Hi Lyn,
Thanks for the look and comment. Yes, this is a different loom and yes, again, it's a Tissart. I've had the loom (gotten as a previously owned loom) since 1988. A few years ago I asked John Shannock if he could supply a steel top beam for the loom since the wooden one was beginning to warp (no pun intended!).
I've also disengaged the beater and c-clamped it at the highest position out of my way so I can build shapes. My pin cushion is on top of the left side c-clamp...above it is a snapshot of Archie Brennan I took when in the Penland concentration with him and Susan in 2001. So, I weave with Archie looking on everyday!
The cartoon is traced on Mylar and the original is placed beside for color reference. I don't follow the color exactly so don't have to be more precise than I use it. The Mylar is translucent and I got it from an art supply store in Atlanta. It doesn't tear as does tracing paper and yet is transparent enough to see the original through for the tracing.
My Tissart is also old, & has a few things that are different from the Tissart diagram on the LeClerc site so I think it may have been an early "prototype". I had it shipped to AZ from TN & although the owner claimed it had been "in the living room" since being purchased in Canada, it was covered in a heavy film of dust, bird droppings, & scratches. I refinished it, had to replace the heddles & reed since they were badly corroded, & replaced the dry-rotted aprons with texsolv cord.
ReplyDeleteI also fix my beater up out of the way & have only used it for beating the header once-- it actually shredded the warp, so I think it's out of balance & I haven't been able to fix that. So it functions to spread the warp!
I have not tried tracing my cartoons on Mylar, but maybe I will for the next tapestry, since that seems easier than trying to peer through the warp for the more obscure areas.
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, Tommye. It is so wonderful that experienced weavers like yourself & Kathy Spoering have started blogs, because I find them so inspiring & educational!
Lyn