Mary's Helpful Hints for Weavers
Here is another batch of helpful hints from MaryAndrews. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your years of experience with us.
- Any pattern "as-drawn-in" is to be squared and at a 45 degree angle.
- To check for errors stand at the side of the loom and view your weaving and the mistakes will show up very clearly.
- Before putting on another warp always go over every part of the loom and tighten each bolt as they become loose from the beating.
- Hemstitching always requires two shots of tabby and use the warp thread where possible for the sewing.
- To assist in assessing the number of ends per inch, wind the thread around one inch on the ruler having each thread just touch each other and then divide by half if weaving tabby. All settings requiring pattern and tabby will use the tabby setting.
- In overshot, the tabby thread is the same size as the warp thread and the pattern thread is twice the size of the tabby (excluding miniatures). The pattern thread must be of a soft fibre to pack down so that the overshot areas are solid in appearance.
- When designing, it is always a good idea to do a negative and positive picture because one will be superior to the other.
- When you are weaving never touch your selvages. The speed with which you throw your shuttle should give you good edges. Hold the shuttle with the forefinger on the point and the thumb on top.
- Never leave a mistake in your weaving.
- In order to keep track of your scissors try tying them to the cloth bar with a very long shoe lace.
- To make interesting vertical stripes use an overshot threading and weave with only one pattern treadle along with the tabby.
- Threading and drawdown plans should show one and a half repeats.
- When you want to take off any of your project, weave 1" of tabby (use odds and ends) and spread glue on the tabby. Let it dry and cut at the beginning of the glued section (closest to the cloth bar). Remove. Then take the steel rod, open a tabby shed, insert the rod and tie to the other steel rod. Put in a piece of cardboard in opposite tabby sheds and start weaving again. Wastage is no more than 1" rather than doing the tying on again and you still have perfect tension on your warp.
- To weave a double width 2 panel bedspread. The right selvage will be at the center and there will be a pull in. To offset this, thread the first four threads twice then proceed with threading. The second piece must be woven upside down or reversed by reversing the treadling. Join these 2 panels in a figure 8 stitch from the bottom matching the patterns. Do not butt the selvages.
- When tying on to the pseudo-warp. Put tension on it, step on a tabby treadle, place a 1/2" piece of cardboard in the shed in front of the reed. Tie groups of pseudo-warp to hold the cardboard. Cut loops of the new warp. Take ends in order from the lease sticks and tie to the pseudo-warp.
- When weaving any of the lace pattems and the weft has to be joined again always join the threads in a tabby shed and not in a lace shed.
- Sley double in the dents to reduce friction on single threads.
- With linen it is easier to tie-on if the ends are moistened.
- Uneven denting should be avoided if possible as it causes streaking which will not wash out satisfactorily.
- Use a reed to spread a linen warp instead of a raddle so the ends will not pile in groups on the warp beam.
Mary finishes these hints with a quote from Theo Moorman - "Always have honesty in your work, face yourself, know your materials, reflect - then - have control over your fibres. Let your ideas grow fruitfully, naturally, in a vein suitable to you. Aim high for your own sake, not for competitive reasons or public adorations".
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Software Directory for Fibre Artists