Thursday, June 22, 2017

Weaving a Peaceful Rhythm in Double Weave


I am so enjoying the process of weaving this Double Weave color gamp, that I decided it would be fun to make a video so you could see the motion, and the yarns changing with the sheds.

Once again, weaving becomes a mindful moving meditation for me. I am truly grateful to have this in my life for mental health and creative reasons.   ;-)



This video is shot from above, as I wove in a lavender color.

I am using the dark brown beads to keep track of how many rows in this set.  1 bead gets pushed over after completing the sequence below.  1 bead equals 2 rows (back and forth; top and bottom layers).  There are 12 beads, which tells me I've woven 24 rows when the sequence is completed.

The Treadles are tied up as follows :
      Treadle 1 : Shaft 1
      Treadle 2 : Shaft 2
      Treadle 3 : Shafts 1+2
      Treadle 4 : Shafts 3+4
      Treadle 5 : Shaft 3
      Treadle 6 : Shaft 4

The treadle pattern is as follows :
      Shot 1 : Treadle 1    Left to Right         (Top Layer)
      Shot 2 :  Treadle 2    Right to Left        (Top Layer)
      Shot 3 :  Treadles 3+5  Left to Right    (Bottom Layer)
      Shot 4 : Treadles 3+6  Right to Left     (Bottom Layer)




This video is shot from the side so you can see the different sheds opening to allow access to either the top of bottom layers of fabric.  This time I am weaving in a burgundy color yarn.

The weaving goes fast.  It doesn't take long to do 24 pics of any one color.



Peaking through to bottom layer
I can't really see how the bottom layer is progressing -- I only get small glimmers of the colors laying down together.

The fold side where the colors change.

Shafts 1+2 weave the top layer of cloth, while shafts 3+4 weave the bottom later with the fold on the right side.

I'm also getting pretty good at fixing broken warp strings.  Here are a few of the new strands hanging off the back beam and weighted to hold tension even with the rest of the warp. 

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Time : Week 19 Let's Do 52

LILAC TIME

I had several ideas for this prompt. 

Timeless Cinema
A few weeks ago, the local Time Cinema, an old movie theatre downtown, played one of my all-time favorite movies : Legend with Mia Sara, Tom Cruise and Tim Curry.  It came out when I was in high school in the 1980s.  It's a film that stands the test of time!  I was hoping to get a shot of the marquee with Legend listed, but by the time we came out, they'd already changed it for the next old movies they'd be showing.  I guess Casablanca is timeless, too.



RAVAGES OF TIME - to an old barn


I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Friday, June 16, 2017

2 Cathedral Window Table Toppers for France

 Cathedral Windows Table Topper for France - Hot Set

I needed a few more gifts to bring to France this summer when we visit CL's family there.

Cathedral Windows Table Topper for France - Cool Se


This is from a kit at Nancy's Notions.  You can get a complete kit (with fabrics, batting and backing), or just the pre-cut fast-fusible applique.  IMHO, it's totally worth buying the pre-cut applique.  It's very difficult and tedious to try to cut out that stained glass pattern by hand -- even harder to keep it all even and straight.

I may do some more stitching on it before we make the trip.  

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Weaving Again ... After All This Time


Finally!  The new 12-dent stainless steel reed came (Thanks to The Woolery who shipped it out the day after I ordered it.  Boo to Webs who promised much more than they could deliver -- I'd still be waiting for it in July, 3 months after the initial order.)

My husband cut off the excess (see the separate post on that process) part of the reed.  We installed the new reed, and Lynda helped me finish warping the Shetland wool color gamp.   2 strings run through each slit in the 12-dent reed.  Originally, I was going to use a 10-dent reed with 4 strings running through each slit in the reed, but Lynda and I concluded that would cause problems, as this wool likes to stick to itself, and we thought that it would be a good way to felt it right on the loom--bad idea.  So we opted for the 12-dent to give us a little more room to work with.

We set up the treadles optimally for doing double weave (according to Jennifer Moore); We got the tension all worked out, and threw the initial shots.  And ...   to my utter amazement and sheer delight ...  It worked!
 
 Left side of double weave, with top layer folded over to make bottom layer visible.

2 layers of fabric with a join on the right side.  I'll need to be careful with that join area so I don't wind up with a gap or a line :

The Fold.

PHOTO BEADS
I set up my bead system to help me remember where I am in the treadling sequence.  [This brilliant idea came from the 4-shaft Weaving FaceBook Group.]  Since I only have a 4-shaft loom, this is only going to be common weave.  If I had more shafts to work with (or a wider weaving space, it could have been in a twill or tweed or other fancy weave structure pattern.  In practice, this sequence is relatively easy to remember.  I haven't been using the beads with each throw.

I set up a 2nd string of darker beads to help me track what pic I'm on.  This project requires 24 pics of each color, amounting to 2 inches of fabric.   1 sequence of the treadling pattern equals 2 lines of weft, therefore I have only 12 beads instead of 24.  It doesn't take long to do 24 pics.


And I'm getting pretty good at fixing broken warp with the T-pin method.

Hurray!

It's easier to DO double weave,  than to explain it, so I may post a video of the process.  Stay tuned!

At long last, I'm weaving again!


Sunday, June 11, 2017

My Choice : Week 25 Let's Do 52

My Choice - Abstract Textures
It's no secret I am a lover of textures and patterns.
This photo was taken at The Little Farmer last fall--a lace in Fond du Lac, WI,  with an apple orchard, and wonderful caramel apples.

 Me and Vicki last Fall at Little Farmer

It's the place where my friend Vicki and I have been going to celebrate Fall. 
The old roofing shingles are on the side of their apple shed, along with the top of an apple basket.
You can see the same apple basket cover on the wall just behind us and over to the right.

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Wednesday, June 07, 2017

Creative Framing : Week 13 Let's do 52


Polaroid Snapshot treatment of this previously-posted pic crackled leaf.

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!

Sunday, June 04, 2017

Quiet : Week 23 Let's Do 52

Sophie the Newfie Puppy in a Quiet Moment



Here's the original photo.

With 40 years of living with beautiful BIG black dogs, I know how hard it is to get good pictures of them.  They often look like a puddle of black where all detail gets lost. 

Photo Processing :
Layer 1) Original background photo with a few small repairs
Layer 2) Copy Layer 1 - Silver Efex Pro2 - Neutral B/W - Normal Blend Mode 100%
Layer 3) Copy Layer 1 > RadLab : Orange You Glad + EZBurn + Edge Blue + Bilk n Cookies B/W + Montecito - Normal Blend Mode 50%
Layer 4) Crop out bottom part of carpet.

No additional textures added to this one.  Just playing with the lights and shadows.

I am participating in Denise Love's 2017 "Let's Do 52 : 52 Weeks of Photo Prompts" to kick start the lull in my photography.   If you'd like to join us, find out more at the link above.  The more the merrier!