I spent this afternoon clearing out and re-reorganizing the garage. The loom is now usable! Here is a shot of Sophie, looking much more comfortable after the removal of all the stuff that was piled around and against her:
And after hooking everything up, of course, I had to weave a little something to make sure that Sophie was happy and working. So this was inevitable:
Not the clearest writing (I wish I’d had black weft), but I hope the meaning comes across.
Meanwhile, coat-wise, I have turned the square buttonholes on their points to make diamonds, which I like much better. I should have remembered from design class: diagonal lines are energetic, vertical and horizontal lines are calmer. In this case, a little energy is called for:
Now I like it a lot more.
The main question is how big to make the buttonholes. Which of course means I need to figure out what kind of buttons to make. I have ordered some of these from Britex Fabrics:
I ordered five of the smallest size (3/4″) from Britex; we’ll see what they look like when they arrive. I liked the knotted look, as it’s very much in keeping with the theme. If it doesn’t work, I’ll fall back to round suede buttons, which I can get made in any size.
Tonight I am going to start underlining the handwoven fabric. Because it is not super tightly woven, I want to give it some support, so I’m going to tack it to the underlining, which will be a lightweight China silk. I had thought of organza, but I think I will get better drape with a China silk. So I’m giving that a try. I’m not quite sure how best to attach it yet – will ask Sharon for her thoughts when I see her tomorrow.
In a few days I should have the buttons and be ready to play with buttonholes, which will in turn tell me how to redraft the front to reflect the final design.