MAFA 2025 Functional Textiles

MAFA2025-3933

The piece is woven using Deborah Silver’s split-shed technique. I hand-drew the cartoon for the pickup oatterning.

I warped my table loom with enough for two runners. The first I cut off and used for a weaving guild challenge. This is the completed one shown in the photos. This photo is not great because it wasn’t taken for the purpose of exhibition entry. I gave this one away as part of the challenge/exchange. The one to be submitted is underway but not quite finished. (I need to finish it before MAFA because this is on my table loom and I will need the loom for a workshop.) One of the photos shows it as it is currently on the loom.

Finishing was a bit of a challenge. I steamed it rather than immersing it in water because I wasn’t sure how all of the different fibers would react. It shrank quite a bit. The photos don’t show it clearly but the wool portions fluffed up and created a nice dimensional effect.

The draft shows the structure without patterning.

MAFA2025-3930

Our study group topic was Quigley, so I decided to design an original pattern to weave placemats out of as a way to understand the structure better. The total number of ends is 372 plus floating selvedges and the width in reed was 15.5″. The placemats are hemmed with a rolled hem in such a manner that either side of the placemat may be used as the “right side”.

MAFA2025-3917

Needed floating selvedges; also, replaced the cotton floating selvedges with a 2/20 brown rayon as the cotton kept breaking.

Because the silk tussah is a boucle and is “sticky”, don’t use it for warp again. And the silk is a Giovanna Imperial yarn, which is no longer available – it was a happy accident to find the multicolored, bumpy polyester (from Made in America) was such a good substitute in the weft (the warp has the majority of the silk in it).

Used 3 ends / dent in a 10 dent / inch reed which is 10″ wide in the reed. I found the draft in Handwoven; but, changed the fibers used, order of color, sett, treadling, etc.; the only thing original is the satin draft.

Had some major issues with the shed as the shafts were misbehaving (some were rising when they weren’t needed); almost cut it off and threw it in the trash. But, my hubby/loom engineer helped a great deal and we got the correct shafts to raise or lower when required. This was woven on a 2002 24 shaft AVL Production Dobby Loom with a Compu-Dobby III – old but a workhorse. I use an old laptop – not attached to the internet to drive my loom; so I can’t download a wif file from it.

Inspiration was the fact that I have some left over 20/2 cotton (in white and taupe) from a previous project and thought the silk boucle was perfect match; and wanted to try a satin draft. Plus, my daughter found the draft and suggested that she would like a table runner; and, I am trying to use finer yarns in my weaving.

MAFA2025-3897

This was a project for our annual guild challenge – to take some donated alpaca fiber and make something from it, spinning the fiber. I used grey and white alpaca fiber, washed it, drumcarded it, and then spun it into a two ply yarn. I wove it using clasped weft. Once off the loom, I washed and lightly fulled the fabric and made it into a lined tote bag with leather handles.

MAFA2025-3889

Based on Arts & Crafts coloration and patterning.

19.5″ wide x 42.5″ long

802 working ends, so 1604 warp threads.

2 ends per heddle. The beat was 5 double picks/” on the loom, 4.5/” finished. I used relatively loose warp tension and beat hard with a shed stick in the upcoming shed. The thick weft was twisted at the selvedge. Thin wefts were treated as if for an inkle band, by leaving a weft loop, beating and then pulling the far side loopy weft snug against the selvedge. 20/2 used for hem.

Colors used:
UKI Special Turquoise, UKI Light Turquoise, UKI Light Orange, UKI Dark Gold, Lunatic Fringe Butter Yellow, UKI Duck, Lunatic Fringe Kelp

MAFA2025-3880

I had designed a 16 block rep weave for a tote bag that resembled vertical entwined ribbons. I took this lift plan and used it with a 32 block rep weave threading. After tweaking, the design result was a lattice.

My thread stash included purple and a raspberry thread. I do not usually weave with these colors. I decided to expand my color choices and used these two threads with a gray 10/2 to design the warp colors.

MAFA2025-3879

This yardage will be used to weave two tote bags of my own design. I wound a 3 yd warp using 414 ends of 16/2 linen and 2 selvedge threads on each side using 16/3 linen. The width on the loom was 23 inches. Yardage off loom and unwashed is 70 inches in length and 22 inches in width. I am anticipating about an addition inch or two decrease in width after washing.

I used a temple while weaving and made sure to mist the warp and linen bobbins to avoid fraying or breaking. I varied the colors of the wool pattern weft to simulate spring flowers.

MAFA2025-3876

Based on the fall coloration of raspberry leaves.
Repp playing off inkle band design.

20 1/2 ” x 13″

514 working ends, so 1028 warp threads.

Each 10/2 end, despite working as double threads, was threaded separately to organize the color mixing in each 2 end weaving unit. The beat was 5 double picks/” on the loom, 4.5/” finished. I used relatively loose warp tension and beat hard with a shed stick in the upcoming shed. The thick weft was twisted at the selvedge. Thin wefts were treated as if for an inkle band, by leaving a weft loop, beating and then pulling the far side loopy weft snug against the selvedge.

Colors used: UKI navy & purple, purple passion, pacific blue, deep turquoise, Lunatic Fringe copper, kelp, forest, 5 red-purple

MAFA2025-3874

This reversible rug was designed as a three-end tied unit weave and woven using shaft-switching. The selvedges were card-woven. The gold color was hand-dyed.

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At MAFA 2023, I created a shirt pattern in my class with Cal Patch. I wanted to use that pattern again, but for a different style of shirt. I plan to make this new shirt more like a tunic and possibly with a square neck. The front and back will be three pieces with two bird’s eye pieces on the front with one plain piece. The back will be the opposite.

In October 2024, our guild did some indigo dyeing. I decided to dye a warp at this event for my shirt. I found a commercial shirt pattern that helped me figure out what I wanted to do with my own shirt. This pattern involved two different fabrics – which I could create on one warp.

I made a six yard warp that has 1056 ends set at 24 epi. Half the warp was woven in a Bird’s Eye pattern beat at about 16 ppi. I used some 10/2 cotton that I had dyed at a different workshop for my weft. It was also dyed with indigo. The second half of the warp is plain weave woven with a mill end light blue cotton.

I did attempt some space dyeing on my warp, but I did not allow enough dye to get into the plain weave half of the warp. So the whole warp looks somewhat space dyed. I also should have been more patient and let my warp sit in the dye bath longer. I would have liked for the blue to be deeper.

The beat for this fabric was challenging for me. I like a firm beat. I usually match my epi and ppi. This was a good exercise for me. The fabric is loose and should be a good summer weight.