As if he had read my mind, Winston seemed to wink at me. “Ruff,” he barked.
Weaving Tips
Early Looms
The first looms were crude designs. They usually involved hanging the warp (the vertical thread) over the branch of a tree and holding them tautly down with another branch or some other heavy object. As unsophisticated as those early looms were, the types of weaving produced were not entirely different from the weavings of today, albeit much coarser.
The basic loom had been used in almost every continent before developing into frame looms. Some two thousand years later, complex floor looms were first developed in Egypt.
But what really revolutionized weaving was the discovery of the weaving shed. The shed is the temporary tunnel created by the treadle, which makes it possible to pass a thread through the warp yarns in one go rather than weaving in and out. This made it possible to produce fabric at a much faster rate, which made it less expensive.
Tips for Choosing a Yarn
Apart from the more sophisticated looms of today, the other main difference between the rough weaves of yesteryear and today’s finer product is in the yarns we now have available.
Choosing a yarn for your project may sound simple enough, but before you head out to the yarn store, here are some simple rules to remember.
1) Determine how strong your finished product must be and select a yarn with the appropriate strength. For example, if you are weaving a fine scarf, you won’t choose the same yarn you would for a strong place mat.
2) Keep in mind how often you will wash your finished item. Wearable items, such as clothing, and utility items, such as place mats and towels, will need frequent washing. On the other hand, if you plan to use your piece for display purposes only, you won’t need to wash it nearly as frequently—if at all.
3) Remember that your weft and your warp need not be the same thickness, and playing with textures will result in different styles. A thin warp with a thick weft will produce a finished garment where the weft will be more visible than the warp, and vice versa. If you choose threads of equal thickness for both the weft and the warp, the weave itself will be more apparent.
4) Calculate how much yarn you will need to complete your project and select your color scheme. These two exercises go hand in hand because it is important to purchase all of your same-colored yarns at one time. Nothing is as frustrating as realizing halfway through a project that you are running out of yarn only to find out that the store is out of the same dye lot!
5) Experiment with variety. Thin, cotton yarns will make a lightweight yet sturdy piece of weaving. Textured, handspun yarns will bring color and depth into your project. Mass-produced commercial yarns are both inexpensive and easy to find.
An Easy Beginner Project: Weaving with Recycled Fabrics
For an easy and inexpensive project, use recycled fabric instead of yarn. You can use discarded curtains or colorful bedsheets that no longer suit a new decor. You can even use outgrown dresses or shirts. Your favorite old items can find new lives as place mats.
My all-time nicest place mats are a set I once made of blue toile draperies that didn’t suit my new home when I moved. However, they look wonderful under my Blue Willow dishes.
To weave with recycled fabrics, cut the fabric in thin strips and then sew all the strips together, end to end. The next step is to fold the side edges in and steam press and then fold again down the middle and press one last time. This will give you clean strips of fabric that won’t unravel along the edges and can be used as weft to weave your place mats.
Happy weaving.
About the Author
Carol Ann Martin is an author and former television personality who divides her time between San Diego and the Canadian west coast. She lives with her husband and an ever-expanding collection of dogs. When she is not writing, Carol Ann enjoys baking and beekeeping.
Tapestry of Lies: A Weaving Mystery Page 26
