), but at least it means May is green! I took the blue and grey off the loom, and decided to wind a three-yard + waste warp in Jaegerspun Maine Line wool 2/8 in Basil. The diamond design and the columns are both threaded the same but treadled differently. I suspected the diamond would be best with a contrasting weft, but I really like the columns.

At home, I've been cutting and hand sewing medieval hoods. Pictures to come!

End of semester

In academics, this is the end of the semester, with an absurd number of essays to mark, then finals to give and mark. At the Indianapolis Art Center, this is the last week of classes for a month. Floor loom weaving deprivation ahead!

I have spent as much as I could in the fiber studio, and this Sunday was able to cut my Marine Blue and Shale fabric off the loom. After weaving 6.5 yards, I did the rest in another treadling in solid blue to make a zig zag pattern I really enjoy.

To make life even better, the weekend of the 20th I had a three-day workshop on rug weaving with Jason Collingwood. Everybody was faster than I was, but I still learned a lot.

Here are just a few of the different techniques used in the class:

 Jason demonstrating linking wefts on someone's loom.

 Linking weft threads to create the wedges.

Whew! The workbook has far more techniques than I could keep up with, so I definitely have more to try. Take his workshops if you have a chance. He's funny, patient, and very clear in his instructions. I'm glad I have his father's big book, The Technique of Rug Weaving, as well.

I'm busy winding warp, hoping to wind it on this week so I'll be ready to go for the next class at the Art Center the first week of June.

Happy weaving!

Spring--at last!

During March I finished weaving the six yards of my black and elderberry wool and am now sewing it.

 I've now started 8 yards of an 8-harness draft in Marine Blue and Shale (light grey, although it looks white in the photos.

The first is the right side, and then the second picture has he right side above and the "wrong" side being wound.

 For one week, these lovely star flowers bloom, but only in areas which are mainly shady. They even appear before crocus!

Today the temperatures reached 70, for the first time since early November, so Spring is here--at least for a few days!

Surprise! It worked!

Here is the full repeat before simmering:

Here is the repeat after 30 minutes simmering in plain water. If the colors ever fade, all I need to do is re-simmer!

Back in the 70s, Sally Fox read about the many colors of naturally colored cotton grown in South America and worked hard to rediscover these through experiments in early selective growing. She sells them through Vreisis, and others have followed her path. So far, she still hasn't found the true red and true lavender mentioned in ancient records. Still, amazing!

In progress

Last weekend at the 10th anniversary celebration for Weaving Indiana, the others brought in their challenge projects of gamps, all in bright colors. I finally warped my tabletop loom with six shades of naturally colored cotton: green, unbleached natural, oatmeal, khaki, caramel, and buffalo, with a second panel of green for a border.  When it's done, I'll simmer it about a half hour until the colors darken, and then those colors are supposed to stay the darker shades. Fun experiment!

 Warping black is not fun, but when I saw this medieval pattern, I thought it would look great with the black pattern and plum for the background, and so it is. I was thrilled to see the first repeats develop.

 Here are the right and "wrong" sides.

I have a six-yard warp, so I'll have a medieval dress before the winter is over!

Four-harness to Eight-harness

 After the last post, I wove very quickly! Here you can see the right and wrong sides of the fabric.

 Now, here is the "wrong" side.

 Here you can see the transition from the red and white to the blue and white. (Oops! I made mistakes in the weaving of the first blue and white repeat.)

 This is the right side.

 This is the "wrong" side

 Now, both sides after felting. I definitely prefer the "wrong" side with the slightly raised white interlacing.

 And after felting, the rosette really recedes, but the "wrong" side has a fleur de lys appearance.

 Yes, they really were made with the same threading of the warp!

 The blue and white had an 82-row repeat, which I had to separate into two pieces and mark the working row with a sticky arrow.

Ah, dreams of the next 8-harness draft!

Happy New Year! May you fulfill many of your fiber hopes and find wonderfully unexpected ones!