Bertha Gray Hayes Overshot Gamp

A correction: I wove this gamp tromp as writ, literally. I treadled exactly like the threading. After attending a workshop, I was corrected because tromp as writ means to weave the overshot blocks as threaded; not the individual threads. I think the sampler looks good as it is, but it is not correct overshot. I'll be correcting the draft and making a new gamp soon. 

It seems that all I've been doing lately is overshot. Well, I guess there could be worse things. 

Since I did not get a draft that I really like for my upcoming Bertha Gray Hayes overshot workshop, I decided to design a gamp. It was somewhat difficult to find patterns for the gamp because a lot of Ms. Hayes' patterns are asymmetrical. I ultimately decided on her patterns: Hazelwood (#63), Parquetry (#69), Blossom (#13), Delight(#29) & Peace (#39). 

My next challenge was choosing the fiber & colors for this project. I pulled out all my 5/2, 3/2 & 8/4 cotton. I stared at the cones and rearranged them a billion times. I chose the 5/2 for warp & tabby weft in blue, green, yellow, red & purple. 

The stripes are separated by black and I will use 3/2 cotton in black as pattern weft. I realized, as I was beaming, that I had wound my warp longer than planned. Hopefully, this will leave me with enough to weave a sample gamp for Ms. Smayda and possibly one for the HWBC archives. 

When I looked at my instructions for the workshop, I saw that Norma Smayda recommends using a set of 16 epi when using 5/2 cotton as warp. No wonder my 1st weavings using 5/2 were so stiff.....

I had used a set of 20 epi. 

For this gamp, I'll sley 2 ends per dent in an 8 dent reed for 16 epi. 

Almost ready to weave....

After resleying 1/2 the warp due to a skipped dent and a fixing a broken thread, let the weaving commence!!!!!

After weaving a few inches, I've noticed several things. Since I threaded the black threads on shafts 5&6, the gamp will have a good side and a bad side. Also, there are some small separations between the black stripes and the pattern squares because the pattern thread does not go from selvedge to selvedge but just across the pattern squares. 

You can see that it skews the design of the squares on the edges. You can also see the floats over the black threads. .

Well that's all for now. Hopefully I'll get this finished in the next day or so.

Happy Weaving!

All Kinds Of Stuff

Wednesday was my 2nd meeting as a member of the Hand Weavers of Bucks County. I'm so happy to find such a wonderfully talented as well as welcoming and receptive group. I must remember to take pictures after "show & share" as there are always amazing goodies to be seen. 

At the meeting, I received my draft for our upcoming workshop with Norma Smayda focusing on the overshot patterns of Bertha Gray Hayes. I received Trelis Pattern #55. 

Frankly, I wish I had gotten a more interesting draft, but I know I have a lot to learn and I hope that the simplicity of the draft will allow me to better understand the weave structure itself. 

I finally got the new parts for my Macomber! I've never had any new parts so I'm dazzled by the shininess of the new heddles. 

I ordered 30 treadle hooks. I had 8, so I figure that will keep me busy for a while. I'm trying to get one piece off my 1st 8 shaft warp that I am happy with.  I keep finding mistakes too late when I've gone too far to unweave. The pattern detail on 8 shaft overshot is amazing, but I probably should have warped the loom for the 1st time in a twill. 

For all of you who have enjoyed the Rigid Heddle tutorials, I am working on some Rigid Heddle Overshot using 2 heddles, a heddle bar and pick up sticks. I've got a TON going on now, but I hope to have some more time to work on this in early summer. 

Finally, I thought I'd introduce my other new acquisition... A 4 harness Dorset loom on loan from the guild for the workshop. 

Ok, so I now have 3 floor looms in one room in my house! Yikes! I am amazed that my husband is still talking to me 😉

Happy Weaving!

Patience, Grasshopper

So, this was a bit harder than I thought. I managed to thread the 8 shaft Macomber but then a few issues I'd noticed with the loom reared their heads. Firstly, the loom only came with 8 treadle hooks. The woman who had used it prior, used a skeleton tie up for 4 shafts, which only uses 8 hooks. Boy do I wish I'd asked her about more hooks, but I was just so excited I didn't realize until I got the loom home. The design I wanted to try needs 32. I decided to actually tie the treadles with twine. 

This was not fun.

Issue #2, is the fact that there are no cloth aprons. The front and rear bars are attached to the beams with nylon cord and as I try to wind the back beam, the cord doesn't roll onto it, but just slips and slides around. I figured out that if I wind the warp with sticks instead of paper, the cords don't slide. 

In the middle of writing this, I got a call back from Macomber. My loom was made in 1953. The woman was sooooooo nice and answered every one of my rookie questions :) These looms are so well made. I'm so happy with mine. I ordered treadle hooks & some heddles

A few days later than I had hoped, but I'm weaving on 8 shafts!!!!! My beat & tension need some work, but I LOVE it!!!!!!!!

Happy Weaving!

From Four to Eight Shafts

Well, I've done it. 8 months after getting my 1st floor loom; a 4 shaft 36" Leclerc Nilus, I am now the owner of an 8 shaft 40" Macomber loom. I think it dates from the late 50's or early 60's. It's in great shape for its age. I don't think it's been used in a few years, so it needed some TLC. Thank you very much to my husband who drove me 5 hours, round trip, to go pick up my loom. He thinks I'm crazy, but I think he's amused by my new obsession with "looming", as he calls it. According to him, I don't weave; I loom. 

The heddles are not in great shape. I sanded about 500 of them with super fine sandpaper to remove the rust. The rest I'll leave off to the sides for added weight. I'll get around to sanding the rest, but for now, I think 500 should do it ;)

I don't have a bench for this loom, which sits much higher than the LeClerc, so I'll be using one of my end tables temporarily. 

I struggled to decide what to weave 1st. I drafted twills, summer & winter and overshot.  I ended up going with an overshot draft, "Whig Rose on 8 Shafts" from Madelyn van der Hoogt. Her draft has two large center motifs and uses 361 ends of 10/2 cotton, 24 epi. I reduced the draft to one center motif and sleyed 218 ends of 3/2 cotton, 10 epi. 

Let's the threading commence!

Happy Weaving!