Beiderwand on Opposites with Clasped Weft Pillow

   This project was one of my submissions for the master weaver certificate at Hill Institute (Florence, MA) in 2000.   I thought it would be interesting to try the clasped weft requirement on an on opposites treadling, reversing the light and dark thread where the clasping occurs.  The threading was a 3:1 Beiderwand, based on an Angstadt profile. The warp was 20/2 mercerized cotton in French pink (a medium pink), soft yellow, soft orange, light pink, and magenta, with the color changes keyed to the block changes.  To increase the color “pizzazz” I used three colors of medium valued colored cotton floss (burnt tangerine, may apple - an orangish pink, and carnation pink) and changed them at regular intervals, reversing the sequence for that across the clasped weft also.  The darker weft was a deep royal blue floss, consistent throughout to give a feeling of unity.    After much sampling, I decided not to use a tabby binder and to beat at 18 (doubled) ppi.  This allows the warp to peek through, shading the edges of the block changes and toning the weft colors slightly.  Other combinations with tabby and/or higher ppi gave a more traditional complete covering of the warp, but lacked the color interest.
    There were several problems in the weaving of this piece: compaction behind the fell line, draw-in, and exact placement of the clasp join.  As the piece was woven, compaction continued to occur way behind the fell line.  I suspect that part of the reason the beat on the end appears lighter than the beginning is that there was not as much woven afterwards, leaving a lower degree of compression.  As each section was woven, it looked square, but the further behind the fell it went, the more compact it got.  The best way to counteract this problem might be to weave another piece immediately without cutting off in between. To help the extreme draw-in, I used a heavy, weighted piece of fish line at the selvages.  It wasn’t perfect, but it helped.  The fish line was removed when the weaving was done. A temple would have done the job better.  In this design, exact placement of the clasp join was a critical element.  Most of the wefts were placed, beat, the shed opened and minute adjustments made in the clasp location, and re-beat. Though not perfect, overall I was pleased with the outcome.
  The weft is running vertically in the pictures.