Introduction to Magic in the Water with School of Sweet Georgia
In about 24 hours (1 pm Pacific Time Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022) the class with SOS will be live.
This topic is one of several near and dear to my heart because it is the final step in turning that mass of interlaced individual threads into 'real' cloth.
One of the things I am enjoying about doing classes with SOS is the interaction with the students. The first class The Intentional Weaver produced a lively discussion when it launched in January and I expect this class to be much the same. Maybe even more questions, because wet finishing is so individual to each web.
Some people don't understand why I refer to the initial transformation as 'wet finishing' instead of just saying that I 'wash' it. I have even been told I am pretentious for using 'wet finishing'. As if I were making more of the process than there actually is.
Perhaps I am.
But I can never forget that on page 608 of J. Schofield's book on Cloth Finishing; woollen and worsted that he says: "Absolute adherence to routine does not prevail in the finishing of wool materials. The operator must utilize or abandon the intensity of the treatment to the requirements of the case in hand."
In other words? It depends. Is the web to be fulled? Or not? What temperature of water should be used? What kind of agitation? How vigorous? For how long? Will it be brushed? With what implement? A low nap or a long luxurious one? Compress or not?
What will be the cleaning instructions for the finished cloth? If wool, I can pretty much guarantee that 'washing' the finished wool will most likely not resemble the wet finishing processes.
And so I continue to inform people of what I consider is a necessary step in bringing all their effort in terms of getting the threads woven and understanding the final step, that wonderful, magical transformation that happens in the wet finishing. Or whatever anyone chooses to call it.
Interested in learning more? Starting tomorrow, 1 pm Pacific Time.
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