Towels, Weaving, Weaving Tips

Catching Up

Posted on by Jean

A great first week for the shop! So much so, I need to get busy to get stock back up. I cut the custom Three Sisters Scarves off the Baby Wolf, but there is still another scarf or cowl worth of warp to weave off there. Just need to tie back onto the front rod and get going. Here’s the glamour shots of the commissioned Three Sisters Scarves:

  • Three Sisters in green
  • Three Sisters in Purple
  • Three Sisters in Autumnal
Golden Harvest Warp

I wound this gorgeous warp that I’m calling, “Golden Harvest” in my favorite “winging it” Color and Weave. The first two towels were woven in teal with some orange stripes on each end and the second two are brown on the ends with orange and brown stripes in the center. I can’t tell you the joy it gives me to weave these towels. I kind of get in a rut with the 2×2 or 4×4 stripes in the weft, but I just love weaving them. They are relaxing to weave and end up being so beautiful in the end. I honestly don’t think I can go wrong no matter what color I choose for the weft.

  • teal and orange
  • brown and orange

I’m still working on the dornick twill warp on the Glimakra. I’ve woven some yardage with a linen blend yarn that will be suitable for pillows or tote bags. I got bored with that so am weaving a few more towels like I did on the last warp that I tied this one on to. They are simple weaving, but have that farmhouse looks that’s so popular right now.

For the Weavers out there, I wanted to point out a little tip that’s helpful to me. When I’m doing hems on towels, I like to either use up leftover bobbins or I’ll do a different pattern like in the twill above. You’ll notice it’s a point twill treadling at the bottom part of the photo. That’s my hem. It makes it very easy when pressing the hems before sewing to see what’s what. In my color and weave towels like below, the different colored hems add interest and make it very clear when the fold line is for the hem. It’s a nice way to use up odds and ends of bobbins as long as I have enough for each end.

Another little tip is when I’m hand-hemming as I am with this custom table runner, I use Burt’s Bees lip balm to condition my thread. I always have a tube in my little hemming box and it works well. I just place the thread on top of the balm with my thumb lightly on top of the thread. Then I pull the thread through a couple of times and it’s nicely conditioned. If I don’t do this I get snarls and knots all through it.

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm makes a great thread conditioner.
Jean

A handwoven cloth is a very special thing. This ancient art has provided basic clothing, kept our babies warm, decorated our homes, and added fun accessories to our fashions. It never ceases to amaze me the beauty that comes from some thread and imagination. My fingers touch every inch of every thread at least five times before I even begin to weave. This the warp, the threads that are put on the loom. The thread I weave with, that is wound on a shuttle, is the weft. Once the piece is off the loom, it still needs to be wet finished: washed, pressed, and hemmed or fringed. Believe it or not, the actual weaving of the item is the shortest of all the steps unless it's a very complex pattern. I use only the best quality threads and yarns. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to take the time to do something by hand, do it with the best you can find.

2 thoughts on “Catching Up”

  1. sheryl says:

    Great way to carry beeswax! Also, I use an old tube of Kiehl’s lip balm in a tube to keep my glue twist on caps from sticking. Just take a little on your finger around the threads of the tube before twisting the cap back on.

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