I am somewhat proud of my four Cottolin tea-towels which have emerged despite horrid warping trials and tribulations. They are the first things which I have planned, bought yarn for, and wet finished. I am surprised at the weight and the density of the fabric. These are heavy duty, last for a lifetime old fashioned towels. Iam not sure I want them wet and dirty….but after I’ve gazed at them , handled them, shown them to friends and family, possibly I will be able to descend to earth and dry up a plate or two!
Here are all four of them, washed, pressed and waiting to be brought into service (but not yet!)
I have a cone of red Cottolin left and some black and white. I will probably use it to explore Huck or Spot Bronson threadings, though I’ m not sure a colour like red is going to show up the self coloured patterning. But that is for later.
My next project is Summer and Winter and some more cushion covers.
I have already made two small cushion covers in Overshot, which was another learning experience. I suppose I am exploring different weaves but trying to create something useful as well.
My armchairs and sofa are recently handed on gifts from my 90 year old mother who moved from a large house to a small flat two years ago. Being my mother she got rid of all her furniture so that she could have the pleasure of buying new!!! She had recently had the chairs recovered in a traditional but pretty fabric. I want to add cushions which will both compliment and ‘ginger ‘the mood up a bit. Here is the chair fabric which I am working with.
The base colour is a brown/ecru with a pattern of blue , coral and olive green mixed in. When I wove the Overshot I bought three colours in a mercerised 2/6 cotton, which I thought would go well and was disappointed when they arrived . They were too bright and obvious. I gathered cones of yarn from my stash some of it left over from my machine knitting days. Some was wool and only suitable for the weft and not strong enough for the warp. I am cautious about spending too much money whilst experimenting. The Cottolin was so lovely to weave with but not cheap!!! I also get a kick from using up, recycling and ‘making do’ The spirit of the patchwork maker and the rag rug weaver I suppose.
These are the yarns I have selected as being within the colour range which I hope will relate to the chairs. I am not going to take the easy route and order to match. I will be interested to see whether I am able to create a complimentary palatte with what I’ve got!
Before doing anything I have to get to grips with Summer and Winter. I have struggled with my weaving books and was finding it impossible to fully understand the structure. I kept thinking that I was there, I had understood, but soon accepted that I was still was unable to start threading a loom with a full awarerness of the reasons why this shaft or that treadle was required! I finally re-read Leighs beautiful descriptions and photos of towels using Summer and Winter. I made my own her explanation of designing with the Fibonicci sequence ,which produces a balanced and yet apparantly random warp and threading.
I also realised that I needed to weave a sample, something I have always put off doing . All that work to set up a small warp which isn’t going to be anything.
Here is my little sample piece, a bit ragged because I got fed up weaving ever onwards once I knew that my threading and treadling would work , and the colours looked good together. but
I got so much pleasure from the way the colours intermingled. I found that the brash coral (its more akin to salmon pink!) lost its rawness when sludgy browns and olives were woven over the top.
I did think that it would look good enlarged as a Summer and Winter patchwork lookalike quilt, but I would need a much wider loom ,and wherever would I put it in our tiny house. This is not a fantasy I need to dwell on just now.
I am going to weave three cushion covers in different colour combinations, starting with the one which is closest in relationship to the chair.
The warp here is a mix of coral pink, light brown and crinkly bottle green, The weft is a thicker mix of brown wool and some wierd pink/brown knitting yarn. The tabby weft is a brown/beige mercerised yarn of unknown origin.
This is pinkier and there is more olive green . The pink is toned down and muted with the olive green. I’m not sure about the red but I think I have a deeper wine red colour somewhere which I will try. The thing I like about the red is that it challenges the slightly restrained mood of the chairs, delivers a shout or a giggle or something a bit subversive……
I hope to have woven something by my next post
PS. As I was finishing my towels I saw that the beater on my Bergman was crooked. On end is higher than the other. I hadn’t noticed this before.
The right hand side of the beater is not square with the breast beam.
I investigated and found that there was a deliberate block of wood in the end of the beater upright where it slots over a bolt in the base of the loom.
This is the beater turned upside down to show the block. I would be grateful if someone could let me know if this is
a) normal in a beater. Are they designed off true to counter some unequal pressure in the beating movement.
b) something fitted for the personal beating method of Margery the previous owner.
c) or that there should actually be a similar block in the other side and it was done to lift the height of the beater. It does look as if it was added post manufacture.
I particularly field this question to spinninglizzy and Trapunto.as fellow Bergmanners
I sorely needed a dose Bergman, so am very happy to see your post!
You made very good use of the colours! I love their boldness — and especially admire how you made such a good match of colour and pattern!
I ran to upend and check my beater. No inserted blocks, but the cut out slot is smaller — mine measure 1-3/8″, the best I could tell in the dim lighting (it’s 2AM here). Will recheck tomorrow just in case. I’d say to check how the reed hits the fell line on both sides next time you’re weaving, and pick the best side to duplicate.
Oh thank you spinning lizzie…and in the middle of the night too!!!!!I will do as you suggest and check what happens when I beat.
[…] be closer to that ledge; it’s a bit higher than I’d like now. I wonder: Deborah has mentioned that one end of her beater was slightly raised — was the beater raised so the shed bottom […]
The cushion fabric looks great!!
I love using my cottolin towels! Love it!! They hold up really well…..although mine are bright colors, and some one got a spot of bleach on one of them….
Summer and winter is still a total mystery to me….but some day!!
Sue
I love the look of those towels so much I think I’ll be putting cottolin yarns on my next order.
The sampler for the cushions looks promising, you’ve got some lovely colour combinations there.
Really enjoyed reading your post, Summer and Winter is such a fun weave – I particularly love the fact that you can make recognizable shapes.
This is why I love S&W so much. The ways the colors mix and blend is so fascinating! I love the colors you chose to work with. You did good!
I wish I’d gotten here sooner! How exciting! Beautiful towels! At least you will always have the pictures of them in their crisp newness. I love your color sample, and the idea of working with what you have. I too have a problematic (and gigantic) cone of raw coral yarn. I’ll keep it mind about the muddying down.
The Bergman beater is designed to sit square and level. Looms have quirks, though, and weavers–ingenious souls that they are–design some peculiar fixes. My first thought would be that Margery just wanted her beater to sit a little higher for some reason, and then the other block fell out. Or perhaps the pivot-bolts were installed at different heights at one time, and the block was to compensate for the lower bolt?
The pivot notch in my beater is just shy of 1 5/8 inches deep, or about 4 cm. The wood wears a bit with time, but I don’t think that would usually be enough of a problem to call for a block like yours. It sounds like a mystery. As long as your loom weaves well and the beater isn’t getting twisted out of true because of the block, I wouldn’t worry *too* much.
Your mom and the new furniture gave me a laugh. I think her cast offs are very pretty. Did she pick something completely different for her flat?
I think you are right about one block falling out. I have watched my weaving and it really doesn’t seem to be affected by the lop-sidedness, so I am going to ignore it. My mother has always re done her houses at the slightest opportunity but she has never parted with some of the heirlooms which I am now the owner of. things like paintings, a lovely oak chest and wierd things like a brass warming pan!!! So now I have a house full of antiques whlst my mama sits sorrounded by modernity!!!!
I’m glad it didn’t turn out to be a problem!
Oddly enough, I have wished for a warming pan on occasion. I guess hot pads and hot water bottles make more sense now that there are no servants or open fires to go with them. Actually, I’d like the open fires and the servants too…