Merry Month of May

Family  Day

May has been a busy month for the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners.
 This month we attended our first outdoor event of the season, the Qualicum Beach, Family Day.  Our booth was popular with small aspiring weavers and spinners as well as their parents. 

rosepath tea towel

The tea towel project finished up at the end of the month.  The floor looms in our studio at Qualicum Commons had been dressed with warps threaded in a rosepath pattern for tea towels.  Each weaver was assigned a length of warp.  The weft colours and treadling patterns were the weaver's choice. so the end results were quite different. Check out the finished cloth on the loom and see how the weft has altered the colours.

preparing for warp painting

We've been playing with dyes.  In order to create colour effects that change over the length of the cloth we can weave with different colours of weft threads or we can dye the warp before it is put on the loom and weave with one colour of weft.

The dye process is a messy so it is a perfect project for a sunny day and as you can see by the photos the weather cooperated.

applying dye

In the photos, fibre reactive dyes are being applied to cellulose based yarn such as, rayon, cotton or linen.  The yarns have been wound as a warp, tied loosely, washed well and then soaked in a sodium carbonate solution and wrung out so they are damp.  The liquid dye is applied in any order or pattern imaginable then the warp is carefully wrapped in plastic and allowed to "cure".  This type of dye does not require high temperatures to react with the fibre.

The results always include some surprises as the dyes tend to move and intermix to give intermediate results that are not always predictable.

painted warp with inspiring flowers

We will be taking a break from regular general meetings from June until September but interest and study groups will continue to meet regularly at Qualicum Commons on Primrose Street.  In July we will be opening up our studio to the public as part of the ART IN ACTION event organized by The Old School House Art Centre.  This is a major event that includes displays and demonstrations and even a painting contest.