MAFA2025-3871
Description
| Weaver | Patty Franz |
|---|---|
| Source | Original design |
| Yarn | Cotton yarns including: natural cotton slub, 10/2 cotton, and cotton plied with sparkle – these were all dyed with indigo10/2 light blue mill end |
| EPI | |
| Purpose | yardage for a shirt |
| Guild | Richmond Weavers Guild |
|---|---|
| Collection | MAFA 2025 Functional Textiles |
| # Shafts | |
| Weave Name | Birds Eye Twill,Plain weave |
| Weave Category | Plain Simple,Twill Simple |
Weaver Notes
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.
