Someone asked about the reverse face, so here it is:
It’s still striking, but not nearly as nice as the front face. For one thing, the neat twill arrows on the front are replaced by black weft floats on the back. Still, it looks really interesting.
Following Laura’s advice, I gave the back a hard press and then did the front again. Amazing! The cloth feels much more cohesive now and the silk just glows. You can feel the difference really easily. I may even go so far as to do a fourth and fifth pressing!
(I discovered a secret for doing a hard press, by the way: I lowered the ironing board to mid-thigh instead of waist height. After doing that, I could lean in and use my body weight to press, which was a lot easier than using shoulder muscle. The magic of ergonomics!)
A brief plug for Laura’s book, Magic in the Water: it is a phenomenally useful book for understanding wet-finishing. It’s not cheap, but it is really really good and it contains samples showing how fabrics change when wet-finished, pressed, etc. – if a picture is worth a thousand words then a sample that you can see and feel must be worth a million!
Anyway, I wound up putting in a sixteen-hour day (count ’em: sixteen) at work yesterday, due to a major client crisis, so not a whole lot got done. I did manage to squeeze in some weaving in during a couple of short sanity breaks, though, so I’m about a yard into the second piece. I calculate that I’ll need 7.5 yards for the second piece, leaving me about 2-3 yards of usable warp left on the loom. I’m considering making myself a vest from the remaining warp. Or maybe a shawl for my friend in India (who could use the warmth). Haven’t decided for sure – I figure I’ll burn that bridge once I get there. 🙂
No word on the rental house yet, I’m calling them again tonight.
Tien, can you find a mangle on your coast somewhere? There are at least 5 here in Ann Arbor (housed with we weavers). A mangle can do a beautiful job of pressing your cloth without as much wear and tear on your body. Laura, your thoughts?
Also, just a note about your ability to work weaving into a crazy work life. Wonderful! Enjoy it…last November I was elected into a full-time away-from-my-home-type work and I miss just being able to go to the loom at lunchtime, listen to Fresh Air, and weave ’til sanity returns.
Beautiful fabric!
Thanks for the picture of the other side!!! Also beautiful – although you’re right – the front is the best!!!!
Sue
Using both hands (or alternate hands) also helps.
Tien, that’s gorgeous, and while it’s definitely the reverse of the side you’ll be showing in the garment, it’s fascinating to see the structure.
Of course you know that Blacksheep guild has a copy of Laura Fry’s book with the samples (fabulous to see AND feel the differences before and after) – are you taking pix, or keeping small samples of the cloth before and after finishing?
I’ve used a mangle in the past, and they can be wonderful for heat-setting dyes in cloth, as well as for pressing cloth in general. It’s the sort of thing that can be found from time to time, and would make a great guild asset. Hmm…!
Love the ergonomic answer: an ironing board that can be set at any height is Wonderful.
-Ruth
A mangle would definitely help when dealing with yardage.