Hi all,

How are things going for you in the second week?  (Pictures!  Pictures!  We want pictures!)

Comments

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 04:00

tien (not verified)

I've finished knitting all the blanks for my project, and dyed the blanks for everything except the two facings.  I also did some color simulations (using commercial fabrics) for the collar:

Which color (green, blue-purple, red-purple/wine) do you like best? 

And how is your own project going?  :-)

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 19:21

KarenIsenhower

My preference would be the red-purple/wine. The way the colors come across on my screen, it seems the best compliment to the coat fabric. My daughter said the green collar would make it look like a pumpkin. :)
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 19:57

kathy (not verified)

I agree the green collar makes it too much like a pumpkin

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 20:06

kathy (not verified)

But I also want to add the colors are great, can't wait to see it done

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 20:08

Chillybuttes

Hi, I am cutting and sewing. Also weaving edge trim and ruffles. I think the blue purple is more your color Tien. Would look lush with your black hair.
Tue, 10/11/2011 - 20:15

SallyE (not verified)

Well, pumpkin comment aside, I like the green best.   Plus, I think it would look the best with your own skin coloring.  Of course, as a facing it won't show that much. . . .   But then, I think green goes with everything, and Mother Nature seems to agree.  : ' )

SallyE

Tue, 10/11/2011 - 21:25

jennybellairs

I like the contrast of the green with the lighter colors.  It adds a spark to the yellow.  Whatever you pick, I'm sure it will be stunning!

I have eight more bears marked on the fabric, waiting for me to sew around each piece before cutting them out.  I'm in to assembly line mode now!  I also have about 24" woven for T10, with T11 still to do, plus the remainder of that warp to be woven for paws.

Jenny in Charlevoix the Beautiful

Wed, 10/12/2011 - 00:57

Michael White

I like the purple, with the thought it doesn't draw your eye away from the fabulous colors in the coat.  the other 2 tend to draw your eye.  Can't wait to see this finished!!

I have been working on some dish towels on my loom, and my floating selvedges were not co-operating!!  But I plan to have a cutting and sewing day on Thursday when I have the whole day to devote to cutting fabric.  I also have a loom shaped vest I want to cut and sew so should be a busy day.

Cheryl

Thu, 10/13/2011 - 16:52

Fildemarianne88 (not verified)

My preference is for the purple.

Fri, 10/14/2011 - 11:47

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, I have the loom threaded and am ready to tie on when I get the next little batch of time. I posted my progress on my project page.

Fri, 10/14/2011 - 13:58

B P (not verified)

I like the purple too...

Beth

Fri, 10/14/2011 - 16:41

tien (not verified)

Congrats on getting tied on!  I have not done much weaving for the past day, being too occupied with adjusting the sewing pattern.  I got it into Adobe Illustrator and have been adjusting it electronically - neat stuff!

Here is a pic of it in Adobe Illustrator:

Illustrator makes it really easy to change lines around, AND you can save your work!

Next step is to get the printer working.  I bought a large-format printer for printing patterns, and am hoping to get it working with a 12" roll of butcher paper.  After that I will start weaving the dark panels and sewing up muslins!

Fri, 10/14/2011 - 16:50

Chillybuttes

Wow, we are all busy. I began sewing yesterday and of course my design is changing. The real fabric always moves me along. I have been reading about ICloud-Mac . Would that be a way to get pics to weavolution?
Fri, 10/14/2011 - 22:57

Chillybuttes

Yikes, wool gauze with a silk gauze backing, how crazy am I. Three straight hours and not there yet.
Sun, 10/16/2011 - 20:26

KB (not verified)

Here are pictures of my fabric. The workshop with Sarah Fortin was great. She is a very good teacher with lots of patience. I 

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 00:44

Chillybuttes

How did you get the ridges. I am thinking double wefts on a project. Did you dye the yarn?
Mon, 10/17/2011 - 14:15

KarenIsenhower

I posted a pic of the little apron in my projects http://weavolution.com/project/karenisenhower/little-girls-apron.

I followed Jenny's advice (Thanks, Jenny!) and stitched it face to face to commercial fabric. I happened to have a perfect little cotton print in my sewing stash. First I stitched a straight stitch, then zig zag. I was able to cut close enough to the zigzag that I didn't need to clip curves as I normally would. Then, after turning, I topstitched all the way around.

Today I'm going shopping for buttons. And possibly some tiny rick rack, if I can find just the right thing.

Instead of buttonholes, I may use snaps and just stitch the button on top. I'm not sure how buttonholes would hold up with this loose fabric.

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 16:22

tien (not verified)

OMG, what gorgeous fabric!  Is the warp or weft a painted skein?  (Wondering how you got the irregular streaks of color...)

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 16:23

tien (not verified)

Snaps sound like a better idea than buttons (because of the loose weave) - although, I'm thinking, if you used a bound buttonhole perhaps the binding might hold the fabric together more than if you did a stitched one?

Congrats on getting the apron sewn!  I can't wait to see the finished piece!

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 16:35

KarenIsenhower

Bound buttonholes ... hmmm, it's been so many years since I've done that! Good idea, but I think I'll go with snaps on this one, but I'm making a mental note of bound buttonholes for future projects.

Mon, 10/17/2011 - 19:56

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, I meant to add to the pic, but I guess I pushed the "Go" button too soon. The first towel is going well, but I don't like this loom. My feet are too big for the treadles and the loom is also I think too new and is stiff. I posted a pic in my projects of my feet trying to fit the treadles. I will finish this warp as best I can and then find a new home for the loom. I am making plans to get my room downstairs rearranged so I can put Jolly Brown together. I miss her and also want to use up some yarn in a big way, lol.

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 11:42

KarenIsenhower

Thanks for the input, Sally! Velcro would do damage if the hook part came in contact with the cloth. For that reason I'm not a big fan of velcro on fabric, even though it makes an easy fastener. I found cute pink heart buttons to stitch on the top, and large-ish snaps for the closure. I'll post a pic when I get them sewn on.
Tue, 10/18/2011 - 12:20

Karen (not verified)

I like the idea of the snaps.  I finished my brother-in-law's vest, but no buttons, because he is a guitarist.  I made small welt pockets for his, for a place for his picks.  Now, I've started my sister's vest, and I was planning on putting in buttons (she mostly plays the keyboard).  So, I will do the snaps, with buttons on top.  I will try to post a picture of the completed vest.

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 14:06

tien (not verified)

I finished weaving and overdyeing the first dark panel!  Here it is, along with a bunch of collar options:

My final verdict is for the burgundy, which relates to both panels. The purple is only echoed in the darker panel, and looks slightly out of place; the dark green looks "Whoa, Nellie!" totally unrelated.

The one without the collar looks ok, but definitely looks better with a collar, I think.

Meanwhile, I have been making great progress on drafting patterns using Adobe Illustrator, and have already printed out the first set of patterns.  Here is the printer, chugging away:

I bought the printer at a surplus place for $15 and am printing out on cheap butcher paper ($20/1000 ft roll) instead of the really expensive photo paper called for in the spec.  The edges of the printing aren't particularly crisp (I wouldn't print photos on it!), but as I'm printing out line drawings it really doesn't make a difference.

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 15:02

B P (not verified)

Tien...printing out your own dress patterns...WOW! That's so brilliant!! Hand drafting patterns takes so long, and being consistently accurate takes a lot of concentration. Thanks for posting the pictures showing how it all works.

Beth

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 15:25

Chillybuttes

I will not get to the library until later this week. I am also sewing backing to my wool gauze. I have the edging band woven and will start weaving the ruffles today. Bound buttonhole are a great touch.
Tue, 10/18/2011 - 16:35

tien (not verified)

Yes - compared to hand drafting, Adobe Illustrator is absolutely the cat's meow!  I bought a plugin called Vector Scribe that lets me measure distances accurately (even over curved paths) - with it, I can draft just about anything quickly and easily.  I can also save my previous versions (no more laboriously copying slopers!), reuse parts of patterns (by using layers), and make minor adjustments easily and reversibly.  I looooove it!

(I had been thinking that I would need to buy expensive pattern drafting software - the professional ones run about $5000! - but since I had Illustrator anyway, decided to try it.  Success!)

If you want to know more about exactly what I'm doing in Illustrator, let me know - I've been thinking of writing it up for my website, anyway.

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 16:35

tien (not verified)

Chillybuttes, how are you weaving the ruffles?  Differential shrinkage?  It sounds really interesting to me...

Tue, 10/18/2011 - 18:23

B P (not verified)

Tien, I'd love to know more about how you use the software for the purpose of pattern drafting.

Please do post about it on your blog...I'm sure I'm not the only person interested in this!

Thanks, Beth

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 00:20

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, I have finished weaving one towel. Hooray!!!! Yippie!!!! Since I am now exhausted, I'll wait until tomorrow to start another one. It looks pretty nice on the loom. Tien, your fabric is way too beautiful for words. You have me thinking about this big cone of fine silk I have and what I could do with it. Not until this project is done and Jolly Brown is assembled, though. 

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:31

tien (not verified)

Weeweaver, congratulations on the first towel!  Have you posted a photo yet?  I want to see!  :-)

Beth - I just wrote a tutorial (of sorts) on flat pattern drafting using Illustrator.  It's on my website: http://www.tienchiu.com/weaving/techniques-and-how-tos/using-adobe-illustrator-for-flat-pattern-drafting/

Let me know what you think of it - it's targeted at people who already know how to use Illustrator (or can figure it out), but I did try to include all the essential steps.

Wed, 10/19/2011 - 13:38

B P (not verified)

Thanks so much Tien! I'll take a look and get back to you.

Beth

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 00:52

ChrisWeaveMaine (not verified)

A couple weeks ago, I bought a book with CD at a surplus store for $4. With 20 custom fit patterns in classic styles. I enter my measurements and I can print the pattern on 8.5 x 11 paper (tape it together). I bought it to sew my hand wovens. It has jackets, shirts, dresses, jeans and lots of finishing and tailoring tips. The title is Make Your Own Clothes, PatternMaker with Marie Clayton. It was published in 2008 so should be around.
Thu, 10/20/2011 - 01:04

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, I am working on the second towel, after weaving a bit and deciding that the pattern didn't look right, then finding out that 2 shafts came unhooked from their lams, so then unweave awhile, fixit, then back again. Not much time today, as an extra ride showed up when I was enjoying my afternoon. I should know when the "Post Time" ringtone plays, it's no more relaxing for me, lol! That's the office calling with a client stranded or something like that. I'll do some more tomorrow, but can't cut them off till alldonenow. There should be about 8-9 towels total. I have a pic of the pattern posted in my projects and up above here.^

Thu, 10/20/2011 - 01:19

Chillybuttes

I am planning to use fishing line. A header and then fishing line, then to the hem in double warps per heddle. No hem, no work to place basting lines. Just gather and sew down. Here in the Lost River Valley we have a lot of fishing line. Also, I got my prize yarn. Natural color cotton fro the US of A. So great.
Thu, 10/20/2011 - 05:53

B P (not verified)

Chris, thanks for the info about your sewing pattern CD (sounds like you got a great bargain!). I'll have to see if there is something similar here in the UK.

Beth

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 03:49

jennybellairs

I was able to get 8 bears parts sewn today, plus finished weaving bear #10's fabric and paws for 2-3 bears.  One fabric to go, and paws for 2-3 bears.  Pressing seams open is on the agenda for tomorrow after I get home from work.  I will also take the finished fabric off the loom and wash it.  I made a new blog entry about avoiding broken sewing machine needles when sewing heavy fabric or over thick seams.  Here is a link:

http://jennybellairs.blogspot.com/2011/10/sewing-multiple-layers-of-heavy-fabric.html

Fri, 10/21/2011 - 12:57

Erica J

I know I'm a bit late weighing in on this. But I do like both the purple and red/wine option. I think it depends on how much you want to tie in the red of the two panels. Cheers, Erica
Fri, 10/21/2011 - 14:34

ttkjohn

I'm late weighing in, too.  I personally like the wine option - seems to blend well with the panels.

Wed, 10/26/2011 - 01:06

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, I now have 2 towels woven and another started. I had a conference to go to last weekend so couldn't weave then. The only saving grace was the Saturday night Lobster Feed because I am in Maine.

Wed, 10/26/2011 - 13:12

tien (not verified)

Cool!  Any photos?

Here is my latest mockup, this time based on the actual muslin, and using the blue-purple collar.  I dropped the collar tip by about 1/2" and moved the fabric up a little bit so the purple diagonal of the collar just meets the purple part of the fabric.  This also puts the red portions diagonally opposite each other, which I think makes the outfit much more balanced and visually interesting:

I have also been hard at work at redrafting the pattern.  To make the back asymmetric while keeping the swing of the jacket (and still accommodate my 21" fabric), I've added a small side panel.  It means that (botheration!) I will have to weave up one additional panel for each side panel, but well worth the effort if it works out well in the end.

Next step is to make a muslin of the new pattern and see how it goes!  If it goes well, then the next muslin will be hand-painted with dyes to see how it looks in the actual coat colors.

Thu, 10/27/2011 - 01:09

Weeweaver (not verified)

Hi Folks, As you can surely tell by now, I am not a color person, but a structure person. I love seeing all the beautiful colors you are using, but I cringe at the thought of trying to use them. I did decide to weave a different color towel, so grabbed some screaming yellow 14/2 cotton and started weaving. I am using a different treadling as well, just for a change.I'll finish this towel, then try something different. I hope to still be done with this warp by Halloween, but the sewing will take longer. I am driving down to Southern Connecticut Sat. afternoon to buy yet another loom. This one is a 27" 4S 4T Clement that the fellow I am buying it from says has never been completely assembled for the first time, as far as he can tell. It was in a house he bought and all the pieces are there. It looks nice and sturdy so will make a great rug loom, I think. I'll post pics when I get some. 

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