EPI: 24

MAFA2023-035

Each warp stripe is 6 ends wide, alternating black and white except between wider sections where I doubled the black stripe. Weft stripes can repeat as much as you like.

This pattern was inspired by my recent trip to New Zealand and the preponderance of black and white checked fabric I encountered there. White represents good and black represents evil. The red used for the hems represents blood or life force.

I adapted this pattern from an episode of Jane Stafford’s online Weaving School and a pattern she offers entitled “Mocking Around.”

MAFA2023-017

This was from a warp that I put on to make thank you towels for my neighbor. She picked colors outside of my comfort zone, so my brief was to make towels that I liked out of colors that weren’t my favorite. I was pleased with this warm and rustic interpretation of the colors. Warp is 402 ends including fs with natural, dark brown and gold elements. Weft for the piece is a warm yellow-gold and a lighter, whiskey colored brown. Hems are 20/2 cotton in rust, and are machine hemmed. I used all 8 shafts, threaded straight draw because I wasn’t sure what treadling I would use, but for this one, I just used a 2/2 twill to let the plaid take center stage.

MAFA2023-019

The warp was 359 ends.
The hem is hand sewn with a polyester sewing thread.

MAFA2023-006

455 ends – 1 end 6/2 and 2 ends 20/2 per dent in 8 dent reed.
Warp: white thick, white thin
Weft: blue thick, white thin
Used Bluegrass Mills 6/2 cotton from Woolery for thick warp and weft and UKI 20/2 for thin warp and weft.
Used floating selvedges.
Several other patterns on same threading from her book that I plan to try next.
Also want to try using a colored thin weft.
Pattern shows much better after washing and pressing.

MAFA2023-009

410 warp ends total. 408 for pattern, plus one extra at each selvedge. Draft adapted for cotton instead of linen/cotolin.

Woven using picks of sewing thread at each end to create fold lines for the hem. Sewing thread was removed prior to turning and sewing hem by machine.

Warp was standard 8/10 cotton, unmercerized.

Weft was 10/2 Peru Naturtex Partners 100% organic cotton.

MAFA2023-008

This pattern is based on a draft that Robyn Spady sent me for my participation in her MAFA 2023 class ‘Pictures, Piles, Potpourri, and Perplexing Curiosities.’ She titled the structure “Better Than Basket Weave Basket Weave.”

I used two threads for each floating selvage. After taking off the loom, I serged the ends of each towel, folded the hem, and used the ‘stitch in the ditch’ technique with a straight stitch.

Very enjoyable to weave!

MAFA2023-004

I used Parson’s crepe threading, treadling and tie-up as referenced above, but added a band of my own design to one side of the towel.

MAFA2023-002

I made a few small changes to the draft (especially the tie-up, so I could walk the treadling) but none of my changes alter the result in any significant way and credit for this design belongs fully with Ms. Hall.

This towel used 368 ends and was woven on a Glimåkra Standard. It was 143 grammes after hemming but before wet finishing. I wove with the weft threads wetted.

In the reed it was 15 .25″.
Off the loom it was 15″ and trimmed to 33″ in length. After hemming it was 15″ x 31.5″
After wet finishing it is 14.5″ x 30.75″

MAFA2019-055

The hand-painted stripes were dyed using Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes.

I used a different color weft for each towel.