Two weeks ago I put together my project design, measured out the warp for the sample and started sleying my reed.
When I wrapped up my weaving class last week, I had started threading the heddles.
By the end of my class tonight, I had all my heddles threaded and my warp tied on the back beam.
You're probably wondering why this took me so long. And why I consider it to be an accomplishment worth blogging about.
Well...
First let me talk about the design. I love having pillows on my bed. I have always wanted one of those really impractical bolster pillows, and after my experience with double weave in my sampler, a couple of those bee bees in my head knocked against each other and it occurred to me that I could make my own . But I also wanted to try out some interesting texture for my next weaving project, play around with a cloth woven on shafts and weave with finer threads. So I decided on a double weave tube of waffle weave using 10/2 (fine lace weight) .perle cotton -- which means about 28 warp ends per inch (which actually works out to 14 ends per inch because I'm working in double weave)
But, before I wove the the real project, I figured I'd better test some things out first. First off, both waffle weave and cottons tend to shrink when washed, so I needed to figure out what the circumference of my tube would need to be to ensure that it would still fit around the pillow (I settled on a pillow that is 10" in diameter by about 3 ft long). I also wanted to make sure that I understood the threading and treadling patterns. So this white warp is only a yard long. I'll probably work about a foot of tube and then cut it off and wash it and try it out on my pillow.
What made this such an accomplishment is that I needed this sample to have a 30-31" circumference... or about 420 warp ends. And that's a little bit of work no matter how you slice it. But next week, after I tie things onto the front beam, actual weaving will start -- and I'm going to play with boat shuttles -- so I'm looking forward to some fun things ahead.
And because I can't resist...
... one of my favorite pictures from Mother's Day, taken by my Dad. It features a sweet baby and one of my favorite pieces of knitwear. We had a very nice weekend. I hope everyone out there is looking forward to a nice weekend to come!
You're probably wondering why this took me so long. And why I consider it to be an accomplishment worth blogging about.Well...
First let me talk about the design. I love having pillows on my bed. I have always wanted one of those really impractical bolster pillows, and after my experience with double weave in my sampler, a couple of those bee bees in my head knocked against each other and it occurred to me that I could make my own . But I also wanted to try out some interesting texture for my next weaving project, play around with a cloth woven on shafts and weave with finer threads. So I decided on a double weave tube of waffle weave using 10/2 (fine lace weight) .perle cotton -- which means about 28 warp ends per inch (which actually works out to 14 ends per inch because I'm working in double weave)
But, before I wove the the real project, I figured I'd better test some things out first. First off, both waffle weave and cottons tend to shrink when washed, so I needed to figure out what the circumference of my tube would need to be to ensure that it would still fit around the pillow (I settled on a pillow that is 10" in diameter by about 3 ft long). I also wanted to make sure that I understood the threading and treadling patterns. So this white warp is only a yard long. I'll probably work about a foot of tube and then cut it off and wash it and try it out on my pillow.
What made this such an accomplishment is that I needed this sample to have a 30-31" circumference... or about 420 warp ends. And that's a little bit of work no matter how you slice it. But next week, after I tie things onto the front beam, actual weaving will start -- and I'm going to play with boat shuttles -- so I'm looking forward to some fun things ahead.
And because I can't resist...
... one of my favorite pictures from Mother's Day, taken by my Dad. It features a sweet baby and one of my favorite pieces of knitwear. We had a very nice weekend. I hope everyone out there is looking forward to a nice weekend to come!
What a sweet picture & what an adorable baby!
what a lovely photo :-)
A fabulous portrait!