Dying Scarves

So I finally finished my problem warp, put the last one in the dye pot, and redyed one of the others. Mainly I just can't wait to start on my new ones - monofilament, rayon and wool.

 This one is in a kind of lime Lanasol.

I'm experimenting with over dying the rayon with Procion. I've left in in overnight so we'll see how it looks later.

And here's a couple of sketches I drew while I was on the train the other day.

--mel

A Funny

This seems relevant -

Care of http://icanhascheezburger.com/
--melly

Animals..

A couple of animals featured today - chooks and monkeys.

Carrying on from the sampling on the weekend, I've decided to make some cuffs - rayon, silver and feathers.

 And I decided to make my god-daughter and her sister sock-monkeys for Christmas .

More weaving tomorrow!
--melly

10 things from Belinda

Ok Melly . I am trowing out, recycling, giving away but out of my house 10 things a day until I go away in 10 days so thats 100 bits and pieces. Starting with my kitchen junk draws.

1. little velvet bag garbage
2. remote ( from what ?) garbage
3. empty packet recycling
4. eraser garbage
5. mobile phone Recycling
6. mobile phone Recycling
7. note book give away
8. head set garbage
9. membership card garbage
10. stack of receipts ( I have many little stacks) shred and recycle

So 5 out of 10 is garbage my aim is to recycle more than go into the garbage. so we will see how we get on. I have 9 rooms down stairs ( including that garage) and 3 rooms upstairs that are the girls bedrooms and one has been made into a closet so hopefully by the end of next year I should have a clean house if I can keep this up.

Mells weaving

A little clip of Mell's weaving. Rayon, vintage silver metallic thread and feathers woven in pleats. My warp was not successful but will do some before and after photos. I want to dye the weaving black and print on it with gold leaf.

A few days at Mum's

Last week I spent a few days relaxing at Mum and Dad's place. Along with a lot of sleep ins and naps, we also did a spot of weaving.


Mum finished the cloth for her dressing gown - it has devine colours - pinks and purples - the warp is 60% wool, 40% mohair and the weft is possum. Then we put it in the washing machine for 15 minutes then the tumble drier for 30. So warm and fluffy!


Then we put on a narrow rug warp on her other loom.


And then we put back together am old friend of mine! Lovely old loom I bought when I was a student. I had to take it apart with a warp still on it - a velvet rug warp! So guess what I'll be doing at Christmas time?
And tomorrow I'll post what Belly and I did today!
--melly

My new discovery of an ancient art.

I stumbled upon a weaving technique called Saganishiki and I am totally smittened. I would love to try it and am thinking of going to Convergence in Long Beach next year to do a workshop. The warp is paper and coated with metal in some cases 24ct gold! with silk weft,  so not a cheap technique to learn but I would still like to give it ago. There is not a lot of information about Saganishiki out there and if any one knows where I can get a loom please leave a comment. The image is from a blog I found and the weaving is by  blogger Michael Cook ( I think )  at wormspit

Another site I have found and its very interesting but I don't read Japanese. I take it this weaver is a master of the craft.

Dreaded pink and citrus warp

Sometimes I wonder about my colour chooses. Citrus and pink silk, and wool mixed in the top warp and wool ( to felt) in the bottom warp. Of cause the wool and pink thread I the top warp tension differently so it is a problem before I even start to sample. I have put on a simple threading sequence of:
1,2,5,3,4,6 . 5 and 6 being the bottom warp of Lauren ( felting) wool. You can just see the colour samples of forest green, i only had an old reel of Mederia metal bit wanted to see what the colour looked like. Also a dull orange colour that I think works well.

So now what will I weave?

Sorry images need rotating, its an Iphone thing as saved on the computer they look fine so have to figure that one out Melly.

Its been a while

Mel with company:

Mel came to visit this weekend and we got my little loom back out and Mel just had to finish it for me. I think it was driving her crazy that I had not done this yet. so now to weave this off in a week.

Year 10 Felt Shoe Making

These are some photos from a 2 day workshop I gave last week.




















--mel

Countermarch Woes

Just a quite suggested reading post -
http://www.weaversschool.com/resources.htm and download the article called 'Countermarch Looms - Everything you've ever wanted to know'. After you've done that, print it out and GLUE IT TO YOUR COUNTERMARCH LOOM.
Ok so it's mainly written for Glimakra looms but if you read it very carefully, as well as look at the pictures, and make a few educated guesses, you'll end up with a lovely shed.
I have recently spent hours and hours getting a really fussy countermarche loom working - and I finally did! I was so stunned I needed a Campari! But I felt so good for actually conquering it - I haven't felt like that for ages!
I hope  it still works tomorrow and I didn't dream it..
--mel

Velvet weaving and feathers

I've finally finished warping up and am weaving that warp we wound so long ago!
I've done a little bit of velvet and then started putting in cut up ostrich feathers - am loving the feathers!


I also came across a cute quote Something cute I came across in the Sturt archives - from 1958 local paper.
"Weaving is something that 'gets you in'" said Mrs Chaserly, who has been an instructoress for five years. "Some of the housewives who join our classes become so engrossed that I'm afraid they forget their housework for a while."
Indeed
-- Mel

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lego Weaving

This is one of those odd moments that only happens at night, on one's own and often a little over-tired.
The catalyst, so far as I can tell, was watching 'James May's Toy Stories' on Mecanno. On it was a brief couple of seconds of a FULLY AUTOMATIC Mecanno power loom - very old black and white film.
Here's a plan I found via http://www.meccanopedia.com/wiki/index.php?title=MOM_74-02_Power_Loom.ModelPlan


So. Theoretically I could make a teeny baby loom making bookmarks or ribbons sitting beside me while I weave!
But no Mecanno around the house...
But there was the box of Lego I bought myself for Christmas last year...
Playing...distraction... Playing...
Fully working skein winder!








Now the loom... Well my Leggo set wasn't that comprehensive so I couldn't make the rollers unfortunately - or anything automatic without cogs and things, but I went as far as I could with what I had.









And since waking up this morning I've found tonnes more on the interweb! Now I need more Leggo and Mecanno!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A wasted day again!

Well Melly what a day. I finally got the warp tied on and started to weave and threads kept breaking and after I fixed a few threading mistakes ( don't talk to people who wonder into the studio while threading ) but got all that sorted ( I think).  I have had no end of trouble weaving the pleats and I think the varying tension is the problem and thats because I have wool and silk on the top warp (Wool on the bottom) and the wool remained tight when the silk was loose trying to make the pleat! Grrr.

So any suggestions I just left the studio in disgust and Leo's music was driving me mad so all in all a bad day! Photos not so good my first effort with the iphone.

comfy dog,he's asleep!

wool on the left side of the warp

threading sequence, bottom warp on 5 and 6

no grant no computerized loom

if only Mell,  can we go back

Vive Lacroix!

All images from Elle Decor  Photographer Andrew Lamb   
 

You could forgive Christian Lacroix for feeling depressed. In December 2009, the designer left the fashion house that bears his name after more than 22 years at its helm. The writing had been on the wall for some time. The label operated without a profit and, in 2005, its original backer, LVMH , sold the firm to the Falic Fashion Group, whose success derives from duty-free retailing. The glamorous and cerebral Lacroix found himself part of the same corporation as Daddy Yankee fragrances and Urban Decay cosmetics. Today, Maison Christian Lacroix continues without him. No longer, however, does it produce the women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture that made it famous. Instead, the house launched a menswear line this past January with a collection that bears little relationship to the joyous, flamboyant style that has long been Lacroix’s trademark. Full article on Elle Decor online.