Elegant Threads 2015

This past weekend, one of our member guilds,  the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners held their annual Christmas sale. 

As usual the turn out was great and the work presented was stunning. It is always amazing to see so much talent all in one place.

How fortunate I am to be part of this wonderful group.  If you would like to find out more about the guild or see some of the sale photos check out their blog.

Linda Wilson

Our Guild Weaving Exchange

One of the most appreciated benefits of being a member of our Guild is receiving a sample with each bulletin.  We owe thanks to each of our member guilds that take on this task! I can just imagine all the excitement once the samples are woven and they get to handle the wonderful samples.

We also have an annual exchange for members to participate in.  In 2015, each member is weaving a lace table runner.  Each participant chooses a structure and researches that structure.  Once the runner is woven, it is mailed to the assigned member.  There is no entry fee.  All written information, drafts, and notes are exchanged to all members via email.  

The runners are sent out in the fall and our spring Bulletin usually features photos and as much information regarding the items as possible.  Members can also request more information regarding the exchange items.

I can hardly wait to see what the members have created this year!

To view previous exchanges, please visit our website Gallery page using the following link:

The Guild of Canadian Weavers

Weaving Opportunity

The following message was submitted on September 19, 2015

Next year is the 250th anniversary of the Steeves/Steves Family move to NB  from PA because, probably, of persecution during the American Revolutionary  War. Around the 200th anniversary, a 'tweed' was designed using 7 colors, each representing the lineage from one of the original 7 sons. The fabric was woven by the now-defunct Humphrey Woolen Mills, Moncton. I have 2 human hand-sized swatches. The senior weaver here in Fairbanks, Alaska,  looked at the swatches & suggested the following:

The fabric is probably a twill variation, 3/1. The weft is dark brown; the  warp is a repeating yellow/green/turquoise/royal/green/  red/yellow/green/turquoise/royal/ green/pink.

The yarn is approximately 224 worsted single ply.

The warp is 32-36 ends/inch

Two questions:
1. I would like to have enough reproduction fabric to make a kilt. At  least 6-8 yards.
2. It is possible, since next year is the 250th anniversary, that the
Steeves Family Inc. might be interested in commissioning a commercial-sized run of fabric (whatever that might be) to offer for sale to the attendees.

Although I live in the USA, it makes more sense to have the fabric woven in Canada to avoid customs costs & to take advantage of the dollar difference.

Can anyone help with either of these needs?

Thank you.

Anyone interested should contact weaversatelier@shaw.ca and I will give the persons information.

2015 SAMPLE TWO – SHADOW WEAVE

Information about our bulletin sample submitted by : Pat Zannier

Thank you to Pat for submitting and writing the article and to Nancy for weaving it!

A regular twill, i.e. one without skips, is a good basis for a Shadow Weave draft. For this sample, the Atwater Shadow Weave method was used. This works on the principle of using a DARK end for each thread of the original draft. Accompanying each DARK warp is a LIGHT end which is threaded on the opposite shaft. (Opposite of shaft 1 is shaft 3; Opposite of shaft 2 is shaft 4, opposite of shaft 3 is shaft 1, opposite of shaft 4 is shaft 2.) Here is the original “M&W” twill threading, woven as drawn in:

Following is the above twill draft re-written. The DARK ends follow the basic draft, with the addition of an extra end at each reversal or turning point, plus an empty space is left between each DARK end.

The next step is to add the LIGHT ends. First, determine the direction of the twill line, either ascending or descending (see arrows over the draft). The LIGHT ends are inserted on the opposite shaft of the DARK end, but will precede or follow the DARK end according to direction of draft. Use this chart for placement of LIGHT end. Note, dark is always the same as original twill draft, the LIGHT ends either precede or follow the DARK ends:

LIGHT DARK LIGHT

DESCENDING ORDER ASCENDING ORDER

(light end precedes dark) (light end follows dark)

3 1 3

4 2 4

1 3 1

2 4 2

Adjustments at turning points: First, an extra DARK end was added at each turning point in the original twill draft. To keep the symmetry of the DARK / LIGHT order, when inserting the LIGHT ends at the turning point either add or delete a LIGHT. When changing from Ascending to Descending, use only one light end between the two darks. When changing from Descending to Ascending, there will be three light ends to accompany the two DARK ends. Always keep the DARK / LIGHT order and be consistent when making adjustments at the turning points.

Here is the complete “As Drawn In” draft showing DARK & LIGHT ends:

It is difficult to see the threading and treadling pattern with this type of computer draft. I usually write or print out the original draft with the extra ends at the turning points to get the threading for the DARK ends, leaving a space between each end. Then I write in the LIGHT ends with a pencil or different colour:

With this method, the pattern of both the DARK and the LIGHT ends is clearly visible and logical.

To weave, use the standard tie up. The above draft starts with DARK on shaft 1 = DARK pick lifting shafts 1&2. Next, LIGHT on shaft 3 = LIGHT pick lifting shafts 3&4, etc.

Alternate two shuttles, DARK and LIGHT throughout and treadle as drawn in to get the “M & W” pattern. If the pattern is written out and DARK and LIGHT ends marked clearly it is easy to weave with above tie up as feet will alternate from left to right.

Any twill treadling draft without skips can be used with good results. Follow same procedure as with the threading, first writing out the treadling pattern adding extra ends at the turning points, leaving a space between each dark pick, drawing in ascending or descending arrows and then filling in the LIGHT ends according to the chart.

Nancey Orosz was the weaver of this sample.

The Evolution of Lace Weaves by Frances Schultz

Please note that this document is supplied by our Guild member Frances Schultz and is copyright to her. This document should not be used without Frances Schultz's permission. Thank you for sharing this Frances.

THE EVOLUTION OF LACE WEAVES

Basket Weave

There are interesting connections to be found between the various lace weaves. One can look at a progression of complexity developing through the different structures. Lace weaves are weave structures which open up from plain weave, i.e. the structures produce some kind of openings in the web. They progress in the following order.

1. Basket weave is the simplest. It is created by having groups of warp floats alternating with groups of weft floats. A weft float is stopped by the immediately following warp float. This is the only way that the floats in either direction are stopped. Note that there are several adjacent warp threads and weft threads with nothing separating them. Note that there is a limit to how many threads you can repeat on a shaft. Moving to the next shaft changes from weft to warp floats and stabilizes the fabric.

Canvas Weave

2. Canvas weave is a simple extension of a 4 thread basket weave. It is the basic structure of aida cloth for needle-point embroidery. There are two key features of the structure - it still has opposing warp floats and weft floats, but is it is made more stable by the addition of plain weave on each side of the floats. Also, because plain weave doesn’t beat in as closely, there are obvious ‘needle’ holes at the intersection pounts. There are pairs of adjacent warp threads and weft threads with nothing separating them, but unlike basket weave, the plain weave threads on each side confine them. Plain weave threading can be added on each side, or between blocks (if you wanted) by using shafts 1 and 4. Again, you can not repeat the threading unit without alternating with the second block unit.

3. Huck lace is an extension of canvas weave. Separate the pairs of adjacent warp or weft pairs and insert a plain weave weft and a plain weave warp. This creates even more stability in the weave structure. This is illustrated with a five thread huck, but a seven or nine thread huck just has more plain weave warp and weft inserts. Also look at the tie-ups. They both use the same tie-up to weave lace. Notice that now a threading unit has five threads in it while canvas weave only has four. Also notice that the treadling is identical in a repeat except for an added plain weave shot in the middle. Plain weave areas can be threaded on shafts 1 and 4. They can separate units ( then you’d get a spot) or surround areas of lace. The second draw down shows huck spots with plain weave in the alternate block. Again, you cannot repeat the threading unit more than once. The second block unit adds a stop to the float length. The plain weave area is exactly the same size as the lace block. Also characteristic of huck is that the plain weave areas spread out into the lace areas creating circles of plain weave when washed.

4. 

   Alternating Units of Lace

   

   Warp and Weft Float Lace

   Swedish lace is based on the huck base threading, but by adding one more thread in the warp (and weft), floats can now be tied down so that repeats of the same block are possible. Notice that the only change was in the insertion of an opposite tabby shot that allowed the treadling of a lace block to be repeated. Notice again that the plain weave area is the same size as the block, and that the floats of one block are cut off by the first warp thread in the new block. Also note that the extra tabby shot is only used to repeat the weaving of a block, but not used when moving to the next block treadling. The second sample shows that instead of alternating units of lace as in huck lace, now blocks of warp and weft float lace can be woven together. This is however the only way all lace can be woven in Swedish lace. Because of the plain weave threads between repeats in a block, these visually stay straight , and form window panes, while the floats move together and open up spaces or panes.

5.  Bronson lace is a true unit weave lace, but is still based on the huck idea. This time, a single unit is ALWAYS six threads. In huck and in Swedish lace, the first lace unit uses shaft 1 as the base (threading 12121) and the second uses shaft 4 (threading 43434). Swedish lace is able to be repeated because the base of one lace unit is used as a tie-down for the other so that a lace unit can be repeated, i.e. 12121 4 or 43434 1. That extra warp thread that acts as a tie down, stopping the weft float, is key. Bronson lace is developed to use this idea with a few changes. The first change is that ALL Bronson lace blocks use the same shaft for the base, and the same shaft for the tie-down. Shaft 1 is traditionally the base for all blocks, and shaft 2 is the tie-down shaft. Block A would be threaded 13131 2, and can be repeated as many times as wished. Block B would be 14141 2. Again repeatable. Key strucure feature is again the window pane between repeats in a block. The result? Bronson looks identical to Swedish lace except for two things. At the change from one block to the next, instead of the tie-down of one block being the first thread of the second block, there is a complete tabby warp that ties down the floats of one block and ties down the start of the next block, as well as a tabby weft shot that does the same. The other difference is that all-over lace in Bronson is all weft faced because the blocks can be combined by only lifting shaft 2 which is the tie-down shaft.

6.  Spot Bronson looks similar to a huck spot, but unlike a huck spot, which consists of 5 warp threads, spot Bronson only has 4 warp threads. Because it always has plain weave beside it , it looks complete, but is actually sharing with the next block. The other difference is that the same shaft is used for the base of all blocks, i.e. shaft 1. Because of this, there are 3 shafts available for blocks., hence 3 blocks are possible on only 4 shafts. Threadings are 1212, 1313, 1414. Like Bronson lace, spot Bronson has half of the warp threads on shaft 1.

While they are all related, each structure has its own characteristics that can be used to your advantage to get different or similar effects. One obvious thing to notice is that certainly the Bronson weaves are much easier on a jack loom than on a counter-balance. On the other hand, Swedish lace gives much the same effect and works on a counter-balance. By looking at the tie-ups, you can see that several of these structures can be combined for more complex effects in one piece of weaving.

Copyright Frances Schultz

Lethbridge Handicraft Guild News

Lethbridge Handicraft Guild will have their 120 foot “Woven Ribbon” installed at CASA Lethbridge (230-8th Street South, Lethbridge, Alberta) from September 4 - October 2. This large scale installation stretches from the main foyer of the community arts build leading viewers to our studio space on the second floor. We will also be hosting an opening “Fling Event” on September 19 in the evening. Please visit www.lethbridgehandicraftguild.blogspot.ca for pictures and updates on the project. 

Just a Few of Laura Fry's Samples from our Guild Testing Program

With today being Canada Day, we are featuring one of the Guild's Master Weavers.

I just got back from Olds College and was fortunate enough to be able to get a few pictures of some of Laura Fry's samples from her various levels of testing.  She also had samples from her research. Laura brought the samples so that students could see what was involved in our Guild testing.

It was so exciting to see so many tables filled with her wonderful work and I thank her for sharing her work with us here on our blog. The first table had a variety of samples many of which were created to match.

This butterfly was a double weave pick up created in pink and blue.  It was beautifully framed with the same blue.

Below that there were several samples woven in pinks and grays. If you click on the picture above, you will be able to see these samples a little better.

Laura also had a wonderful overshot woven in the same shade of grey but this time on a white warp.

The sample next to the overshot is a Summer and Winter.

Her tapestry sample, once again features the butterfly.  The brilliance of the butterfly ensures that it is the dominant feature against the subtle yet patterned background.  Truly a marvelous piece.  The last photo is a photo of table 2.

Such diversity of work from a great Canadian Weaver!