Weaverly: May 2013 posts

Books

The Woven Pixel: Designing for Jacquard and Dobby Looms Using Photoshop®
Co-authored by Alice Schlein and Bhakti Ziek. 362 pages, many illustrations. Now available for free download on handweaving.net. The accompanying CD with 1400 pattern presets is not included with the free download, but may be purchased separately. Email me at aschlein[at]att[dot]net for more information.
The Liftplan Connection: Designing for Dobby Looms With Photoshop® and Photoshop Elements®
By Alice Schlein. Build your own weave library. Design liftplans for your dobby loom. 157 pages, spiral bound, many illustrations. Now available as print-on-demand from www.lulu.com.
Network Drafting: An Introduction
By Alice Schlein. Break away from the block. Curves for your dobby loom. Originally published in 1994, now available as print-on-demand from www.lulu.com.

Monographs

Amalgamation: Double Your Dobby
24-pages of text, diagrams, and color photographs, in pdf format for download. Create drafts for 8 or more shafts in half-drop or brick arrangements which would normally require twice the number of shafts. Related to network drafting, this is a technique for intermediate or advanced weavers with dobby looms or multi-shaft table looms. Includes guidelines for amalgamation with three current weaving applications. View on a computer, or print out one copy for your own use. USD$21. via PayPal. Email aschlein[at]att[dot]net and indicate your preferred email address for PayPal.
Lampas for Shaft Looms
Class notes from Complex Weavers Seminars 2016, newly revised and formatted, in pdf form for download. A review of methods for designing your own lampas fabrics for treadle looms, table looms, and dobbies, eight shafts and above. Over 90 color photos of actual fabrics with drafts. Includes info on pickup lampas and a lampas bibliography. View on a computer, or print out one copy for your own use. USD$21. via PayPal. Email aschlein[at]att[dot]net for ordering info.
A Crepe Is Not Just a Pancake
52 pages of text, b&w and color diagrams, and drafts for multishaft tradle & dobby looms. Many color photos of actual cloth. Methods for drafting your own crepe weaves. Annotated bibliography. Pdf available for immediate download. $21. USD. Payment by PayPal. Email me at aschlein[at]att[dot]net for payment instructions.
Echo Weave
Based on the 1996 article in Weaver's, Issue 32. With brand new diagrams and high resolution scans of original fabrics. Pdf available for immediate download. $7. USD. Payment by PayPal. Email me at aschlein[at]att[dot]net for payment instructions.

May 2013 posts

May 31, 2013

A Plea for Public Education

This morning we attended a fifth grade graduation ceremony. The cafeteria was packed with parents, grandparents, teachers, neighbors, and of course the many fifth graders who will be going on to middle school this fall. I found it a very emotional experience, a community coming together to celebrate its children.

Fifth graders are a very mixed bag. Some of them are nearly full grown, others still pint-sized. Some are poised, some have the gawkiness of colts. They come in all shapes and varieties. All are beautiful, or at least they were to me today. Here's our special guy, in the red & white striped shirt:

At the end of the ceremony the vice principal gave an impromptu and passionate plea for support of public education. That was the best moment of all. I felt like jumping up on the bleachers and shouting "right on" but kids don't like their grandmothers to be too conspicuous, so I forbore.

Posted at 02:02 PM in Classes, Photography | Permalink | Comments (2)

May 30, 2013

Tilted Ogees

Home again, the laundry's all done, the stack of mail has been dealt with (mostly by throwing it away), and I stared for a while at a naked loom. To clarify—not exactly naked, there is a warp on it—just that there's not a project underway. It was really hard to get back in the groove; after fighting with my muse this morning, I came up with a warmup design. It began as an ogee, then I tilted it this way and that in Photoshop.

The colors here are merely placeholders for weave structures. I thought I'd try five different weaves in this dishtowel, just for kicks. I picked my weaves from page 44 of The Liftplan Connection. They all repeat on 4 ends and picks, and fit into the 40 shaft liftplan, straight threading.

Here is the draft, with several repeats shown. Click to enlarge for clarity. You will see broken 2/2 right twill, straight 1/3 right twill, straight 3/1 left twill, 2/2 weft rib, and 1/3 basket.

It was necessary to make 4 or 5 corrections for extra-long floats, but in general all these weaves play nicely together.

Here is the towel just begun on the loom (starting with some plain 2/2 broken twill for a hem). Originally I had planned to do this in monochrome yellow and the pink weft was just for testing purposes, but I like the effect so will continue with pink and maybe do a second towel in all yellow.