I'm Alice Schlein, a weaver in South Carolina. A few times a week I write about my weaving, Network Drafting, Amalgamation, bread baking, my morning walks, and whatever else strikes my fancy. Thanks for stopping by! Comments are welcome.
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.
Categories
- Amalgamation
- Animation
- Architecture
- Art
- Blended Drafts
- Books
- Brocade
- Classes
- Crackle Weave
- Deflected Double Weave
- Design
- Dobby
- Double Twill
- Double Weave
- Film
- Food and Drink
- Gel Printing
- Halvdräll
- Interleaved Threadings
- Jacquard
- Jin
- Knitting
- Lampas
- Landscaping
- Linen
- Lucet
- Movies
- Music
- Network Drafting
- Overshot
- Photography
- Pixels
- Printmaking
- Rigid Heddle
- Sewing
- Spinning
- Sports
- Tablet Weaving
- Tapestry
- Television
- Torah Mantles
- Travel
- Weaving
Recent Posts
Links
Other Stuff
- Errata for Amalgamation Monograph 6.30.20
Click here to download errata file. - Errata for Amalgamation Monograph 6.29.20
Click here to download errata file. - Errata for Crepe Monograph
Click here to download errata file. - Alice's Basic Bread Recipe
- Errata for The Liftplan Connection
Click this link to download corrections to The Liftplan Connection.
« May 2015 | Main | July 2015 »
June 2015 posts
June 18, 2015
June 17, 2015
Cedars
Lunch at Lebanese restaurant in Roanoke, Virginia.
June 15, 2015
Trio
The weaving is finished. Next I'll cut it off, stretch it over canvas, and send it on its way. I've enjoyed working with this quirky satin.
Now it's time to go out and get some exercise before the weather becomes impossible. After 10 A.M.? Forget it.
June 14, 2015
Satin, Kind Of
A little change of direction, here. I'm taking a short break from lampas to work on a project in shaded satin. In order to increase the tonal range in the satin, I moved to a 13-end structure; I used seven of the possible weaves in the series. Here's today's portion:
A funny thing about satins is that the larger they get, the more they resemble twills. Five- and eight-end satins when they are balanced, have more evenly distributed ties; but when you get to 10-ends and above, the lines are inevitable.
I used a counter of 7 for my 13-end satin. Very twilly.
June 13, 2015
Black on Black
Last year I swore I would never put on another black warp. Never say never.
This year my eyesight is better, and I did actually put on another black warp. I did it a few bites at a time, over the past few weeks, and like the proverbial elephant it got finished. I tied the new black warp onto the old black warp, behind the heddles. In this picture it looks a mess; putting a white cloth behind the tying area helped immensely.
Here it is after pulling all 880 knots through the heddles and reed. This part took all of 10 minutes!
Now it is tied onto the cloth beam (another 10 minutes) and the loom is ready for weaving. Love those lark's head knots.
It feels good checking this particular item off my to-do list. I promise more color in future posts.
June 12, 2015
Blocks on an Advancing Threading
These lampas blocks have whiskers. They overrun the block boundaries, but still conform to the structure. It's a network drafting thing.
June 11, 2015
Paper Matters
I've been taking a painted paper basketmaking class from Sandy at OLLI. Sandy is an experienced basketmaker and has endless patience. She is also very clever. Here she is using a pasta maker to cut the watercolor paper into strips for use in the baskets. Who would have thought!
In other paper news, Catalina and I had a play date yesterday. We learned to make paper beads. This is something I've always wanted to do, but never tried before. What fun! And very addictive.
June 08, 2015
Variations on an Ellipse
This series of lampas samples continues on the warp featuring 3-end twill in both layers. The ratio of primary to secondary warps is 3/1. The threading of the primary cloth is based on an advancing twill.
In all of these samples, the two layers are untied where primary cloth appears on top, (ile., true double weave).
Another version of the same draft; in this case, the secondary weft is light gray alpaca.
Following is the "wrong" side. The elliptical areas are unstable. This cloth would definitely not be reversible.
June 07, 2015
Soul Searching
There must be something in the air...lately I've been seeing more thoughtful writing in the blogs I follow regarding why and how we do what we do. All of these people have the rare knack of writing well about their visual art. Here are a few of my favorite observers; the particular posts I cite will give you a small taste of what these particular artists are about.
From Cecelia Feld, some words about how she works through her collage process. From Terry Dimond, thoughts about what drives her work. From Bhakti Ziek, a fascinating story of returning to a simpler technology. And from polymath Danny Gregory, a provocative essay on the dangers of dabbling.
And as for me? My verbal muse has temporarily left the room, so I'll leave you with the following and let you draw your own conclusions.
June 05, 2015
Photographers' Day Out
Up the mountain with the photographers: the destination this morning was the Asheville River Arts District, where the graffiti are exceptionally good. Karl joined us, and demonstrated a really good eye for the telling shot.
He took several panorama exposures at the skate park.
And then he and I inevitably took pictures of each other taking pictures.
The skate park was flo0oded after the rain; we plan to come back with our skateboards another day. The reflections in the puddles were pretty good, though. It's that alternate world thing.
Windows galore. I love the curtains.
The sun played hide & seek. Here it is out for a few minutes. Shadows! We have shadows!
And more graffiti.
The photographers are very tolerant of me, and don't mind a bit when I put away my camera and take out my sketchbook. As long we're on time for lunch.