For the blue/purple side of the rug, I tried to weave the fabric strips in to create a movement from blue to purple. I chose the backside fabric to be a contrasting color to the front. The hems are based on Tom Knisley’s hem pattern.
MAFA2023-026
My weaving Study Group had a plan for a towel exchange this year. I was inspired by bright colors and designed a very colorful warp to include a mixture of smooth cotton yarns and boucle. I planned some color mixing in the warp with sections of warp alternating between a smooth cotton and a cotton boucle thread. As I came to the end of my warp, I decided to experiment with some zanshi weaving using the thrums saved from my other weaving projects. I had to use care in what I chose as weft to ensure the colors did not clash with the very colorful warp. I wove a little and planned my further wefts by how the color of the woven wefts interacted with the warp. As the cloth developed, I tied more thrums to contrast the previous wefts, using care not to create a muddled mess. As the cloth grew I realized I had enough warp left to weave a whole towel! Wefts used varied from 6 strand embroidery floss (used sparingly), 10/2, 8/2, 8/4 cotton and cotton boucle.
Upon completion, I decided to enter this towel in the MAFA exchange with the hope that it will inspire others to use thrums to create cloth that not only is useful and fun, but is environmentally friendly as well. I hope you will enjoy this towel.
MAFA2023-029
Scottish Meadow Towels
I created this pattern while watching the series Outlander. It’s a very easy draft to weave and goes very quickly.
Warp Threads: 282 (7 pattern repeats + 2 selvedge threads))
Warp End Color Sequence: Maysville Navy Blue 20 ends + 1 floating end
Maurice Brassard Mauve 40 ends
Maurice Brassard Olive Fonce 40 ends
Maysville Spanish Blue 80 ends
Maurice Brassard Olive Fonce 40 ends
Maurice Brassard Mauve 40 Ends
Maysville Navy Blue 20 ends + 1 floating end
Pattern Weft Picks: 360 (9 pattern repeats)
Weft Pick Color Sequence: Maysville Colonial Blue 20 picks
Maurice Brassard Lilac 40 picks
Maysville Colonial Green 40 picks
Maysville Chalk160 picks
Maysville Colonial Green 40 picks
Maurice Brassard Lilac 40 picks
Maysville Colonial Blue 20 picks
Notes:
Hems: 1-1/2 inch plain weave in Colonial Blue before and after the 9 pattern repeats
Loom Width: 23″ (allowing for 20% shrinkage)
Loom Length: 34″ (allowing for 20% shrinkage and hem)
Finishing: Washed with laundry detergent, dried in dryer, pressed then machine hemmed.
Finished Width: 19″
Finished Length: 27″
MAFA2021-029
I varied Jane’s original design, but started with her ideas. My fiber is actually cotton boucle and cottolin.
MAFA2021-030
I just started weaving in August 2020. My fiber friends, who are also weavers, encouraged me to join Jane Stafford’s Online Guild. I fell in love with Jane’s boucle towel kits and bought two for the colors. However, I wanted to try something I had not seen, towels woven with 8/4 cotton as warp, with the goal being a thick absorbent towel with texture. For added texture, the warp in the center was created by alternating 8/4 cotton warp with a matching boucle yarn. I wanted to see if there would be much difference between the combo 8/4 cotton + cotton boucle versus 8/4 cotton alone.
The towel weft was woven with boucle alone, alternating colors and weaving inches to follow Fibonacci sequences (1, 2 ,3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1). Color progression: aqua, orange, light green, fuchsia, and purple. I wanted the colors to play together in the towel to create visual interest. While I was very reluctant to weave with purple boucle as part of my design, I found this color series one of my favorites. Interestingly, after finishing, there did not seem to be a great textural difference between the areas woven with the 8/4 cotton + boucle combo or in the 8/4 cotton warp alone.
The hems were woven with 16/2 cotton and hand stitched. I hope you will enjoy this towel as much as I enjoyed weaving it!
Warp: 12epi 8/4 carpet warp, 266 warp ends total.
Sley: 20 ends peacock, 6 black, 45 jade, 6 black, 56 each peacock and peacock boucle, 6 black, 45 jade, 6 black, 20 peacock
Weft: cotton boucle in aqua, orange, light green, fuchsia, and purple
MAFA2021-020
This draft is a color and graphic exploration as part of the Jane Stafford Textiles Online Guild. This was created though her design influence. Consider using your interpretation of Fibonacci numbers. One thing that has become clear as I have worked with Jane Stafford is that we must not be hesitant to weave plain weave. Make what you weave creative with color and design and embrace it!
Technical information on the loom:
12 epi
262 ends
6 dent reed
Warp length: 7.5 yards/8 towels
Width on loom: 22″
Length on loom: 30″
Finished towel approximately 18 x 26″
Yarn purchased from Jane Stafford Textiles in the following colors:
Limette
Pale Limette
Peacock
Turquoise
Royal
Sold in 1/2 pound cones with 1150 yds/cone.
MAFA2019-001
This was done at a somewhat loose sett in the workshop as an experiment. I really liked the soft hand. The workshop towel was too narrow for this exchange so I made another. I hope you like it.
Color and weave pattern was 2-1 dark-light in both the warp and the weft.