Archive: January 2024

MAFA2023-041

The more contrast the better it looks....

MAFA2023-042

This wove up very easily. I like both the straight treadling, and the reversing. I used organic cotton, natural, for the light weft. I find it softer than regular unmercerized, and more linty to weave. Perhaps more absorbent....

MAFA2023-043

This was my first ever kitchen towel project! It also was my first shaddow weave! My inspiration was thinking about an American flag and how the stripes would undulate if the wind were blowing. I chose to shadow weave in blue and white vs red...

MAFA2023-044

The threading is called huck variation by Russell E. Groff. I experimented with twill tie ups, but treadled as drawn, 121, 343, 121, 565, 787, 565. Weaving in the reed was 20.5, “ and the shrinkage was 15%. Total warp ends: 414 plus 1 floating...

MAFA2023-036

Wind on 500 ends: 496 for the threading and 2 doubled floating selvedges (which I like for strength in a workhorse handwoven) Be sure to keep a record of your color order for symmetry. I found it best to create threading blocks divisible by 4...

MAFA2023-037

452 ends I put on a long warp and regretted it later; with the color changes it was slow weaving. I was unable to find an attractive way to carry the colors along a selvage. I liked the use of two shafts to create a...

MAFA2023-038

This Handweaving.net draft was enhanced with the use of color warp stripes and can then be woven in a number of complementary weft colors. I found some errors in the original draft which I corrected and changed the widths of the straight twill, braided twill...

MAFA2023-039

282 ends. Advanced twill threading inspired by Susan Balascio....

MAFA2023-040

Towel uses 2 variations of treadling with a traditional M & W twill pattern. Vary treadling and colors as desired. Floating selvedges are incorporated. Hems are woven with plain weave, folded and machine stitched. WIF file shows 2 options for colors and treadling. There are...

MAFA2023-031

I wet finished the towel by boiling it in water with dawn detergent for one hour and laid it flat to dry. I used a 19th century draft for a southern counterpane from Martin Marshall an Alabama weaver. I have not been able to find...

MAFA2023-032

Delightful Weave. Fantastic fabric. Total number of ends: 498. Increased EPI at selvedges. Serged and Hemmed....

MAFA2023-033

I have started into Jane Stafford’s School of Weaving and this towel is a variation of the Asymmetry sample from the second season. I substituted turquoise where Jane used red, and enlarged the graphic to get the size towel I wanted. I played with the...

MAFA2023-034

I used 2 patterns – one was Rosalie Neilson’s from her class and one of my own created in the class. There are 4 colors in both the warp and weft. I experimented with different colors in the weft. Floating selvedges were used. There was...

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...

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...

MAFA2023-027

Wanted to make the towel look like the sunrise I see most mornings from my garden window. It also was a stash buster. I hope when you are stuck drying dishes the towel will make you smile and think about the peace of nature....

MAFA2023-028

I used 6 shafts to reduce the number of heddles on shafts 1 & 2; putting the plain weave portion on #5 & 6. This could be woven on 4 shafts as well. I used Valley Yarns variegated “Cotton Candy” for the plain weave portions...

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...

MAFA2023-030

This basic design was on the Handwoven Magazine website but woven in huck lace on 8 shafts. I liked the design and wanted to try some Swedish lace on 4 shafts so I modified the design and moved blocks around using weaving software. When I...

MAFA2023-021

This towel is 3/1 twill stripes of hand dyed yarn alternating with plain weave stripes. The plain weave stripes are sett at 20 epi and threaded straight draw on shafts 1-4. The twill stripes are sett at 30 epi and threaded straight draw on shafts...

MAFA2023-022

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MAFA2023-023

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MAFA2023-024

Woven with 8/2 hemp (40%)/organic cotton (60%) yarn in both the warp and weft, ordered from Gather Textiles. 444 ends at 20 epi for a little over 22 inches in the reed (10 dent, 2 ends/dent). About 19 inches finished width. Length was about 36″...

MAFA2023-025

I’m a beginner, so while the pattern called for 20 ppi, I was unable to beat that close. So I adjusted the pattern’s weft instructions and used 16ppi. I wove this on a 4 shaft table loom....

MAFA2023-016

6 repeats on the threading. Outside 2 are the floating selvage. Weft: 1.5″ border, Edge 13 repeats of middle section Edge 1.5″ border. Part of a 4 Season Towel kit by Lunatic Fridge Yarns by Mary Berent...

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...

MAFA2023-018

Our weaving study group had a challenge to design and weave something using a given simple profile draft. I decided to give myself a further challenge by using a weave structure that I had not or had rarely used, and chose turned taqueté. I used...

MAFA2023-019

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

MAFA2023-020

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MAFA2023-011

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MAFA2023-012

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MAFA2023-013

This was the first project I wove on my first loom, an older 12-shaft Macomber that took me over 9 months to refurbish. The towels turned out better than I had hoped, so of course I put them away “for posterity”. I couldn’t bear to...

MAFA2023-014

This is actually a variation of the above draft. I was inspired by similar variation I’d seen in a Facebook weaving group. I loved the way she had highlighted one repeat of the design instead of repeating it across the whole towel – she had...

MAFA2023-015

On the .wif, the first 14 thread is one edge of the towel and the other edge is the last 32 threads. Repeat the 40 threads in the middle as often as needed for the towel you are weaving. I overestimated the shrinkage of my...

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...

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...

MAFA2023-010

The wider stripes in the warp are randomly placed, as is the order of the 4 pinstripe colors throughout. The warp is 506 threads plus 4 FS, 2 on each side.The weft repeats two more times, using a different color pattern (Chambray/Denim/Natural) of Plain Weave...

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...

MAFA2023-007

Note – 1 doubled end/dent in 12-dent heddle)...

MAFA2023-001

This towel is woven in the colors of the Norwegian flag to reflect Caroline Halvorson’s 1904 pattern and my Norwegian heritage. The selvedge has a denser sett, as described by Dixon in her book, A Handweaver’s Pattern Book. Ends Ends 5-8 and 400-403 have two...

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...

MAFA2023-003

440 ends This was a really fun project, putting 4 threads through 1 heddle gave a really neat texture to the towel. Tom had a new to me suggestion for hems. Weave your hem length and then put 2 picks in the same shed to...

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....

MAFA2023-005

I used the Brighton Honey Comb towels in Handwoven as a starting point for my springy towels. I decided on 7 stripes of each 3 colors. Each group of three colors was separated by a thinner stripe of white and every stripe had a border...

MAFA2019-041

Dark stripes always begin & end on harness 4 in any number of repeats. Light stripes always begin & end on harness 1 in any number of repeats. The color order is given in the accompanying chart. These yarns blend Sally Fox’ green and brown...

MAFA2019-046

Linen warp bobbins had to be very wet to prevent loops in the selvedge. Tension was a problem throughout and I helped that by spraying the threads. The yarn seems too coarse to make a really nice towel....

MAFA2019-049

Finished towel is 17.5″ x 25.0″...

MAFA2019-050

I wove this at 25 epi so it would fit on my workshop loom. If width had not been an issue, I would have woven it at 24 epi....

MAFA2019-055

The hand-painted stripes were dyed using Procion MX Fiber Reactive dyes. I used a different color weft for each towel....

MAFA2019-060

We are big tea lovers in the family – so this towel in Handwoven S/O 2003 caught my eye. I have used this draft numerous times over the years – in various colours and weights of fibre – for towels and as material for tray...

MAFA2019-068

I like to choose a threading that can provide several patterns. Then I play…use one for the hem, another for the body, intersperse plain weave....

MAFA2019-077

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MAFA2019-079

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MAFA2019-081

The yarn was predominantly unmercerized cotton. The goal was to use yarns from dark to light so that the light warps would stand out. The colors were chosen as I wound the warp. Occasionally perle cotton was used if the color sequence required it and...

MAFA2019-065

A great way to use up small quantities of yarn...

MAFA2019-066

This towel was woven with 4 colors, 2 in the warp and 2 in the weft....

MAFA2019-067

I did a straight tabby weave hem for approximately 1-1.5 inches at the beginning and end of the towel. I used a weft that was laceweight in order to have a hem that was flatter when I folded it over twice....

MAFA2019-072

This has become one of my favorite towel warps. It is draft #246, false damask check. I call it woven ribbons, as that is what it looks like to me. Although it uses two shuttles, it is actually a very rhythmic weave. On my ten-yard...

MAFA2019-073

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MAFA2019-075

Used 5 stripes of my hand dyed 8/2 cotton (purple/blue, orange/pink, yellow, greens, red/orange) – each 3″ wide with 1/2″ wide stripes of purple, teal and blue of commercially dyed 8/2 cotton. The hems are plain weave (1 1/2″ long, turned and machine stitched). Crocheted...

MAFA2019-078

The section on the draft that is labeled to be omitted was included only to illustrate that I used a variety of colors for the last 8 threads of each 40-thread unit. I used unmercerized cotton for both warp and weft....

MAFA2019-053

This was a warp and project that was my first exploration of a complex (for me) gamp. While a newer weaver, and always trying new things, I loved working on a twill sampler with friend and weaving mentor Jane Stafford via her Canadian Online Guild....

MAFA2019-056

I started out with Strickler #246, and as I was working with two different shades of red in the weft, I realized how much it reminded me of watermelon. I decided to add some lines in shades of green to represent the rind, along with...

MAFA2019-057

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MAFA2019-059

Really enjoyed Tom Knisely’s “Weaving on a Straight Eight” class taken during the 2017 MAFA conference. Wanted to weave something from his class booklet and chose the pattern ‘Ribs of Twill and Plain Weave’. It’s a nice easy piece to weave, and the treadling is...

MAFA2019-074

This was my 2019 Cross Country Weavers sample. The assignment was “Stripes in Structure.”...

MAFA2019-076

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MAFA2019-080

The color block design is based on Fibonacci relationships. The blue area is 8 inches wide (160 Ends). The lime green area is 13 inches wide (260 ends). In the weft, there is 3 inches of lime green, then a ¾ inch stripe of blue....

MAFA2019-061

I wanted to use the ‘Netting A’ from Davison’s book page 95, but didn’t want to have to move heddles, so I used shafts 7 and 8 to substitute for shafts 2 and 3 when necessary. I also wanted a small selvedge and used shafts...

MAFA2019-062

Towel is 8 repeats plus 18 ends to balance. Was 17.83″ in 15 dent reed. The warp had 418 ends of white 20/2 @ 30 EPI and 272 ends of 16/2 blue @ 60 EPI. From the manuscripts of J. P. Meyer and F. Walbert...

MAFA2019-063

I followed one of HW patterns for exchange towel. For others on warp I randomized- using 3 colors, adding alternating stripes etc. Made towels more fun in my opinion....

MAFA2019-064

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MAFA2019-069

According to the monograph, shadow weave is basically a balanced weave but the patterns are derived from twill. The warp arrangement and weft picks alternate light and dark and the greater contrast, the greater visual impact....

MAFA2019-071

This is based on a towel in Handwoven, but modified by me....

MAFA2019-051

I like towels as usable samples of structures that are new to me because even a failure will probably still dry dishes. Diversified Plain Weave (using Madelyn Van der Hoogt’s “new DPW threading and treadling” see Weaver’s Summer 1997) is a really fun structure I...

MAFA2019-052

Towels are a bit on the wide side. Could have made them narrower and/or longer as they came out rather square. Treadling: Woven in plain weave for40 picks white, Turq/White, White/Turq 5 times, 14 picks white, Pink/White, White/Pink 5 times, 14 picks white, Orange/White, White/Orange...

MAFA2019-054

Block Twill is fun to play with, especially with colorways. Used only one color for warp, but is great fun in color stripes. I chose this pattern particularly to reacquaint myself with profile draft, though the draft attached is a full draft/draw down. Started and...

MAFA2019-058

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MAFA2019-042

I modified this draft off of the towel created in the Vavstuga Basics class....

MAFA2019-043

Making the graphic square is more important than the actual PPI. If 19 PPI gives you a square graphic, then it’s good. It was fun to weave, my first attempt at using cottolin. The draft actually calls for 18 EPI. I only had a 10...

MAFA2019-044

This was fun to weave because of the color way of stripes, but the weave structure would be lost if just a single color were used. The 20/2 linen was too fine to use with cottolin and 8/2 cotton....

MAFA2019-045

I saw this color palette on Pinterest and chose 4 different colors for the warp. (WEBS: Black Forest, Burnt Sienna, Tobacco and Eggplant.) The width of the stripes and colors can be adjusted to whatever you should desire. Each color stripe was 34 end wide...

MAFA2019-047

I used cotton (unmercerized) for both warp and weft. Length shrinkage was close to 20% while width was a more expected 10%. I added a band woven using a tabby treadling at one end of the towel. An easy weave and the design is pleasantly...

MAFA2019-048

Using the idea that if six colors is good, 60 would be better, I chose yarns from the blues and greens in my 10/2 stash, included cotton I had hand dyed, and wound various stripes onto the warping board, trying to balance colors and vary...

MAFA2019-021

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MAFA2019-022

This is my first weaving project using the M’s and O’s weaving structure....

MAFA2019-023

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MAFA2019-024

It was fun to play with color. It was difficult to keep the Monk’s Belt pattern areas from drawing in....

MAFA2019-025

I learned how to choose 2 block textures for a 4 shaft loom. This was woven on a warp from MAFA 2017 Rosalie Neilson’s class “Color & Design in Huck Lace Towels” I enjoyed weaving Huck for the first time, and enjoyed learning about motif,...

MAFA2019-026

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MAFA2019-027

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MAFA2019-028

Used 1 floating selvedge on each side...

MAFA2019-029

The warp alternates 2 threading blocks with 3 thread colors. This is a two shuttle weave and each block of the 2-block treadling uses two colors in the weft, and the color combination changes with each block change. All 3 of the warp colors are...

MAFA2019-030

I used what color yarns I had on hand, the numbers on the warp order were for my purpose to keep track of my color selection that I wound on card while winding my warp....

MAFA2019-031

I really enjoyed weaving this towel and the fabric that was produced. As I used a very different color way than suggested, my towel looks not a lot like the gingham checks in the pattern. I hope whoever receives this towel enjoys it for many...

MAFA2019-032

I did not put the different colors of the used threads, it’s up to you to use any color....

MAFA2019-033

I was looking for some ideas to help me mix colors and found this draft in a Weavers Magazine. I ended up making 4 towels and used the various suggested treadling options to create alternate patterns and a sampler towel for future reference. Weaving this...

MAFA2019-034

I simply played with random striping in both the warp and weft. While the pattern is technically from Gist Yarn, the point draft is from page 71 of Ann Dixon’s Handweaver’s Pattern Directory....

MAFA2019-035

I did notice that my warp drew in more for the point twill than the plain weave. Next time I will use a temple for that part. Warp color is white. Weft colors- -plain weave is pale yellow, point twill chevron is orange and point...

MAFA2019-036

I somehow reversed the blocks on both edges of the towel, but I like the way it turned out....

MAFA2019-037

The texture was more subtle because of the variegated weft color....

MAFA2019-039

The color sequence (Chasing Rainbows) comes from The Weaver’s Weevil by Rebecca Fox and the warp yarn is 10/2 mercerized cotton from Lunatic Fringe (color spectrum). I used black for the weft and threaded on a straight draw....

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...

MAFA2019-002

The colors and pattern I used were based on a towel that I saw at Red Stone Glenn last year. The pattern is from Jane Patrick’s _The Weaver’s Idea Book – Creative Cloth on A Rigid Heddle Loom_. I have used this pattern many times...

MAFA2019-003

Pattern was a plain weave towel with pick up stick details. I used organic colorgrown cotton. Light green/dark green. The colors will show the more it is washed and used....

MAFA2019-004

Woven on rigid heddle loom, with pickup stick used as third shaft. I was exploring textures available on a rigid heddle loom and tried to develop a threading and treading to get a Bumberet texture. This turned out to be almost impossible because Bumberet depends...

MAFA2019-005

Woven on 3 shafts on a 4-shaft loom....

MAFA2019-006

This draft is a standard basic twill with plain weave borders at each end. The twill combined with color sequence for the warp was devised by Beth Willson, Purcellville, VA. I have woven a number of towels using this draft, changing the color sequencing in...

MAFA2019-007

I followed the pattern as published, except for these changes: 1. I used 22/2 Cottolin for the weft instead of 8/2 Cotton 2. In order to comply with the Towel Exchange rules, I removed the outer 32 threads on each side of the towel, a...

MAFA2019-008

This was my first project that I started and completed all on my own after taking several weaving classes. I followed the warp color and threading order in the kit (from Halcyon Yarn), but quickly changed up the weft color order and treadling after weaving...