
Handwoven Hand Painted Silk Shawl
Here is the completed shawl!
In case you didn’t read the post before this one, here is one of the painted warps that I made with Neal Howard at the Southeast Fiber Forum.
After consulting my notes and emailing Neal a few times for added support, I got the warp on the loom. It was pretty exciting to see it all spread out and admire the colors!
I wove several tests to check the sett (how close the warp threads are) and then unwoven them. The warp was not long enough to weave a test and cut it off and re-tie it. The weekend was rather hectic and I didn’t really haver a plan…
I wove to the bitter end and there was enough warp for the length that I wanted.
And here is a fun part – unwinding the woven fabric!
The next step was to finish off the ends in some fashion. When I wear a scarf I always fiddle with the fringe and I did feel that this shawl wanted to have an elegant ending. I’ve never made twisted fringe before and it was quite fun to do.
Then into the sink it went. It would seem that many of us are nervous about silk! It is incredibly strong and durable but it is also delicate. I washed it with shampoo in warm water and rinsed in warm as well. Neal informed us that silk will keep its wrinkles when washed in cold water. It was surprisingly heavy and took some time to dry on towels on the back porch, though it didn’t help that it was a humid South Carolina day.
Here is a close-up of the weave, which is a plaited twill. The pattern was very fun to weave and easy to see treadling mistakes.
The details for the weaving nerds:
Henry’s Attic Cascade Silk 3/2
15 epi
Pattern: Plaited Twill from A Weaver’s Book of 8 Shaft Patterns by Handwoven page 101
I’m delivering it on Thursday to Greenville Center for Creative Arts for the Annual Member’s Showcase. It’s always exciting to see your work in a gallery. If you live in the area, the show will be up for 6 weeks and most of the artwork is for sale.