Sometimes you get lucky. So it was with the knot in this warp. Since the cloth was going to be cut up into samples I didn't feel like taking the time to fix it - instead I just marked it with a contrasting thread intending to toss it. But instead the knot fell in the 'waste' area of the samples so I didn't actually wind up losing it.
And here they are - 300+ mug rug blanks, aka samples. They are far from done as the intent with this sample is to show how I do a fringe on all four sides.
With colour and weave it's time consuming to deal with the constant colour changes, so rather than worry about the selvedges and weft loops I just left the colour that wasn't being woven run up along the side of the cloth. No doubt several of the blanks will be 'lost' as I work out how many threads to use for the fringe length but I have a half dozen where the dye lot changed in the middle so I'll use them to work out the details.
This post could have as easily been titled "Time is the most valuable commodity you have". After all, there's no making more once you've 'spent' it.
When developing a publication with actual samples, the amount of time involved is enormous. For example, just to cut the above bucket of samples took over 3 hours. The finishing (sewing, wet finishing, pressing, trimming) is going to take hours more. And that's not counting the weaving. I'm intending to have 10 samples (before and after) so multiply that by 10. And then add in the assembly - stapling the samples to the pages, collate the text and sample pages and package them up.
And then there is the writing. One reason I haven't quoted a firm price yet is because I haven't started the writing so I don't know how many pages of text there will be; therefore I can't even begin to calculate how much the printing is going to cost.
One thing I can share is that Magic in the Water; wet finishing handwovens had 20 before and after samples. Someone in the textile industry saw it and said that a comparable publication made for the textile industry would have been valued at $3000.00.
Finished reading Coffin Man by James D. Doss this morning, started Let's Play Dead by Sheila Connolly this afternoon
2 comments:
Hi Laura,
I was reading back through your Big Project Blogs and was thinking about ways you might save time with the samples. Years ago I purchased the fabric reference books Cotton, Silk and Wool and really loved glueing the samples in myself--a good excuse to play with the fabrics! Would it help with your time (& cost) to have all your samples in a plastic bag so that each person could place the samples on the page in a way (glue/staple/sew) that works best for them? I'm sure you've thought of this but in case you haven't, thought I'd put it out there.
Interesting - when I run out of card stock for the samples, perhaps that would be one way to go. :)
cheers
Laura
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