Comments

endorph

is so cool! Thanks for the detailed explanation

theresasc

What a slick idea, it turned out great!

SallyE (not verified)

So, I'm trying to figure out what to make next.  I was thinking of a narrow neck scarf, with the "gathers" running up the middle.   This would be maybe in fine white wool and gold silk for the center part to create the gathers and some occasional gold thread also.

Or, maybe something with gathers at each side and the full part in the middle.  What would that be - a muff?

What do you think?   Any other ideas?

 

donnae

A muff, yes.  But could that same sort of structure be made into a bag/purse?  The fullness at the bottom and the gathers along each side of the opening at the top.  The handle might be integrated somewhat like you did the apron ties?  Clear as mud?

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pammersw

I've seen scarves with ruffles,  usually knitted or with a longer piece sewn lengthwise to the other piece along the long edge. You could weave something like that. 

SallyE (not verified)

I like the idea of a purse!   I didn't think of that.   That can be my next project!   I could do the gathered part in the middle of the warp, with a slit up the center and that would be the opening.   The strap  would continue on without the slit. The gathered parts on each side of the centered gathered part would be the body of the purse.   I like it!

In the meantime, I've been working on the design for a scarf.  This is a ruffled scarf in 3 layers, each in a different 8 shaft huck design.  There is a small ruffle on the right (1 unit wide), then the gathered part and then two ruffles on the left.  The top left ruffle is 2 units wide, and the other is 3 units wide.  These two ruffles are going to be done in a double weave in two layers - each with a different design.

It's taken me a little while to get my head around how to thread and treddle this, and although I did it with software (24 shafts after all) because of the different designs in two layers, and treddling that, it's difficult to see the patterns in the software.  So, this will require some sampling at the beginning!

 

ReedGuy

Sally, interesting read. Also interested in your improvised supplemental warp beam.

I'll probably end up with a supplemental beam myself, as many of these releif type weaves require one that carries a slack warp.

You might be interested in the book 'Textiles that Shape Themselves' by Ann Richards. I just ordered a copy from Amazon.

Have fun exploring new techniques. :)

 

SallyE (not verified)

I have that book.   All of the shaped textile techniques tend to use different fibers to create the shaping (elastic, fibers that shrink when washed, etc) or use the textile structure itself to create a texture.  My method is very different.  I do a kind of double weave, but with the different warps beside each other rather than on top of each other.

Given this, the beams that I added in this case are not the typical type.  I've added a second beam to other looms in the normal way, but this one is different.   On this one, I can add sections of beams onto a rod that goes from one side of the loom to the other.   These sections are all independently controlled so I can add different pieces of the width, next to each other, and indepentently control each piece.

I have the warp for the ruffled scarf / trim that I described above on the loom.   So today I can start the weaving!   Well, maybe.  I have some winter prep to do on my house, so I might not get to it until tomorrow.

 

ReedGuy

I'd have to see it to understand it. :)

pammersw

I accidentally had a loose, ruffly part to Christmas scarf number two, when the warp yarn fell off the stack on one side, reducing the tension. After trying weights, and wedges, and other stuff,  I finally just released the brake, pulled out about a yard of warp, moved those warp yarns back up where they belonged, and wound it all on again. Reverse wove 4 inches, then wove it again.  I am much happier with it now!

So I sort of get the concept, but am in awe of how you manipulated the weaving process to get this one-piece garment!

SallyE (not verified)

Thank you Pammersw!

Well, I guess it would be more correct to say I'm using side-by-side supplimental warps, rather than double weave.   The project I'm on now has both side-by-side supplimental warps and double weave, however.

 

Finished Length Unit
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Finished Width Unit
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Length Off Loom Unit
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Length on Loom Unit
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Warning – this is a long post!

The weaving challenge I set for myself was to weave an apron – in one piece on one warp.   That meant weaving one of the ties, then weaving the skirt of the apron complete with a waistband and gathers in the skirt, and then weaving the other tie.  Note that the gathers are created during the weaving, not later.

Here is the result!   There are some mistakes and some parts that I’m not totally happy with, but this was a proof of concept piece and in general I’m happy that I was able to do it.   At one point, I came very close to just cutting it off the loom and throwing it away!   But I’m glad I didn’t.

For the ties and the waistband I put on a 3 yard warp of 10/2 cotton in a dark blue.   For the skirt I put on a 2 yard warp of 10/2 light blue cotton, with a small band of dark blue near the bottom of the skirt.   The weft was 5/2 cotton in a golden tan color, with two vertical light blue stripes at each side of the apron.

My loom didn’t have two warp beams, and because I want to do more of this kind of thing and not be limited to two warp beams, I invented a kind of beam that can act as multiple beams by adding parts as needed.   I also had to do the same thing with the cloth beam, since I was going to be weaving the apron ties alone, then the waistband and skirt, and then the last tie again.

As for the drafting, I used a simple 8 shaft M & W pattern.   I used shafts 1 – 8 for the skirt since there were a lot more threads for the skirt than for the ties and waistband and that would be easier to thread.   I used shafts 9 – 16 for the ties.   But I also had to deal with the sides of the skirt, which would require some sort of hem.   A friend suggested a two layer double weave so that I could fold both sides inward and have a less bulky seam.   But, I also had to do the tabby packing, which would be happening at different times on ties than on the waistband and the skirt.  And since this loom is a dobby, I couldn’t just treddle as I wanted for the packing – everything had to be in the draft.  And finally, because of the pattern, I had to worry about the pattern, getting the vertical stripes (light blue) added at the same point left and right, etc. etc. 

As a result I ended up with three drafts.   The first one I used for the apron ties and it repeated over and over creating the proper pattern, using shafts 9 - 16.  The second draft made the apron skirt and the gathered waistband, using shafts 1 – 16.   The third draft was for the packing at the beginning and ending of the apron ties and the apron skirt.  It was necessary to have a separate draft for the packing since the two other drafts repeated over and over, and the packing was just tabby.    I also needed a draft for the two layer double weave that I wanted to start and end the sides of the skirt, so I just put all of these “housekeeping” draft parts into one file.   Creating all the drafts and making sure that the pattern repeated properly as I switched from one to the other probably took half a much time at the weaving itself!

Here is the result.   The only hand work I needed to do once it was off the loom was to finish the ends of the apron ties, and finish the sides by folding the double weave to the center and hemming.   I also stitched the double weave to the waistband since the weaving of it required a slit between the double weave and the bottom of the waistband.

The loom used was a Louet Magic Dobby, the 27 inch model.

 

Number of Shafts
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Number of Treadles
1
Project Status
Finished
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