on and off the loom

1. Wool warp, silk weft in waffle weave on loom
2. Wool warp, wool weft in waffle weave on loom 
3. Wool warp and weft of the loom before washing 
4. 1 and 2 after washing 

I like the effect of both warps but both warps shrunk so much in a much higher percentage than in the samples so I guess we can all these scarves "neck wraps". Its so disappointing to get to the finial stage and then find the product is no good.  ( Sorry the image is yellow)
So today I started to put a new warp on the loom and will weave one scarf from it and make it extra long.

And it's pink again! This is still yarn from the use it up stage. So I am not to sure what structure I will use yet or what colour or thread in the weft but it is half way threded in the heddles, so just a few hours and it will be ready for weaving. The cream and pink warp in the forground of the last image is the first warp ready for Lacroix!!!!  It has 2 inches of pink and then I could not unwind any more so I finished it of with cream silk and will paint the warp as I weave it is just an experimental warps and will be fun to play. Bell :)

upgrade

first let me say AARRRGG to Melly , speak nicely and coax your loom into submission and hopefully she wll play nicely today.
I don't know what it is as soon as you want to do some serious weaving something always goes wrong.

Now I have been on the AVL site and wonder if I can get one of the comp-u-dobby 11 systems for my loom now that would make things so much easier and more fun what are your thoughts Mel?
B:)

AVL

Aaargh!

So I finally get to my warp - threaded, tied up and ready to go. Weave a little bit of plain weave. Install a new draft on the ipaq that runs the loom. Then nothing. Pocket Weave refuses to load. After an hour of trying different things, still nothing. AAARgh! So tomorrow I will try to run it through my laptop - if I can get a serial port to USB connector... I need more chocolate...


-- mel

Lacroix round up

 So I was thinking I need to review exactly what I was aiming for. After much pruning, the followig photos pull the strongest response from me. 

Colour, combinations of materials, embelishment, sumptuous, pattern, texture, folds.

--mel

Bottocelli flowers

These are some of the flower sections I'd like to work with for some pick up or brocade for the lacroix weavings. I'll play about and stylize them a little - glam them up maybe?

There are apartenly over 40 different flowers in the paining (Primavera) all with specific meanings. Research is continuing..

It will be a good thing to do on the train trip tomorrow.

--mel

Structures

Hmmm yummy! love the images!

For the first one - interpreting the lacing - how about some swedish lace or mucked up twill structure within the pleating? if you used your 8 shaft loom, you could have two shafts for the ground and 6 for the pleat draft?

For the second - that's a bit of a thinker - brocade? double weave pick up with a painted warp? 3 supplimentary painted warps?

All good for thinking upon!

--mel

Lacroix :

These images have come from my Christian Lacroix Fashion Memoir book.
Image one: Evening dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves in vanilla duchesse satin, inspired by Boldine [1995] photographer Irving Penn:
Image two: Choker in gilded metal, molten glass., fragments of hard stones and multicoloured Rhine-stones. Haute Couture collection spring/summer [1995] photographer Iaziz Hamani
How for an interpretation  image one natural colour silk tight weave double cloth,  pleated using maetal thread to manipulate the pleated but how to interpret the lacing?
Interpretation  image two  this one I am not sure I need Mels advice. I don't know enough about weave structure to make a plan for this one. so I am open to suggestions.
Belly:)

Wallpapers...

Wandering around Sydney shops I found this rather tastey wallpaper on a clothing store wall. I thought you would like it Belly!


And the next pic is from a wet autumn mittagong footpath - also very wallpapery.


-- Mel

A day at Sturt

I thought I would show you a little bit of what other people are up to at Sturt.
Here is Val weaving paper and cotton with a Fibonacci sequence.



Here is Maureen weaving a floor rug with an interesting draft.



This is Dimity, our tapestry weaving teacher, working on a commission.



The following images are of silk (2/60s) that I will use for the velvet warp - very excited! Though I needed to dye a few extra colours.












Can't wait for tomorrow!