After a couple of months of sampling I'm feeling the urge to make a finished piece. This won't be the end of sampling, just a pause.
Years ago a friend was downsizing and game me the most wonderful gift: a huge carton of miniature wooden spools of silk buttonhole twist (Thank you, Nancy!). They've been waiting for the perfect project, and I think this is it.
Six of the spools fit into a single shuttle, so no rewinding is required. I'l be using two strands at a time. The empty spools are just to keep the working spools in position.
My plan is to use three wefts related in color but very different in texture/reflectivity. The primary weft is pink mercerized cotton for a 2/2 twill. The two secondary wefts are the aforementioned silk buttonhole thread, color "pimento", chosen for its shine, and a dusty rose heavy silk noil.
I'd like to make a book cover, so I've chosen the tied lampas structure to weave a more integrated cloth (no double weave pockets). Click to enlarge.
The previous picture shows the little wooden spools nestled in the shuttle. They were almost made for each other!
Here's a closeup of the front of the cloth:
And now let's see if I can photograph the back without getting my eyeball in the frame:
Done. Those long aubergine silk warp floats on the back will be tamed when I coat the fabric with acrylic medium for use as a book cover. The right side will retain its original texture of matte/shiny contrast.