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~ Jean Williams, Handweaver

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Category Archives: Finishing

Samples

04 Friday Sep 2020

Posted by jeanweaves in creating, Finishing, Planning, Weaving Inspiration

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

creative inspiration, Samples, Weaving

Nearing the warp's endNear the end of a project, with the final throws of the shuttle, while I’m quietly stitching the hem, there’s a hint for the next warp. It teases its way into my brain. It’s the “what if…” that carries weavers to rethread the loom time and again.

What if I change the treadling from a straight sequence to a pointed sequence? What happens if I use a finer yarn? What if I focus on block A instead of block C? What if I weave overshot as if it were honeycomb? Can it even work? The only way to find out is to try it.

Samples. I have to confess I’m a “let’s just get it done” type of person. I’m thrifty and I’m impatient. Samples have always seemed like a waste of time and money, and what would I do with them afterwards?

I’m getting wiser in my old age. How many times have I woven something only to find out the sett was too tight, or the yarn I’d chosen bleeds, or the weave just wasn’t what I thought it would be. That’s a waste of time of money.

So my sample stash is growing. I had a tub …

Tub of Samples

that spilled over to a drawer …

Drawer of samples

and now to a second drawer.

Overflow drawer of samples

I really admire those super-organized weavers who keep their samples in neat binders and sleeves along with all their planning notes and records. I’m not there yet.

I have at least started tagging my samples so I have a vague idea about what I was trying to do and why it did or did not work. That’s a start.

The next step is to sort them into some order so I can find that inspiration when I need it. And as I’m sorting the samples, one or another gives me pause. A different yarn perhaps? Maybe this will work for that new curtain? What if I added an accent color right there? What if….?

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Choosing Sides

20 Thursday Sep 2018

Posted by jeanweaves in Designing, Finishing

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Projects, Weaving

Blue towel front and backI stand at the ironing board, ready to press over the hem on the towel. I look more closely, flip the fabric over, flip it back. I pause, indecisive; which side is the “right” side?

Many weaves look distinctly different on one side from the other. Summer and Winter is a perfect example. One side is predominantly light and the other predominantly dark; that’s where it gets its name. Twills can have the same effect depending on the float lengths and colors of the warp and weft.

I weave a lot of twills and when the fabric is on the loom, I get used to the face on top. When the warp advances around the cloth beam to where I can see Natural towel front and backthe other side, it’s can be a delightful surprise. Sometimes I can’t decide which side I like better. Do I want the accent motif to stand out on a uniform background, or is the background itself the star of the show?

As the weaver, it’s really up to me to choose which is the “right” side. Some weaves are pretty much the same on either side. Plain weave is – well, plain. Lace weaves will be opposite but still lace weaves—a weft float on the front will be a warp float on the back. It just depends on what you are looking for.

There comes a moment, though, when I have to decide—which is the front side and which is the back side. Hems have to go somewhere.Red towel front and back

I pick up the iron, press, and pin. Decision made. At least until I sit down to sew the hem and have second thoughts.

UFO Sightings

02 Monday Jul 2018

Posted by jeanweaves in Damask, Doubleweave, Finishing, Placemats, Towels

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Damask, Doubleweave, Placemats, Production, Weaving

UFO as in “unfinished object.” I noticed this week how very many of these are lying around my studio waiting to be finished.

I started framing the three damask pictures I wove for family late last winter. In my defense, I’ve been undecided until recently just how to frame them, and now I just have to … finish.

Damask waiting to be framed

Damask waiting to be framed

There’s the basket of cottolin towels woven in…hmmm…maybe May? They are ready to be hemmed, just waiting.

Towels to hem

Towels to hem

There’s also the “new” towel warp put on while I waited to hear about a yarn order. Two towels woven, seven to go.

Two done, seven to go

Two done, seven to go

Then there’s the doubleweave placemats that necessitated the said yarn order. These are on the loom and are my current focus since it’s a set order.

Doubleweave in progress

Doubleweave in progress

And there’s the agreement to weave an opphämta wall hanging with winter motifs, in the vein of the hangings I wove last summer. This one is not even on the loom yet, but it’s committed.

Not to mention the millennial braided rug, visited only sporadically because it is such a learning experience. Or the two knitting projects that sit next to my couch for evening relaxation.

UFOs are not bad things really. Each project moves at its own pace and if I have to wait for something on one project, it’s good to have another to work on. But there is a tipping point. It’s time to wrap up at least some of these UFOs — so I can start some more!

Do you have any UFOs waiting for your attention?

Loose Ends, Part 2

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by jeanweaves in Finishing

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Columbia Weavers & Spinners Guild, Production, Weaving

This week has been all about loose ends again, but metaphorically this time.

Our guild’s annual Holiday Exhibition and Sale is coming up in a couple weeks and I have just one more week to finish up those last pieces I signed up to bring: finishing the last of those opphamta hanging cloths – one for each season;

Soaking "Summer"

Soaking “Summer”

fringing and washing said hanging cloths;

Twisting fringe on "Autumn"

Twisting fringe on “Autumn”

sewing on the tags specific for this sale.

Tagging pieces for our local guild's Holiday Exhibition

Tagging pieces for our local guild’s Holiday Exhibition

I move pieces around from one venue to another to keep things fresh and interesting. These have to be retagged and noted in the inventory.

Sometimes I put something in the sale that I’ve had around for a while and now its time may be right, its color trending now more than when I made it. You never know when someone will come in looking for just that color or just that piece.

All these loose ends will eventually get tied down. One by one, I check them off my list, pack the pieces in a box, and hope for the best.

One more loose end I tied up recently was my plan to set up a Facebook page. I know I am late to the game on that one, but two weeks ago I finally launched the JeanWeaves page. There I can post quickly what is coming off the loom, what is available in my Etsy shop, and share other fiber arts links as I find them, while continuing to blog here.

So check out JeanWilliams.JeanWeaves on Facebook. And if you like what you find, follow the page for future updates.

As I’m working on all these loose ends, I contemplate—what’s next on the loom? What direction to I want to head in now? Stay tuned!

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