Tuesday, December 9, 2014

Weaving Yardage....possibly never again....?

I have been trying to finish off some projects that are long-started and neglected for one reason or another.  This feels good to have it off my loom and Delilah folded up for a little bit to make room to finish other projects that are growing issues in my mind.


Back in August of 2013 I was taking a class with Mary Sue Fenner making a jacket out of our handwoven.  I'm not very good at prepping for classes (as I certainly discovered here!). I had decided maybe two months before to use up my hand-dyed rayon leftover from college and lord knows what other projects to weave yardage for this class.  Clearly, I did not get this fabric woven in time and then it sat and I picked at it. Over a year later I got this darn yardage off my loom.


I am constantly inspired by other weavers who weave beautiful fabric and then make it into wonderful clothing pieces.  Daryl Lancaster has been a source of inspiration since she spoke with the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild a number of years ago and she has been to the Michigan League of Handweavers Conference & Workshops....maybe this is ready to go for one of her workshops?  Or I'll find the perfect Vogue Pattern and be ready to go? Also, a Kalamazoo weaver Helen Duffy of Axtell Creek Designs is always making something cool. Bonnie Kay and Ellen Wilson of the Ann Arbor Fiberarts Guild create amazing pieces with their handwoven....just to name a few I can think of this morning....


This fabric is hand-dyed rayon woven in a weave pattern that involves breaks or recesses in the cloth, which is giving it's springy feel. (page 164, figure 757 in A Handbook of Weaves)  I wanted to use all 6 shafts on my loom...because I can. Its set is at 20 ends per inch.  


I now know that I could do this, I have the knowledge to go forth and do so, but all I've been thinking about is my next double weave pick-up wall hanging and the tapestry that I started in the Porkies.  This may not be for me, not right now anyway.


Confession:  I hated the idea of hand-washing 7.5 yards of fabric and I have a new washer that has a hand-wash setting.  I stitched the edges of this fabric down like Mary Sue had taught us (since I don't own a serger), crossed my fingers and threw it in the machine.  I decided not to put it on spin, so it came out sopping wet and I hung it.  I mean, if I do make this into clothing, I will be putting it in the machine, so it better hold up, right?

It held up, whew! After washing it, I love this fabric even more....maybe I will weave yardage again one day.  The light soft give to this fabric is already begging to be made into something. I'm already perusing the Vogue patterns I own and some online.

Older references to this yardage: Weaving it in January  &  a Video of this being woven

2 comments:

Unknown said...

You did right! Treat the fabric like you will be treating the finished clothes :)
And thank you for the mention too.
See you at MLH?

Jenny Schu said...

Thanks Helen!!!! (No problem on the shout out, I might be using that pullover pattern on this fabric that you used in Mary Sue's class...)
See you at MLH in...June!!!

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