I'm happy to report that I actually can get into a rhythm with a table loom, contrary to my previous attempts!
This warp was left over from a color workshop I took in April with Ruby Leslie.
I did run out of some of the green yarns, but just continued with the reduced palette of greens.
When I ran out of the clay and rust yarn, and had the fuchsia as the only color in the red pile, I substituted rust and tan from my stash. (All that yarn buying at the guild yarn table paid off!) Hopefully it will still look OK, and I won't have problems with different yarns shrinking at different rates. It's all unmercerized cotton from what I can tell.
In the top of this picture, I'm using the original rust, clay and fuchsia. By the bottom, I've transitioned to rust, tan and fuchsia. I don't think the change is too noticeable.
I ended up with about 2 yards of cloth when I cut it off the loom.
Even though this warp goes really well with the colors in my living room, the unmercerized 8/2 cotton doesn't really turn into cloth that works well in my living room. It's a little too casual.
Jim had the idea of making napkins. They're non-traditional napkins because they won't be folded in half while in use. They will be about the size and thickness of the napkins we're using at the kitchen table right now. I already have blue placemats and a blue tablecloth that match this fabric.
The first time I washed this fabric, I hand washed, and pressed it with my iron to dry. Shrink rate: 7.5% in width and 3.6% in length.
Since I want to make it into napkins, which in my house means they must be machine wash and dry, I washed and dried it by machine. It shrank only a little more.
Next up, I need to figure out my hem strategy.
Related Posts:
What to Do with the leftover warp from Ruby Leslie's Color Workshop
5 comments:
Napkins is a great idea! I like your cloth, weaving with all those colors must be extremely useful when trying to put together colors on other occasions. Does a table loom have shatfts like an ordinary loom?
We'll see if combining all of those colors improves my color sense!
A table loom does have shafts like an ordinary loom, but instead of treadles it has a lever to lift each shaft. So your hands are busy with the shuttle, the beater and the levers. Plus they're almost always direct tie-up (one lever connected to each shaft) so for complicated treadlings you have to pay a lot of attention.
Sue
When your "hem strategy" gets worked out, I am all ears!!!
I love weaving the tea towels and detest the hemming part. I'm not good at it and it shows...
I love the colors in your cloth!!
Napkins - great idea. That could very well be my next warp.
If this warp is any indication, you've made good use of the color workshop and whatever you end up making with it will be cheery.
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