Weaving the Blazing Shuttles Sherwood Forest Warp

Weaving The Sherwood Forest Warp from Blazing Shuttles

OMG - It is such a JOY to be weaving again!  

I am thrilled with the way this is starting out!  Why did I wait so long to get started?

 

Here's another section showing the color changes in this warp.  I love it! 

 

From the top, the thinner black weft thread is the focus here. 

From the bottom, the hand-dyed warp is the star.

 

 

 

Why is the real show underneath?  Because I have an 8-shaft jack loom with rising sheds.  I could have set it up to show this side on top, but I'd be raising too many sheds with each treadle.  The way it's set up now, I raise 3 sheds with each treadling.  

I can be patient and wait to see this when it's all done. 

 

Here's a shot from when I was just getting started, testing different colored weft yarns.  

I know it looks kind of clumsy.

From the bottom (after the white), is charcoal (kind of a light gray, hematite color), forest green, quarry, and navy blue. 

I went with the Navy 10/2 Perl Cotton. 

This also gives me a chance to practice the treadling sequence before I start on the actual piece.  I learned not to slam the beater down for this project, or the pattern gets too squashed.  It's enough to lightly set the weft in place. 

I can do the whole 104 treadle sequence in about 20 minutes which results in about 4 inches of woven fabric, under tension. 

The plan is to work up a 72-inch scarf with fringe, then work up the rest as yardage.  It's too narrow for towels, but I'm thinking of patching a section onto a tote bag or a jean jacket or vest. 

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. 

The Koi Pond Duckworth Quilt is Complete

 

Koi Pond Duckworth Quilt 

I thought if I worked on quilting this for just 1 hour a day, I could finish it in just a few days--less than a week.  And it worked!

 

Traditionally, Duckworth Quilts get quilted with a simple grid.  Easy enough to do at home!  This is from the back.  I used a Dream Wool batt -- I love the way it puffs so nicely, but stays light and airy.

JoAnn Duckworth, who developed this scrap pattern, recently died.  Thank you for her color inspiration and sharing this pattern so freely.  May she rest in peace. 

  

Here's a detail shot of one of the "fish" on the front side.  The log cabin centers are all orange -- the fish.  The water is any blue scraps I had in the stash.  I did not buy anything to make this quilt top. 

The theme is Koi Pond, but it's pretty abstract.  My friend Laura gave me some koi fish fabric, and I worked that in with the label on the back side. 

This was so much fun!  I will very likely make another one some day. 

Previous posts about this Quilt:

Koi Pond / Duckworth Quilt Top Finished

Progress on the Koi Pond Scrappy Duckworth Quilt

Planning a New Project: Duckworth Scrapbuster Quilt (Koi Pond)

 

 

 

 

Poppy Overshot Draft

Mystery Red Flower Overshot

Photo from The National Museum of Australia.   This weaving is attributed to Effie Kyprios.

 

Mystery Red Coverlet

I saw this coverlet on eBay, but could not identify the draft.  The seller said it was whig rose, which I knew was not accurate.   The price on it was quite expensive for a vintage revival (not antique) coverlet, so I thought I could make one for much less -- But due to the trouble in finding the draft, I put in an offer just so I could study it and maybe try to work out the draft.  We'll see if the seller goes for it ...

I was so enthralled by this overshot pattern, that I poured through all my overshot / coverlet reference books in search of the draft:

• The Coverlet Book Early American Handwoven Coverlets 2 Volume Set by Helene Bress
• Frances L. Goodrich’s Coverlet and Counterpane Drafts
• Frances L. Goodrich's Brown Book of Weaving Drafts  
• American Woven Coverlets by Carol Strickler
• A Handweaver's Pattern Book by Maguerite Davison [The Green Book]
• The Handweaver's Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon

But to no avail!  I didn't find anything that matched the flower motif instead of wheels.

I used a Google Image search to see if it turned up anywhere else on the internet, and yes, there was a museum in Australia that had an "Effie Coverlet" made by a young Greek woman in the 1940s.  She was only 17 when she made it.  

It's also listed in the out-of-print book, Keep Me Warm One Night (p.175). It's listed as coming from Greece (See the Effie note above).   Not all overshot hails from America!

I finally resorted to crowd-sourcing and posted it to a few Facebook weaving groups.  At first, I got a fair number of responses--People wanted to help, but most answers were not that useful, leading to similar, but not the draft I was looking for.  Some were not even close.  Some people suggested that I draft it out myself -- Unfortunately, I don't have those skills--yet.    

Someone even suggested this book -- which is now on my wish list as yet another reference book for weaving drafts.   ;-)

By the next morning, Bill Crawford and Robyn Spady (A Few of My Favorite Things blog) identified this pattern as "Poppy" on the 4-Shaft Weaving Facebook group.  Mystery Solved!

Bill Crawford said that he'd designed Poppy for Veteran's Day, and made a table runner out of it.

Robyn Spady and Bill Crawford provided versions of the draft above. 

This is on my list to make a coverlet someday!  I might need to put in a new order for yarn -- Maritime Fibers have singles dyed in deep and luscious colors.  Maybe red or dark maroon or even light blue?

Red Poppy Coverlet [Purchased]

 

I purchased this beautiful Red Poppy Coverlet on eBay recently.  

 

IIt was priced so high, I thought I could make one for less, but soon discovered that the draft was not easy to find [That adventure of discovery will be in a separate post.] 

 

As soon as I gave up the ghost on finding the draft, I was resigned to study it and figure it out myself.  So I made an offer that was much lower that the seller had listed.  I didn't think they would take it -- but they did!

 

At about that moment, the pattern and draft had also been identified on one of the Weaving FB Groups.

Jackpot!

 

I do intend to make one like this -- but maybe in blue since I now have a red one in my collection. 

It looks like one of the Goodwin Guild coverlets from the last century.

The listing says it is 1 whole cloth, so made on a much larger loom than someone would have at home. 

 

 

Raspberry & Cream Manx Log Cabin Quilt is Complete!

The Red Manx Quilt is finished!

This quilt came together quickly--in just a few months!  Because it's a quilt-as-you-go (QAYG), the quilting part is all done once you sew the blocks together.  

 

Joining Manx Quilt Blocks - QAYG Method 

Once I had all the  Manx quilt blocks made, and laid out in order, I was looking for a tutorial to show how to put them all together by machine vs. hand sewing which is the traditional method.

Fortunately, Tim Totten recently put out a new video explaining this step.  He's the one who showed me how to sew the blocks by machine in the first place.   

I did not add batting to my blocks, so you can ignore that part. 

I decided to join the backs first, and then the fronts with some top stitching, but ironically, the back came out looking "cleaner" and tidier.   

 

Here's a shot of the back.  I was using an old sheet to cut the blocks for the backs.  I was 5 blocks short, and had to use something else.  Because there is no batting, you can almost see the log cabins on the front through the old sheet backing.

Because it has no batting, it can be considered a light summer quilt. 

 

 

Here's a detail shot of the back.  Because of the way I joined the blocks, it actually looks better on the back than it does the front.  I might do it the other way around next time with the purple one ... 

You can also see the QAYG stitching when adding the logs, row by row. 

Layouts for the Raspberry Manx Log Cabin Quilt

The winner!

I made as many blocks as were possible from the jelly rolls I had for the raspberry and creme Manx log cabin quilt.  33 11-inch blocks.  I had to order another jelly roll of the creme batiks as I ran out of the raspberry sooner than later.  I think I made 6 more blocks before I ran out of the raspberry.  I've been working up at least 2 blocks / day for the last few weeks.  Steady progress and now I'm done with that stage.

This week, I was auditioning layouts for  this quilt.  How will I sew it together? [That's a whole other technique that I will have to figure out ...]

I started to lay them out, and there was a clear winner [at the top of the page].

Here are the "also rans":

 

Although I like this general layout, it's too long and narrow to be useful.  Because Manx blocks are already paired with a backing fabric and essentially quilted as you go, it would be awkward to add borders to fill in the space as with almost any other quilt.  We'll see though --  Maybe I can "shave off" the top and bottom rows and apply them to the sides?   

 

This was the first layout.  It reminded me of watermelon slices.  Needs a little green!  

No-- wait!  that was a different quilt!

 

  

Another option.  Kinda reminds me of toast slices.

  

Here is another square-within-a-square option.  But I didn't have enough blocks to make it even and centered.  So I guess I accentuated the short-coming to arrive at the winner [See the top of this post.]

What's your favorite Log Cabin layout? 

Raspberry Cordial Quilt with it's New Owner

Kellee opening the Raspberry Cordial Quilt

I saw my old library manager and colleague last week.  We've been through so much in the last 11 years!  Now that we've come to the end of this road, I wanted to give her a quilt to celebrate our retirements.

She was quite happy with the quilt.  I know she likes red -- You can see it elsewhere in the picture.  Although I made this one quite a while ago, it was the only red quilt I had to give away. 

 

Don't you just love the look of surprise when someone opens up a gifted quilt?  ;-)  

Scrappy Flying Geese and Pinwheel Borders for the Caledonia Calling Quilt Top

There were so many cut-off triangles from the  Caledonia Calling Quilt that I could not throw them on the scrap pile or toss them, so I decided to use at least some of them in the border ...

 

So I worked up some crumby flying geese blocks.  These can be frustrating and varying sizes.  I finally worked up a paper-piecing template to help make them more uniform.

 

 

Along with that, I also cut some background fabric so that there would be enough to cover those spaces.   The sizes that worked:

• 5 inch square cut on the diagonal   
• 4 x 7 inch rectangle

It seemed like there was still a lot of cut-offs from this technique as well, but it did make the process go much faster, and less frustration piecing bits together to make them fit. 

 

With the remainder, I made up some pinwheel blocks.  No template necessary for these.

 This is how the final quilt top worked out.  Lovely!