Complex Weavers' Showcase 2004

To see the items showcased in 2004, scroll down
To see the items showcased in 2011, click Showcase 2011
To see the items showcased in 2010, click Showcase 2010
To see the items showcased in 2009, click Showcase 2009
To see the items showcased in 2008,click Showcase 2008
To see the items showcased in 2007, click Showcase 2007
To see the items showcased in 2006, click Showcase 2006
To see the items showcased in 2005, click Showcase 2005
To see the items showcased in 2003, click Showcase 2003
To see the items showcased in 2002, click Showcase 2002

Study Group: Japanese Textiles

TAITEN CLOTH

Betty Carlson wove this cloth (note that warps run left-right in this picture) from an undyed 30/2 rayon warp and a 30/2 Lyocell weft dyed with a navy and scarlet mixture. The threads used to draw up the cloth were heavy slick rayon inserted at the points of the point twill in the same heddle as the warp thread there. The cloth was woven, cut from the loom and drawn up as tightly as possible with the heavy rayon threads, which were securely knotted to ensure a good resist.

The resisted package was soaked in a soda/salt bath and then dipped in a navy and turquoise mixture, after which it was steamed, thoroughly rinsed and dried. The resist knots were cut and the remains of the heavy rayon removed. The resultant cloth was then rinsed again and ironed flat.

The silk screen used for the discharge image printed on the cloth was developed from a scanned antique katazome stencil. The discharge paste was of thiourea dioxide, Keltex and sodium carbonate. The individual images were developed by activating the thiourea with a steam iron and the cloth was washed, dried and ironed and the samples cut.

The name "Taiten" refers to offertory gifts presented to the emperor Taisho upon his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. The artists of Arimatsu developed the new and unique form of shibori specifically for that occasion.

In Taiten the shibori resist is woven into the fabric in the form of waxed warp threads which were used as gathering threads to pull up the fabric tightly and then knotted before dyeing. After the dye process these warp threads were cut and removed. Their removal and the subsequent empty spaces immediately identify Taiten. These spaces can be seen in the close-up.

Taiten was an immediate success with the public and pictures exist that illustrate at least limited commercial production. These show a frame attached to the loom used to hold the waxed threads and another used to attach the woven threads for gathering of the cloth. Because the open spaces tended to weaken the fabric, the technique was abandoned. Few specimens remain.

For more information about the Japanese Textiles Study Group, visit Complex Weavers Study Group: Japanese Textiles

Used by permission.
This is the thirty-first item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the twelfth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Fabric Analysis

Julie George studied this napkin (the right side of the picture) which she found at her brother's house and was able to determine the structure and weave a sample (the left side of the picture). Both back and front are shown because they are so different. Julie writes: " [the napkins are a] huck texture weave with deflected warp and weft floats which interweave and join in the warp and weft. Fulling creates an overlayer of medallion-like crosses in plain weave and an underlayer of plain weave ground cloth...

"The Vermont Weavers Guild then used this as their sample contribution to the New England Weavers Seminar newsletter. Counting the threads, etc., was the easy part of the analysis. Trying to figure out how to write the draft was the hard part and Jyoti Coyle from our guild put the draft into Patternland Software originally. "

The warp and weft of the woven sample are 16/2 unmercerized cotton.
Warp sett at 28 epi, with variable denting.
Weft sett is 32 ppi. Warp sett used a 15-dent reed as follows:
Section A - 3 dents at 2 ends per dent;
Sections B & D - 5 dents at 1, 2, 2, 2, 1 ends per dent;
Section C - 2 dents at 3 ends per dent. For a larger picture, click on show0411a.jpg.
The Fabric Analysis Study group is no longer active but the Study group Notebooks are available from Complex Weavers Library Study Group & Exchange Notebooks
Used by permission.
This is the thirtieth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the eleventh item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Computer Aided Design

This month we showcase Sue Peters' sample for the Computer Aided Design Study Group. Sue writes: "This draft was part of my submission for the June, 2003 CAD Study Group newsletter. It is a 24 shaft version of a coverlet found in the monograph entitled Point Work Coverlets with 'Diagonal' Tie-ups by Janet Crosson and Marjie Thompson. What intrigued me about the coverlet was the fact that the placement of color resulted in the formation of a variety of geometric shapes in addition to the expected diamonds. I wove samples using this draft and mercerized wet spun linen, 30/3, from Robin and Russ. The sett was 24 epi and the beat was 24 ppi. Lighter more grayed colors were substituted for the original indigo, madder and mustard yellow. The samples had the crisp, firm hand that I associate with table linens. Two of the samples were sent for the CW Silver Jubilee sample exchange. "
The wif file is available at show0410.wif
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-ninth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the tenth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Tied Weaves

Cynthia Broughton's tied weave with multiple ties is showcased this month. The warp, weft, and pattern are 60/2 silk. Cynthia writes: "In last year's CWTW study group an idea was proposed to use multiple ties instead of the more common two or three ties. I began using original plaited twills as both the ties and the pattern blocks as well as using the plaited twill ties with other block arrangements. The result is that the blocks have irregular edges, a fact that I find intriguing.
Credit should also be given to Su Butler for her encouragement and advice as well as Bonnie Inouye for information on plaited twills and an education in software. I have not finished exploring these weave structures and will continue to do so before going on to other aspects of tied weaves."
The wif file is available at show0409.wif
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-eighthth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the ninth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Sixteens

This is Sally Breckenridge's sample for The Sixteens' 2003 sample exchange on networked drafts. She writes:
"I designed this network draft when I was implementing Alice Schlein's network draft method into my Weaveit software. I had always thought it would be pretty and this was a good opportunity to weave it.
"It uses a 4 end initial and a 7 end wide ribbon in the peg plan. The pattern line was created just playing around. I liked the dominant blue side best and that's what I used for the blouse. The warp is a combination of 3 colors of blue and mint green. The weft is two colors of peach shades. 20/2 cotton. 16 shaft weave, balanced.
"I made a blouse out of the fabric. I was quite pleased with the results and the blouse."

Click on the thumbnail to see Sally's blouse.
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-seventh item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the eighth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Crackle

Mimi Smith wove yardage in the Crackle Study Group. She writes, "The sample was part of the fall 2003 swatch exchange of the Crackle Study Group. I used an eight-shaft point twill progression for the crackle and a 1/1/1/2/1/2 tie-up. The treadling is a straight twill crackle treadling without a tabby. The warp is 5/2 mercerized cotton in a blue-purple . The weft is a variegated turquoise/green/teal/navy cotton fiber spun around a polyester core, chosen to turn the warp into a light blue. The reverse of the sample is warp-faced emphasis. I plan to make a vest with the finished cloth."
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-sixth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the seventh item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Medieval Textiles

Inspired by works studied in the Medieval Study Group, Krystal Morgan did an oak leaf profile draft for ten pattern shafts and draw handles. The wif is available at show0406.wif.
Krystal writes that the warp and weft were both 10/2 cotton at 30 epi, while the ground structure was a six shaft irregular satin. The design was inspired by these sources: Salazar, Kim Brody. The New Carolingian Modelbook. Albuquerque NM: The Outlaw Press, 1995. Plate 9, Figure 3, and Pagano, Matteo. L'Honesto Essemplo del vertuoso desiderio che hanno le donne di nobil ingegno, circa lo imparare i punti tagliati a fogliami. Venice, 1550.
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-fifth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the sixth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Sample Exchange, The Old-Fashioned Way

Judith Doty Dumke wove this sample (and others) for the Swatch Exchange of the Sample Exchange, The Old Fashioned Way Study Group. She made informative notes on her procedures:

"This set of samples is part of a series trying to characterize some of the factors influencing the construction of fabrics which exhibit collapsing behavior.

"By using a four block structure, such as in the draft show0405.wif, pleats, not just ridges, can be achieved. In this set each of the blocks is threaded with two closely related shades of 28/12 CPM cotton floss. By manipulating the treadling, any of the four colors may be hidden in the folds that result.

"Some of the oft stated rules/suggestions for collapse fabric are evaluated in these samples:

• The warp and weft must be of different grist and/or fibers. Not in these samples, warp and weft are the same 28/12 cotton in many sections.
• Differential shrinkage is necessary for the effect to occur. The chestnut yarn is the same in the warp and the weft and this would have identical shrinkage.
• The yarn must be smooth. The bright green may be slippery but it is certainly not smooth, I have used several textured yarns quite successfully in the past.
• The fabric should be either warp or weft faced. These fabrics are a balanced ppi/epi structure.
• It is necessary to use fine yarns. These are coarse yarns.
• It is necessary to use a straight twill. A point twill treadling is used in the second half of each sample.

"Other Observations include:

• A firm tension on the weft is desirable
• Air drying with finger molding helps to set the pleats ...
• Hem stitching often distorts the pleats; if it is to be used, a sample is necessary to see if it would be effective.
• The pleats are less well formed at the end of series of samples if a plain weave header or tie off is used. The longer the run of pleats the stronger the pleating.
• There was a loss of gloss in the floss after washing. This may be due to the strands no longer being as parallel as they were prior to washing.
• The floss takes time (several days) to air dry when the outside humidity is 80% or more.
• Color blending may be unproductive with the draft and yarn used, it sometimes appears to be more confusing than helpful.
• There is distortion in the web while weaving thus you may be able to determine if pleating will happen by simple observation.
• Horizontal take up may be sizable, in this sample 8" in reed, web 7" and final fabric about 3.5".
• These samples do not qualify as "pretty" they are intended to explore the phenomena of collapsing.
• I used fairly coarse yarn in these samples so that it would be easier to see the actions of the various threads. If I were to be working on a project the yarns would be quite different. For balance I might also extend each block.
• The next step will be an attempt to create box pleats by modifying the threading and treadling with color modulation a factor."

Used by permission.
This is the twenty-fourth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the fifth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Collapse, Pleat, and Bump

Roelie Schouten of the Netherlands sends this information about her sample for the Collapse, Pleat, and Bump Study Group. "This is a sample for different shawls. I have woven a nice plain weave with both materials, using Myhr wool 6/2 (merino) 4 threads per cm [10 epi] and colcoton (cotton) 34/2, 10 threads per cm [25 epi]. Collapse and bump woven fabric is flat while under tension on the loom. For the best result, your cloth should be like an open cloth on the loom. The materials, structure, sett, and beat affect the final result of the fabric. Finishing: place it in a sink of very hot water and soap, agitate by hand. The smooth wool will shrink and the cotton will pucker. When it has a look and hand you like, place the scarf in cool water and lay it flat to dry. I like to use plain weave and experiment with yarns that shrink, contract, full, relax, or change dramatically in the finishing process in combination with yarns that don't."
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-third item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the fourth item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Beyond Plain Weave Garments

This month we showcased the Beyond Plain Weave Garments Study Group with a detail of a vest made in Deflected Double Weave Dots, by Nancy Peck. She writes that the cloth was woven with 8 shafts, in cotton.
Used by permission.
This is the twenty-second item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the third item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Early Weaving Books and Manuscripts

This month we showcase the Early Weaving Books and Manuscripts Study Group with a sample by Trudy Otis. She writes " It's the most amazing cloth I've ever woven, and I'm still thanking Marjie Thompson for giving me the draft to try next time I have a point twill on my 32 shafts. This draft has led to a napkin exchange among 5 of my close friends using 40/2 linen in natural gray/green warp and a white weft. We hope to be showing them at the New England Weavers Seminar in 2005."
According to Trudy, the weave is a 32 shaft point twill (hin und weider)
Source: Peter Jacob Meyer Manuscript, pattern # 17, Free Library of Philadelphia (1790's)
Warp: 40/2 linen, mustard; Weft: 40/2 linen, navy; Sett 40epi. Used by permission.
This is the twenty-first item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the second item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.

Study Group: Fine Threads

This detail of a scarf by Nancy Rose showcases the work of the Fine Threads Study Group. Nancy writes "This was in the Fine Threads Study Group exchange of 2003. The warp is 30/2 tencel dyed in 14 colors with Cibacron F dyes and sett at 53.3 epi. The weft is 50/2 tussah silk dyed with Lanaset dyes. The threading is 16 shaft networked twill and the treadling advancing twill with a turned twill tie-up. The finished piece is a scarf." Used by permission.
This is the twentieth item in our showcase of what members are working on, and the first item of a year-long showcase of Study Groups' work.