Scattered - Let's Do 52 - Week 21

Scattered Crab Apple Blossoms

Once again, I am participating in Denise Love's 2018 "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!

Warping the Loom Front to Back : Day 2

I did it!  I did it!  With a minimum of swearing and frustration.  It's done!
This is a 10-yard warp which will be set up for weaving rugs. 

This is the first time I've ever been able to successfully warp a loom by myself.  I'd taken a live class 10 years ago after I first acquired a tiny little table loom.  Back then, I had a teacher who lead me through every step of the way.  I bought books which are nice references once you know what you're doing, but not so helpful if you can't remember what comes next.   Since then, usually I've enlisted the help of my friend Lynda to get me through the dreaded warping process.    She's had a very busy 6 months and  is traveling this week again.  Time for me to dig in and try it on my own -- after 10 years of training.

The online videos are a complete game-changer!  Thank you Tom Knisely at Interweave and Janet Dawson at Craftsy!  The classes make it so easy to watch a section (or re-watch it) and then go do that part of the process on my own schedule.  Tom K. is so calm and encouraging -- It's like listening to Bob Ross giving painting lessons.   

The warping mill is also a vast improvement over the too-big and unwieldy warping board that came with my loom.   Glad that's gone onto a new home -- someone who will properly appreciate it as I never could.  Equipment makes a huge difference -- whether it's figure skating or weaving!

If you recall, yesterday, I got the reed threaded, according to Tom Knisely's instructions.  One step at a time ...  Save the heddles for another day.

View from the backside of the loom.
Someone on one of the 4-shaft loom or rug weaving Facebook groups suggested color coding the heddles on each shaft, which can make a huge difference in preventing threading errors.  In other words, all the heddles on
     Shaft 1 are clear (not colored);
     Shaft 2 are Blue;
     Shaft 3 are Green;
     Shaft 4 heddles are Red.

I used Sharpie Markers.  If I ever want to remove the colors just above the heddle eyes, it's easy enough to do with a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball.  I colored only as many heddles as I needed for the standard set-up for rugs, which will make it easier next time.  There are more heddles on each shaft than I'm using currently, and more can be added or removed in future.

As I was threading the heddles, I knew I had to have 1 of each color for each set of 4 that I was doing.
This worked very well! No threading errors -- that I can tell so far.

 Let the threading commence!

This was another thing I don't recall doing solo in the past.  Lynda was usually there and one of us would hold the next thread for the other to pull through with a heddle hook.

Tom K. made it look so easy on his video.  Although he seemed to have heddles with nice big eyes, I think I have the flat steel ones, with a smaller eye, making the heddle hook indispensible.

I got half-way through this set on Sunday -- with a fan at my back to keep me cool on this 90-degree F day.   No aching back.  No aching neck.  No headaches.   I was really surprised.  

Finished threading the heddles this morning.

These are all tied off in bundles of 16 or 4 sets of heddles.

 The next task was tying onto the back beam.  Alright : That's easy enough to do by myself.

The next task was winding on the warp.  I had some concerns because of the way Tom K. recommended running warp threads in color blocks, rather than exactly as written in your pattern. Hence this is the view from the front side of the loom, with those crossed strings, I was worried there would be some tangles that would not be recoverable.  But Tom K. said it would be ok, and I decided to trust him.

The simple act of snapping the warp chain did wonders to straighten out the errant strings.

And pulling down on the warp periodically helped to even out the tension as it wound on.  

Tom K. was right!  Everything wound on just fine.  The reed and heddles managed to comb out any tangles, and even out the tension.  It all worked so remarkably well, I think I've found my preferred way to warp a loom front to back!

I also had some concerns about not using a home-made tension device -- basically 4 wooden dowels on the back side to even tension before the wound onto the back beam.  Or the issue of not having any regular tention pulling on the warp as it wound on.  But again, I think having it run through the reed and heddles did a lot of that work for me. 

 Another shot of the warp on the back side - 10 yards -- the longest warp I've ever dealt with.

 The next step was tying onto the front apron rod.  This has always been one of the most frustrating parts of the process, as it's always been difficult to get the tension right.  Also this is when threading errors show up ...  But all went remarkably well, even for this step of the process.

Again, it helps to watch the video, take notes, and then go and do the next task.  The online videos are a true game changer for me!

 

And here it is ready to run through the first picks of waste material to even out the threads.  

But I'll leave that for another day.  The battery in the old drill needs to be charged, so I can't wind the bobbins until that gets charged up.

Whew!  I can't believe I did it!  I finally warped the loom all by myself! 

And it went well!

Now what to weave up first?  I have some wool weft balls from Pendleton Woolen Mill, but I think that might have to wait for a cooler day!  I think it may be time to sit and read a novel and sip an ice cold home brewed kombucha to celebrate this success!

Hurray!

Threading the Loom Front to Back, Starting with the Reed : Day 1

For the first time in 10 years (since I got my first little table loom and took a live class), I am attempting to thread the loom solo.  For the past 10 years, every time I attempted this, I always had someone along who actually knew what they were doing, and could guide me through each step.  Now with the revolution in online video tutorials, I am watching the vids, taking notes, and then doing it myself step-by-step.  During a recent Interweave sale, I was able to purchase several weaving videos for about $6 each, rather than the list price of $30.   Tom K. is a really good teacher!  I have his books for reference, too, but the videos help make it all make sense.

Beginning Weaving with Tom Knisley [Video Download $$]

Weave a Good Rug [Video Download $$]

The above photo shows Tom Knisley's recommended set-up for threading the loom front-to-back.  I know many people feel very passionate about how they get the warp onto their looms.  This seems to be working for me with the least amount of hassles.  So far, so good!

In the photo above, you can see the lease sticks are preserving my crosses.  When I ran the warp on my new home-made box warping mill, I did them in color blocks.  I did not follow the recommended color changes while I was warping -- again, this was a suggestion from the Tom K. videos.  It meant I didn't have to stop and think while I was winding the warp, which made the process so much easier!

I am using the iWeaveIt app on my iPad with an add-on for the app (well-worth the $6!) to help me keep track of the threading.  There's another one that can help you keep track of treadling, too.  It's pretty slick --  Once you thread the block of 4, you can tap the screen and it will move you to the next block to do.  It's so nice and hassle-free!  And designed to make it difficult to lose your place.

According to Tom K. you can wait until you get to threading your reed to set up your thread colors in the proper order.  You pick them off the cross as you need them.  In the video, he assures viewers that you won't wind up with a tangled mess.  I am going on faith that this will all work out ...   He was working from a single warp chain, and I'm working from 3.

Voila! That didn't take nearly as much time as I thought it would!

Order from chaos.  I do love this part of the process!

Now on to the next step of turning the reed around, so that the threads are pointed in the right direction to be threaded through the heddles next, and then tied on to the back beam.

But that will have to wait for a cooler day.

Tints and Tones : Another Dress for Dyeing Day

 Hand-dyed skirt and blouse set.

I sometimes find these otherwise white clothes on the clearance racks at great bargain prices.  While I don't think I'd ever where them white, I hoard them away until I can add some color by dying them to my own palette of colors!   You can also buy "blanks" from Dharma Trading Company, which I also have done in the past. 

This is that I was going for -- from my Candiotic Reference Table of Tints and Tones --
See the square in the lower right corner (the one with MLM on it)?  That's what I was going for. 
Even with my older dye, it came out pretty close to what I wanted.  ;-)

.33% Deep Navy + Strongest Red Tint
which basically means that the full-strength dye concentrate is cut with water (white) to lighten it up.
     >  A Tone would add black to make it shadier and darker, as you see the the left of the labeled squares.

Reference Cards
Candy has calculator in the form of a spreadsheet to do the math in terms of how much dye to mix for a certain weight of fabric.  It works like 2 charms!  Takes all the math out it for me -- which I'd be 2nd guessing myself on. 


I've been writing down the necessary numbers on an index card (actually and old Library card catalog card, because I have them ...) that I can take down to the basement with me.  Once the colors are mixed, I like to add a dollop to the card which helps to put the numbers in context and completes the documentation record.

The scrumble technique gives a wonderful texture reminiscent of blue sky dappled with clouds.
You sort of scrunch/crumble the soda ash-soaked fabric into your vessel, and then pour the pre-mixed dye over to top.    The many peaks and valleys of the scrumbled fabric provide the texture. 

This is the low-water immersion technique, so there's not a lot of wasted dye going down the drain.    The draw-string cord on the front of the blouse was not a natural fiber (like cotton or rayon or silk or wool, so it did not soak up any dye at all.  You'd have to use a different type of dye to color that cord.

 Here's the skirt scrumbled and batching in the bin.

Once the dye was applied, I put each bin into a large plastic bag, and set it on the driveway to batch in the hot sun for an afternoon.  The heat helps to speed the chemical reaction of the dye bonding with the fabric.  I let them sit for a full 24 hours, then put them in the microwave (an old one in the basement, no longer used for food) for a few minutes to make sure they got the needed dose of heat.

Then the rinse out :

Rinse them out in cold water first.  I learned this the hard way.  You have to get the soda ash out, or any loose dye may still bond with your fabric.  Not such a big deal in this case where I'm only rinsing 2 items that are the same color.  It is a problem if you're rinsing multiple articles of fabric, dyed different colors.   Once that slippery soda ash is rinsed, you can start rinsing in hot water.  I usually fill the bin with hot water and let it sit over night.  I do this for a few days until the water runs almost clear.  Then I put it through the washing machine to get rid of any last bit of loose dye.

It's also interesting to see how different materials take the same dye slightly differently.
The blouse vs. the rayon skirt vs. the cotton under slip :

 

 Detail of the blouse dyes with 0-9-1 Deep Navy + Strongest Red .33% Tint

This one seems to have come out slightly green.  The blouse originally was not perfectly white, but slightly cream-colored -- hence, the little bit of yellow makes it show slightly green.

 Detail of the rayon skirt dyed with with 0-9-1 Deep Navy + Strongest Red .33% Tint.

Here's a detail shot of the lace on the broomstick skirt.  

I love how the dappling came out on the lace, too! 

Here's a shot from the hem.  

This is the thin cotton under-skirt that was built into the skirt.

Here's the back of the set, where you can sort of see the slightly different colors between the blouse and the skirt. 

One more "blanks" skirt to go ... 
Should I try for another batch of purple?  Or is that a rut I should break out of?   And try a whole new pallette of colors?   I do want to finally start Candy's multi-colored fabric class which I purchased several years ago and have not yet watched.  It's hot enough now to drive me to the basement (the only cool part of our house in hot summers)  to play with color again. 

I'll wait for dreams of color to inspire me ... 
 

When I am Old, I Shall Wear a Purple Dress

Remember this photo from last summer?  I finally chose a purple swatch, mixed up a batch of the colors and dyed this simple sun dress.

My dye is getting old, so I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get.  Lovely purple ...

 This is in the washing machine after the final rinse-out.

 It was a much lighter tint after it dried.

Here's a detail of some of the embroidery, which I knew would probably dye to different colors, being a different material content.

 Another shot of the embroidery.

 Detail of the purple I wound up with in the final dress.

I love the texture you get from this technique -- like clouds, or ever-changing skies.

 

The texture is from the "scrumble" technique, where you scrumble (This may be a combination of crunch and scramble?) the wet soda-soaked fabric into your dye pot, then pour just the right amount of dye concentrate over the top.  Careful not to mix it in too much, or you'll lose the patterning.

I started with Sky Blue (8 parts) and Boysenberry (2 parts) to get this lovely purple that broke into some beautiful blues.  Makes me want to try this as an ice dye to see how the colors will "break."

In the photo at the top of the post, I used my Candiotic Table of reference values.  Colors dyes from 3 primaries.  The purple I chose in this set is the 2nd one up on the diagonal--sort of at "rib" level on the dress.  It's pretty close -- especially when it was still wet.   This dress was probably not meant for dying, so it likely had some bleach or fixatives in it that prevented the dye from coloring it as well as I'd hoped -- or blame it on old dye again.  I'm still happy with the results.

The index card shows some of my calculations, the weight of the fabric, how much dye I need of the primaries to make the particular color I wanted.  Candy has a wonderful calculator that does all the math for you.  Her class was so worth it!   I also like to put a dollop of the resulting color on the card--for future reference-- the purple blotch.

The Magic and Memory of a Kayleigh Spring : Landscape Quilting Class with Susan Hoffman

"Kayleigh Spring"

I signed up for a landscape quilting class with Sue Hoffman at Going to Pieces Quilt Shop in Appleton back in April.

Most of the other people in the class had been with her before.  We all brought photos -- well-- I brought more of a rough sketch with separate photos of spring-blooming trees that could be used in composite.  I had a whole collection on Pinterest of Sakura cherry trees as inspiration.  The image I wanted to work up is a sweet memory from 30 years ago ... that Kayleigh Spring at UW-River Falls.  A beautiful night in May, trees on campus were bursting pink and blooming, smelling so wonderful ...  Evening time, the sun was going down, and the moon and the stars were coming up.  Wow!  Did I mention I was in love?

It was kind of unusual for a student to have only a sketch, and not an actual photo to work with, but Sue Hoffman let me keep it, and was willing to help me work through it.  Really more of a dreamscape -- and a little simpler than some of the other projects people were working on this weekend. 

One of the biggest lessons from this class was to think like a painter, not a quilter.  I'd brought a big bag of scraps that I thought I could use to fill in the landscapes ...  That works perfectly for applique, but this isn't really applique as quilters know it.  The techniques were first put out there by Natalie Sewall and Nancy Zieman.  I have some of their books about this technique, watched the shows, and never really did anything with it.  Live classes are good for having you try something new, or working on a project on which you're stuck -- which I think is where I was with this one.

 Detail of the background fabrics, and the tree skeleton.

I chose a beautiful blue hand-dyed gradient from Vicki Welsh at Colorways as the sapphire blue background.

I had a whole jelly roll of different greens that I thought I would use for the hill, but it just wasn't working.  Susan persuaded me to choose a lovely leafy green off the rack -- yes, great to be in a well-stocked quilt shop with a wonderful palette to chose from!  Yes-- Going to Pieces has the Stonehenge line of wonderful textures, along with a wonderful selection of batiks and hand-dyes.  I LOVE this quilt shop!

Next I worked on the skeleton of the tree.  I've been fascinated with "naked" trees for years.  Looking at those skeleton structures before they are "clothed" with leaves for the season.  I had a few tree skeletons I could work with in my notes and sketchbooks.

In my mind, this image was tall to encompass the sky, not long, like "normal" horizontal landscapes.  But my chosen tree was better suited for a wider landscape, and a shorter sky.  So we blocked it out a little differently .. about 1/3 for the foreground hill, 1/3 for the tree off-set to one side, balanced by the night sky with a bright star (possibly a planet?) and crescent moon.  The tree is only partially on the canvas, otherwise it would take up too much space with this portrait setting.

We used Heat-n-Bond Lite as the fusible.  Funny they call it lite, as it seems really thick and sturdy.  This is what the teacher recommended.  Not identifying as a quilter, she tends NOT to stitch her quilts once constructed, and this has a good fusible bond.  Instead of quilting and stitching, she frames them behind museum quality glass--like a real piece of art.  That way, they are protected, and you don't worry about pieces falling off.




For the flowering tree blossoms, I chose 2 shades of pink in a hand dye with a little salt specks that seemed to mimic each blossom from this distant scale.   The hardest part was "fussy-cutting" all those little pieces.  It's too easy to get into a pattern with that, and then it all comes out looking the same.  The teacher recommended cutting an oblong triangle with lots of ins and outs, to make it look organic.  It took a whole afternoon to cut out all the pink pieces for the tree blooms.

Detail of the 2 fabrics chosen for the sakura blossoms.

Usually the next step in these kinds of landscape quilts is to go in and touch up the fabrics with pastel pencils or markers.  But since mine was more dreamy, and less life-like, I could skip that part.

Once that was done, I pressed (with a dry iron) everything in place.  And that's it!  It can be cut to size and framed.  I like the idea of not having to stitch it -- Once I get the moon and star in place, it can be dry-matt framed, and finished!   I know -- I'm a quilter first, but this idea of being almost done is really liberating!

 

 Still waiting for the finishing touches -- a moon and Venus in the corner.


Detail of the crescent moon and star in an exquisite sapphire sky.
Actually, in my memory, it was so bright, I think it must have been a planet.  Let's call it Venus.


The frame was purchased at one of the major craft stores locally with a 40%-off coupon. It's one of those off-the-rack / ready-made frames (16 in x 20 in), and not custom-made for this project.  As such the glass gives  off a lot of reflection.  I had to pull the glass in order to take the photo.  The frame looks rustic and old--like that tree -- good for a memory.  Nice and heavy, too.

This quilt has special meaning for me, as memory from nearly 30 years ago.  I was a freshman in college, in love for the first time, and feeling so alive!   Discovering the sensual world.  The feeling has definitely shifted to gratitude, appreciation, and back to love again.  Thank you, TM, for making such a sweet memory for me. 

It's a joy to revisit this every spring.  ;-)

Why "Kayleigh Spring," you ask?  At the time, a song had come out by a band called Marillion.
The song was Kayleigh.  The most visual of the lyrics are :

Do you remember dawn escapes from moon washed college halls?
Do you remember the cherry blossom in the market square?
Do you remember I thought it was confetti in our hair?
-- Fish and Marillion

 
A lovely acoustic version of Kayleigh.
Don't be put off the the theatrics and make-up in the photo.  Just listen ...

In my search for the perfect Kayleigh rendition, I came across this haunting beauty -- isolated Fish vocals and guitar solo.   Just wanted to share it here, so I don't lose track of it ...



And now for the official video from way back in the 1980s.
The one that tells the story visually--even to the bittersweet end.


A really nice version of Fish's A Gentleman's Excuse Me with Lavendar.
[This one also keeps disappearing from the embedded option, so follow the link above ...]


And because some of the heavy stuff needs a chaser to a happier place--where I am now,
I leave you with Goo Goo Dolls : 

French Water Lillies : Flowers - Let's Do 52 - Week 19

Have I mentioned how much I love Topaz Impression for giving photos a painterly look and feel?
These three use the Chiarusco filter.  I was playing around with the brightness to show more of the sky in the pond water. 
 

Here's the original for comparison.   We were visiting some of the WWI war memorials in France last summer, and one of them had a beautiful lily pond that reflected the sky.


Once again, I am participating in Denise Love's 2018 "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!