Weaverly

Controlled Chaos

The past couple of days have been spent in tying on a new two-color warp to my previous dobby warp (the one I used for the torah mantles). The new warp is unmercerized 16/2 cotton in rust and natural, end-and-end. Here's the region of knots, behind the shafts. When all 900 knots are tied, I'll pull the warp through the heddles and reed and tie onto the cloth apron rod, ready for weaving.

And here's another example of controlled chaos; this one is the back of the weft-backed satin jacquard-woven piece I wrote about a few days ago. The wefts not appearing on the surface are tacked every 36 ends on the back. That's why this structure is only suitable for fabrics in which the "wrong" side is hidden or protected, such as upholstery or wall hangings. 

A Project Completed

A bittersweet moment. This has been my obsession for the last five months, and now it is completed. 

Rabbi Holly helped me dress the torahs with their new bands and mantles.

 

Everything fits. Time to take a deep breath, and start thinking about the next project.

Sewing In the Labels

This label tells its own story: honoring a wonderful friend and teacher for his 28 years of service. Thank you, Jim.

Elastic

My new fave: plain weave. All finished, and the cloth is washed and hard steam pressed. Here's a glamour shot. Isn't it gorgeous? I just love the feel of the cottolin.

Time to cut it up and sew casings for elastic. These torah bands will look something like scrunchies. I'm leaving extra elastic hanging out so that I can fine-tune the degree of elasticity on-site, after the silver buckles are attached. 

The Tyranny of Small Things

I had supposed that this step would be easy, after all that has gone before—just warp the little 4-shaft loom, knock out a few yards of plain weave, and complete the torah bands. Two small things happened, though. The heddles on all four shafts were twisted together in several places. I hadn't noticed this before, because the only project I'd previously woven on this loom was a narrow sample. The heddles had been put on the frames by the person from whom I'd bought the loom, and I can only assume that this person had very bad eyesight. I removed all four shafts from the loom and rehung the heddles.

Then I completed the threading and sleying, and found that (after 43 years of weaving) I had made the number one beginner's mistake: forgot to take the warp over the back beam on its way to the shafts. So I had to unscrew the back beam and reroute the warp. 

But finally the weaving is underway. OK, it's plain weave. But it will be the right weave for the job. 

Back to the Warping Board

This post is part of a series describing the weaving and construction of a set of Torah Mantles. To see the whole series, go to Categories in the sidebar and click on Torah Mantles.

Now that the mantles are completed all that remains is to make a new set of bands to hold the scrolls together while they are in the ark. The old bands have lost their elasticity and are way too loose. It will be nice to have the bands match the mantles, too.

At first I thought I would weave them on the inkle loom,

…but after a few inches, it became apparent that the weight was wrong. These bands will have to be very pliable so that they can be sewn into a casing for elastic. I have scraps of the mantle fabric left over, but these are too heavy as well. So it's back to the warping board.

I'll be warping for a plain weave at 20 epi in the cottolin yarn. This will be the lightest weight fabric I can weave with this particular yarn, and I think it will work well. The chains are ready,

…and tomorrow I'll spread and beam the warp.

Assembled

The side panels of the torah mantles are sewn to the top sections. It's hard to photograph these when they're not actually on the torahs, as there's nothing to hang them from. But you get the idea. 

There are a few weaving errors which will need correcting with needle and thread. Then the next step is to round up an inkle loom and weave the bands that hold the scrolls together. These have silver clasps, so the bands have to be the correct width to fit in the existing clasps. I have plenty of warp yarns left, and will use these for the inkle bands; the ensemble will match. It's kind of like weaving a wardrobe where the dress and accessories match. Actually this project has much in common with clothing, including the terminology.

Cornered

The side panels are finished. Time to pause and admire the corners. Yesterday's lining tutorial was a real lifesaver. And let's enjoy the trees, too. 

Tailoring

The cutting and sewing of the side panels of the mantles begins. It is very much like the tailoring of a coat or jacket. My memory of procedures for hems, facings, and linings is a bit rusty, and what should appear out of the blue but Tien's post with a link to a lining tutorial! So helpful, and what incredible timing. I made a small sample, and that mysterious inside corner where facing and hem converge looks perfect. 

 

Now that all the side panels are cut out, it appears that I was overly generous in my estimates. Look at what's left over:

Round and Round She Goes

After what feels like weeks and weeks of planning, cutting, stitching, and pressing, the tops of the mantles are finally taking shape. In the upper picture you can see the padded acrylic supports at the far end of the table, and closer to the viewer are the actual padded and faced outer layers. The padded supports will be attached to the undersides of the finished mantles with hook and loop tape (still to be stitched on).

Here is a closeup of one of the holes. I think the edges look nice. They remind me of the faced neckline of a collarless dress, from the days when I used to make such things.