• Home
  • Shop
  • About
  • Exhibits
  • Contact me

jeanweaves

~ Jean Williams, Handweaver

jeanweaves

Monthly Archives: September 2014

Production Weaving

26 Friday Sep 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Planning, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Creativity, Production, Textiles, Weaving

There are some weaving terms that may mean different things to different people. I think “production weaving” falls into that category.

My Weaving Goal

My Weaving Goal

Sometimes production weaving means putting on long warps to maximize weaving versus set-up time. The longer the warp, the more you can weave before you have to rethread the loom. Other times, it means weaving A LOT of one type of thing. I have come to understand production weaving as weaving with an eye toward time and cost efficiency.

I have friends who put on long warps for towels and then challenge themselves to weave every towel differently. They change the treadling. They change the weft color. They change something in each towel so that they are all related, but different. That takes some planning, but once you get going, it’s exciting to see the warp growing like a flower bed of multi-colored zinnias. And when that warp comes off the loom, it’s fun to see how all the towels work together.

Related but different towels

Related but different towels

My mother once suggested that I weave one item in several different color choices like commercial stores offer. In a way, that’s what those long warps do. They produce several different towels, but all related. However, the difference between the handwoven and the commercial towels is the weaver has the freedom to make small changes in increments, whereas textile factories set up each loom to do one thing and one thing only. Small changes cannot be made without significant effort.

Sometimes I will weave related items as sets. I intentionally combine four different but related napkins in a set. Once I wove a long warp all of different napkins and sold them individually so people could choose what they liked. Some liked this freedom. Others wanted sets of identical items.

I am working on training myself to economize on my time: longer warps, tying on when I can instead of rethreading from scratch for every warp, weaving items in batches. But in the quest to become more efficient in my production, I don’t want to sacrifice the artistry that makes handweaving stand out over commercial fabric.

When you shop, do you like to see a set that has identical members, or do you like variety in your “sets”? Tell me what attracts you.

Advertisement

“The Good One”

11 Thursday Sep 2014

Posted by jeanweaves in Planning, Towels, Yarn Stash

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

Color, Cotton, Handweaving, Towels

Cotton Lace Kitchen Towel

Cotton Lace Kitchen Towel

One of my sons-in-law made me laugh recently. Here’s the story.

Many years ago, more years than I’d like to admit, I decided to make Roman shades for my daughters’ room. I had some commercial fabric with red and blue flowers on a pale pink background. That was my starting point. I chose yarn to match those colors and chose lace as the weave structure. I wound the warp and started weaving, but the colors just didn’t “sing” the way I had envisioned them. Being a new weaver, I thought they would grow on me. Not so. After 11 yards, the cloth came off the loom and still, no “song.” I was so disenchanted that I folded the fabric and stowed it away. The curtains never came to be.

Fast forward to this past winter when I decided to clear some of my stash. At the time, I was thinking about using yarn that had been on the shelf too long, but my curtain fabric still haunted my linen closet.

Because I had used cotton in a lace weave, this fabric was actually a good candidate for towels. So I put scissors to fabric, cut the yardage into several towels and gave them out to my family. They aren’t pretty–the colors still don’t sing after all these years–but they work as towels.

And this is how my son-in-law made me laugh–my daughter has been using her towel and on laundry day, put it in the wash. Her husband happened to be washing up in the kitchen and looking for something to dry his hands, asked her, “Where’s the good one?”

One weaver’s failed project is another family’s “good one!”

Now I am working on towels in the same weave structure, but with colors that work much better than my original ones. Can you hear the song?

Shop!

Follow Us

  • Facebook

Galleries

  • Towels to Use and to Give
  • Runners
  • Scarves for Him and Her
  • For the Table
  • Note Cards
  • Animals
  • Throws
  • The Linen Press
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe

  • RSS - Posts
  • RSS - Comments

Archives

  • September 2020 (2)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • March 2019 (1)
  • November 2018 (2)
  • September 2018 (1)
  • July 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • April 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (2)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • December 2017 (1)
  • November 2017 (2)
  • October 2017 (3)
  • August 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • June 2017 (2)
  • May 2017 (2)
  • March 2017 (2)
  • February 2017 (2)
  • January 2017 (2)
  • December 2016 (1)
  • November 2016 (1)
  • October 2016 (2)
  • August 2016 (3)
  • June 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (2)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (1)
  • December 2015 (1)
  • November 2015 (3)
  • October 2015 (1)
  • September 2015 (4)
  • August 2015 (1)
  • July 2015 (2)
  • June 2015 (1)
  • May 2015 (1)
  • April 2015 (2)
  • March 2015 (2)
  • February 2015 (2)
  • January 2015 (2)
  • December 2014 (1)
  • November 2014 (3)
  • October 2014 (1)
  • September 2014 (2)
  • August 2014 (1)
  • July 2014 (3)
  • June 2014 (1)
  • May 2014 (2)
  • April 2014 (2)
  • March 2014 (2)
  • February 2014 (2)
  • January 2014 (2)
  • December 2013 (2)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • October 2013 (1)
  • September 2013 (3)
  • August 2013 (1)

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • jeanweaves
    • Join 62 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • jeanweaves
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...