weaving with variegated yarns mean that you can get lots of patterning and color with very little effort, if you pick your colors right. These two pillows show three ways to weave with variegated yarns—variegated as warp, variegated as weft, and variegated as warp and weft. The fabric is sewn into a square and stuffed with a commercial pillow form. The pillows are neatly finished with a loom-woven tubular weave band piping. You could also embellish the pillows by stitching on lengths of tubular weave in freeform designs.
About 14" square.
Plain weave.
8-dent rigid heddle with 16" weaving width; one stick shuttle; tapestry needle.
Sett (epi)
8.
Weaving Width
Pillow—15½".
Piping—1¼".
Picks per Inch (ppi)
Pillow—6.
Piping—3.
Warp Length
Each Pillow—64" (162.5 cm; includes 30" [76 cm] for loom waste and take-up). Each Piping—86" (218 cm; includes 30" [76 cm] for loom waste and take-up).
Number of Warp Ends
Pillow—124.
Piping—10.
Pillow Warp
Single-spun heavy worsted-weight wool (630 yd [576 m]/lb): 221 yd (202 m) red or variegated.
Shown here: Manos del Uruguay (100% wool; 630 yd [576 m]/lb): #69 red or #113 Wildflower.
Pillow Weft
Single-spun heavy worsted-weight wool (630 yd [576 m]/lb): 45 yd (41 m) each red and pastel variegated. 2-ply sportweight wool (1,700 yd [1554.5 m]/lb): 16 yd (14.5 m) red (for hem only).
Shown here: Manos del Uruguay (100% wool; 630 yd [576 m]/lb): #69 red and #113 Wildflower.
Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport Weight (100% wool; 1,700 yd [1,554.5 m]/lb): #44 Husker Red.
Piping Warp
Single-spun heavy worsted-weight wool (630 yd [576 m]/lb): 24 yd (22 m) red or pastel variegated.
Shown here: Manos del
Uruguay (100% wool; 630 yd [576 m]/lb): #69 red or #113 Wildflower.
Piping Weft
Single-spun heavy worsted-weight wool (630 yd [576 m]/lb): 7 yd (6.5 m) red or pastel variegated.
Shown here: Manos del Uruguay (100% wool; 630 yd [576 m]/lb): #69 red or #113 Wildflower.
Other Supplies
Coordinating sewing thread and sharp-point sewing needle; 14" × 14" (35.5 × 35.5 cm) pillow form (form shown by Eco Craft (cotton fabric stuffed with corn fiber); Fray Check (available at fabric and craft stores).
Although the warp is a bulky single-spun yarn, it holds up remarkably well under tension and can withstand a fair amount of abrasion without fraying.
Because this fabric has more warp ends per inch than weft picks, whichever yarn is in the warp will appear more dominant.
Using the red warp for one pillow and the pastel variegated warp for the other, Warp the loom (see page 24), following the specifications on page 73.
Wind three stick shuttles: one with bulky red, one with bulky variegated, and one with fingering-weight wool.
Weave an inch or two with scrap yarn to spread the warp ends (see page 40).
Leave a 30" (76 cm) tail to use for hemstitching later, then using a soft beat, weave 1" (2.5 cm) with fingering-weight wool. Thread the weft tail on a tapestry needle and use it to hemstitch (see page 120) around two warps and wefts at the starting end of the scarf. Weave 16" (40.5 cm) with the variegated yarn, then switch to red and weave another 16" (40.5 cm), and finish by weaving 1" (2.5 cm) with the fingering-weight wool. Cut the weft, leaving a 30" (76 cm) tail. Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and use it to hemstitch as before.
Remove the fabric from the loom (see page 46). Remove the scrap yarn in the header.
Weave one piping with red warp and one piping with variegated warp. The piping is woven separately in a structure called tubular weave. To weave tubular weave, warp the loom with ten 86" (218.5 cm) warp ends. Wind a short stick shuttle with 2½ yards (2.3 meters) of weft yarn. Leave a 6" (15 cm) weft tail at the right selvedge if you’re right-handed or at the left selvedge if you’re left-handed to use to cinch the end, then pass the shuttle through the shed. Change the shed without bringing the reed to the fell of the cloth. Bring the shuttle under the warp and back to the same side where it entered the shed before. Pass the shuttle through the new shed. Holding the shuttle in your palm, pinch the exiting yarn between your thumb and index finger about 2" (5 cm) from the selvedge, tug firmly downward on the weft yarn to move it into place. Take care to not pinch the yarn too far from the shed and exert too much pressure, as singles yarn has a tendency to pull apart. Continue weaving in this manner for a few inches, always entering the shed from the same side so that the narrow warp forms a tube. Make several half-hitch knots with the weft to cinch the end of the piping. Continuing weaving until the tube measures 56" (142 cm) long (you will lose about 17% of the length due to take-up and shrinkage once it is washed).
Full (see page 55) the pillow and piping fabric in the washing machine set for a gentle cycle with mild soap and warm water or handwash the fabric using warm water and mild soap. If handwashing, gently agitate the cloth for a few minutes to encourage the fabric to full, then gently squeeze out the water by wrapping the fabric in a towel. With either method, lay the fabric flat to air-dry. Trim the fringe right up to the knot on the piping and the hemstitching on the pillow.
1. Pass the shuttle through the shed, leaving a 6" (15 cm) tail at the selvedge.
2. Change the shed and bring the shuttle under warp and around to same side it previously entered.
3. Pass the shuttle through the new shed, then tug downward on the weft to tighten the piping.
4. Tie the weft tail in the second half hitch to cinch the end of the piping.
Fold the 1" (2.5 cm) of fabric woven with the fingering yarn to the wrong side of the pillow fabric and, using sewing thread, whipstitch (see page 121) it in place to form a hem. Repeat on the other end. Fold the cloth in half so that the seams are facing out. Using a tapestry needle and the thin weft, work a baseball stitch (see page 120) under the first thick pick to assure that the seam is hidden when sewn, then sew the two ends together. Sew one of the sides to form an envelope. Turn the fabric right side out and place the pillow form inside the fabric envelope. Fold the remaining open side down inside the pillow about 1" (2.5 cm) and sew the fabric together close to the edge of pillow form.
Place the knotted end of piping at the center of one side of the sewn pillow. Using coordinating sewing thread, use whipstitches to sew the base of the piping to the pillow seam. Sew the piping around all four sides. Cut the piping so that the end just covers the knot where you began, seal the cut with Fray Check, and sew the sealed end over the knot.