Getting Ready to Weave Again: Sherwood Forest Hand-Dyed Warp by Blazing Shuttles

Sherwood Forest Hand-Dyed Warp by Blazing Shuttles in 3/2 Cotton 

 

I have been missing the physical motion and the clack-clack sounds of weaving.  It will be good to be back at it again.  Soon ...

I admit to weaving paralysis when it comes to this gorgeous hand-dyed warp by Blazing Shuttles because I didn't want to ruin it.   I've had this warp since 2022!  To me, these are the colors of Scotland in early spring.  Before things turn that luscious green, they are red ...

• 2 3/2-cotton warps in Sherwood Forest 
• 100 ends each = 200 ends total 
• 4.5 yards 

This weight of yarn is said to be suitable for towels or heavier outdoor fabrics.   So perhaps, I will get some towels out of it, or a scarf, but also have some left to patch into a jean jacket, or some other wearable.  

I plan to use this twill draft for 8 shafts as shown here.  

I can tie on to the ends of the last warp, as it is already threaded in a point twill.  That should save me oodles of time threading heddles.

• 16 ends-per-inch for a twill  
• 15-dent Reed with 1 thread per dent 
• or 8-dent reed with 2 threads per dent [This is the one I went with ...]
• or the 10-dent reed with 1-2-1-2-1-2 threading
• 12.5 inches wide in the reed 

 

 

I combined / split the warps like so:

        Warp 1 50 ends | Warp 2 100 ends  | Warp 1 50 ends 

 

There are multiple steps to getting set up this time around, though fewer than if I had to thread heddles, and run a warp myself.

Step 1: Swap out the reed and re-thread 200 ends.  

Step 2: Work out the treadling.  

Step 3: Program the draft into iWeaveIt to make sure there are no mistakes in it.  Make adjustments as needed.
Step 4: Tie the new warp onto the old strings.  Gently pop the knots through the reed and heddles, then wind on as normal.  [I learned the hard way NOT to wind on before the knots have passed through the tight spots.  Too many strings break that way!]
Step 5.  Tie onto the front beam.
Step 6: Set the treadles to the shafts.
Step 7: Set up Treadle Beads.
Step 8: Do a test weave to check threading, treadles, etc.   

Step 9: Decide on a weft color / thread.  What will work with this gorgeous warp? [I'll have to order this and then wait a week to actually weave ... Sigh!]

Step 10: Begin weaving cloth again! 

 

Here are the initial test weaves.  Only 1 set of crossed threads in the reed.  Easy enough to fix!

Ignore the color, I am just trying to ascertain the right yarn size for the weft.  

10/2 top white

3/2 middle white (same as warp, though it looks much thicker)

or a very fine black at the bottom.

 

I have not been able to get a good look at how it comes out on the other side.

I put in an order at Yarn Barn of Kansas for 4 mini-spools of 10/2 cotton in dark colors:

 

Evergreen - Quarry - Navy - Charcoal

 

Something from that list should work. 

Lovely Silk

Silk

This lovely pack of SILK was on the FREE table at Quilt Guild last night!  I could not believe my luck!   

The sari silk I bought a few years ago is too thin to sew into a quilt, but this will work nicely!   Most of this is sturdier, but I may still need to stabilize some of it ...  

I was thinking of making a crazy quilt, using the AccuCut Die, but now I'm thinking a different pattern might work better -- more like the Kantha quilts?  Or maybe a rail fence?  We'll see ... 

 

What about this 2-4-6 pattern would work well with this silk?

 

Or maybe something like this stacked coins quilt? 

 

Quilt Jam 3 - Red Tailed Hawk Sailing Down the Canyon ...

Red-Tailed Hawk, Revised

 

The first version.  

On the right-hand side of the beach, there is a form that from a distance looks kinda like a camper van, with the roman glass as wheels.  Not what I was going for, so I replaced it with something more beachy [See top picture].  The hawk remains the same. 

 For Quilt Jam #3, I wanted to create a landscape quilt with a red-tailed hawk flying up above ...  

 

Here's a detail of the hawk, done with a simple fusible applique and free-motion stitching over the top to hold it in place--with a few extensions of stitching for the wings.  I am very pleased with the way the bird came out!  I was dragging my feet on that because I didn't want to mess it up, but it worked out marvelously!

It's actually probably more accurately a silhouette of an osprey (aka fish eagle) with the proximity to the water.  But it still gets at the same meaning in the song.  ;-) 

There are a few songs this scene describes for me:

A) "Red-tailed hawk sailing down the canyon ..." from the song "Before I Go" by John Hiatt.   

Lyrics here.    Because it's another John Hiatt song, I can add it to the Stolen Moments Series, too!

This song always reminded me of my dear friend Sandy, a budding naturalist, who owned a canyon of her own at one time.  She died far too young.  This song came out shortly after she died unexpectedly, and it felt like this song was her talking to me from the great beyond ...  telling me she was ok, and not to worry.  Sigh! 

 

B)  Hawksong by Shawn Mullins.  Lyrics here.  An oldie but a goodie!

I used this tutorial to make the landscape background.   It is similar to the Pat Bishop workshop from last fall.

Lone Star Tote Bags

 

Lone Star Totes 

Remember those lone stars I was making back in April at a local quilting class?  I finally decided what to do with them!    It's the perfect solution for orphan blocks.

I bought some sturdy blank $3 tote bags from Hobby Lobby. 

  

The faded glory Americana Star, in honor of America 250.

 

Here's a clearer picture of the free-motion (freehand) quilting as seen from the back side.  

  

There were 2 "Green Fire" Stars like this one.  I love that center fabric! 

 

 

Here's the Blue Star version.  

 

 

All 3 stars were quilted with this general design.  

I free-motion stitched the star blocks to some felt I picked up on the FREE table at Quilt Guild one night.

The felt doesn't unravel which means you can leave the edges "free" with no special treatment.  This also makes it easy to sew it to the tote bag.  

 

I left to top edge open so it can act like an extra pocket, too! 

I may donate a few of these to the Boutique for the Fly In Quilt Show in July.  

I'll keep one for myself, too.