Diverging into Book Making

Finally worked this one out of my system . . . temporarily anyway.  It's a fabric book pinning down not only various bits of fabric significant to me (handwoven jacket, shower curtain, favourite old t-shirt . . . ) but also giving a home to various mementos from Festivals and other gatherings. Here are a few of the pages.

I invented the binding to allow for the bulk of some of the items. The little book at the end is a cute 8 page model folded from one sheet of A4. It contains the information about the book and its contents, stored in a shirt pocket I will never have to iron again!  I had such fun doing this. Now I will go back to the loom.

And something different again!

Today I made a book . . . 96 pages, exposed spine with three different types of stitching, handwoven fabric covers.

It is ages since I have done anything like this but I thoroughly enjoyed a whole day with other people also enjoying themselves. It reminds me of several ideas I've had for a while but never get time to work on.

Here is a view of most of the 14 books produced in today's course. Covers ranged from felt and handwoven fabric to velvet and paper. 

Now for something different

I haven't made anything like this for years . . . but it worked out to be just the right size and shape to use up the last of the turquoise mohair.  Also a serendipitous find of the belt clinched the decision.  Will just have to watch that anyone wearing this doesn't sit on the turquoise throw !

I'll post another photo when I find someone nice and slim and elegant to model it.  This was one of two pieces cut off the looms during Labour Weekend.  The other is a work in progress so I won't post a photo yet.  I thought I had enough length for three panels to join as a tablecloth but my calculations were not brilliant and I decided the proportions were wrong . . . so it will be two panels only (but longer) and I have sent for more yarn to warp up again for the third.  Sounds easy, but I managed to ask for the wrong yarn!  (Agnes is probably still rolling around the floor laughing.) The silver lining is that I now have a good supply of cottolin for teatowels to make when the tablecloth is done.  In the meantime I have put a warp on the jack loom for white napkins to go with the blue cloth . . . so plenty to be going on with. Can't have two empty looms sitting around!

Navy Wrap Finished

As last - ends finished, fringes twisted and at last a photo that shows much nearer its correct colour.  The light must have been just right. (It was taken with the same camera).  Esther's "bodies" make superb props for showing it off.  I'm pleased with the way the alpaca/silk and cotton behave together and the almost-but-not-quite-identical colours give just a little kick to avoid the whole thing being too sombre.  At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Stash Busters

 I think this time I am really getting to the end of one or two bags of stash.  The turquiose mohair (weft)has been looking at me for a long time and now it is merged with some multi-coloured boucle it is not quite so blinding.  It's not quite all used up but by the time a piece I have on the jack loom is finished it should be.  It is woven in an 8 shaft twill variation.

This piece has a warp of descaled merino boucle and is woven in plain weave with with a (dare I say it) Australian wool weft.  In due time it will become two baby blankets.

So hard to photograph!

Weaving is easy. Taking a decent photo of the finished article can be so hard.  Here are some before and after pics of a wrap I took off the loom a week or so ago.  It has plain weave panels with an alpaca and silk warp in a very dark navy at 18 epi and lace weave panels in 16/2 mercerised cotton at 24 epi  which, in some lights looks exectly the same colour and at other times seems several shades lighter. The weft is the mercerised cotton. None of the photos shows the colour accurately.
Here's one before washing . . .

It's definitely not this blue - and increasing the saturation turns it purple - but you get the idea.  That's a couple of fine silver threads added as supplementaries outlining the lace stripes. There is a heavier silver yarn down each selvedge.
This is after washing and pressing . . . and yes, that's the ironing board you can see through the fabric.

I tried all sorts of light levels but couldn't do any better than this. The end hanging down behind the ironing board in the shadow is the best bit for colour but of course it doesn't show the pattern.  I'm pleased to have done this because it seems that the blue one in a similar style that I sent to the CF exhibition in Hamilton has been sold. At least I'm trusting that it has because it hasn't come back.  I wasn't really ready to say goodbye to that one; I like to have things around for a while before they disappear and get forgotten. 

As you can see, this wrap is not finished. I'm saving the fringes for school holidays so I will have something to do while sitting in Esther's new house enjoying the sunshine.

I have always wanted to . . .

One of the projects in the back of my mind for years has finally come to fruition.  I wanted to weave a really fine piece suitable for a handkerchief and put a border of tatted lace on it.  Finally I have done it and it is one of the pieces I will be sending to the Creative Fibre Area Exhibition in Westport in October.

I'm not entirely satisfied with it as the lace doesn't sit as flat as I would like it to . . . but I have plenty more opportunities to try!  The white warp and weft are both size 50 mercerised Egyptian sewing cotton at 40 epi.  Unfortunately the reed marks have not washed out (4 ends per dent in a 10 dent reed) so it looks a bit streaky but quite acceptable I think.  The red is woven with a finer red unmercerised cotton which gives a distinct shimmer.  I must experiment more with this.