Weaverly

Making Repairs

The torah mantles I wove and constructed two years ago have developed snags from some rough places on the backs of the silver breastplates (the story of these mantles can be reviewed by going to the sidebar, under Categories, and clicking on Torah Mantles).

When I went to investigate the damage, I found this:

If you click on the picture to enlarge, you can clearly see the snags. BTW, for you Network Drafting aficionados, this is not camera shake! The jagged edges on the trees are the result of a large initial in the network. In other words, they are intentional.

To continue: I opened up the lining seam at the bottom to gain access to the wrong side of the cloth…

…and was able to pull the snags to the wrong side with a tiny crochet hook (which I had fortunately added to my sewing kit before I left home), and then stitch them down securely by hand with fine sewing thread.

Then I stitched the lining back in place. The right side looks (almost) as good as new.

Back where they belong! And I've advised the folks who need to know about these things that the backs of the breastplates need more smoothing.

Now here's an update to the sailboat story. You may recall that last week we worked on the sail for Catalina's boat. I promised to tell you how the boat itself is coming along. Willy sent me some snapshots. They serve as a reminder that inspired chaos brings forth great work. You just have to have faith.

New Traditions: Wearable Art

The current members' exhibition at the Folk Art Center, Southern Highland Craft Guild, is entitled New Traditions: Wearable Art. The exhibition will be on display until January 15, 2011. If you're anywhere near the Asheville, NC area, this is definitely worth a visit. Full disclosure: I have a piece in the exhibit.

We drove to Asheville Tuesday to see the show. Unfortunately photography is not allowed in the galleries, so I'll have to restrict myself to a brief written description of some of my favorite pieces. 

Many textile media are featured in the show, and it is no surprise that the woven works were among my favorites. Eileen Hallman's Red Jacket, with structural pleating of woven shibori, was a standout in red. Another understated but beautifully executed woven shibori, of the dyed variety, was Neal Howard's Abode (Plaza Jacket). 

There were many interesting jewelry entries, which I'll leave to others to describe to you, except for one, a felted piece. Breanna Rockstad-Kincaid's Bobble Neckpiece of felted merino was a bold sculptural statement but looked like it would be very comfortable on the body. And what colors!

The woven pieces I found most appealing were of very simple weave structures, brilliantly realized. Kathie Roig's Ruby Red Wrap was an elegant 4-shaft huck lace interpretation in many shades of red, and Pam Howard's Mountain Waters shawl in cotton, silk, & wool plain weave with differential shrinkage was a standout in blues—I just longed to run my hands over it, but resisted. Another intriguing woven entry was Suzanne Gernandt's One Size Fits All, a rectangular wall hanging of linen warp and a weft of commercial dress patterns cut into strips and compressed. The weave structure was a sophisticated block pattern, and the effect was of a bast-fibered cloth, with the little printed blips dotting randomly. I just couldn't take my eyes off this one.

In the knitted department a standout was Mary Nichols's Hearts and Diamonds, an entrelac and lace shawl of super-fine handspun, hand-dyed merino & silk and beads. 

A collaboration between Linda MacMichael and Tim Clar, Tesoro, featured an embroidered purse with bands of kumihimo woven braids executed on a Maru Dai with 36 bobbins. These jewel-like bands definitely rewarded an up-close viewing. 

There's lots more good stuff in this show. Did I mention Ruthie Cohen's Medieval Bikini fashioned entirely of sterling silver wire chainmaille? So hurry on up (or over) to Asheville to see the show. You'll love it.

And let me share a few pictures of the rest of my day in the mountains. The autumn color display is a bit past its peak, but still beautiful.

And here's a picture of a little mountain cemetery we visited just as the sun was going down.

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.