This project was done in a flash.
Of course, it all began with these three hanks of undyed 10/2 unmercerized cotton:
I added a fourth hank and dyed them in something of a gradient format:
I loaded the 40" Evangeline with a bright yellow warp and took the two lightest hanks and wound them onto spools from which I would pull for weft.
While I had had no idea what the fabric was to become when I began, I was less than a yard in when I decided it would be a blanket of some sort. I was unsure whether the weight of the fabric alone would be enough for a blanket or whether I would have to back it with additional cloth or even make it quilt-like with batting in the middle.
On the dining room table, I folded the entire length into three even panels, which measured 36" wide and 82" long.
Each of the different dyed hanks gave the fabric subtle color changes. I wove approximately half of the total yardage in each of the colors. These photos are pre-wash.
I decided to cut the panels into three equal lengths and join them.
I normally just whip stitch woven panels together, but this time I decided to consult the experts. Madelyn Van Der Hoogt at Handwoven has a post about it featuring this illustration:
Fortunately, I read the short article accompanying this moments prior to washing the single piece of fabric because she says:
My usual preference is to finish the edges and sew the panels together before washing unless the total piece would be so large that washing would be unwieldy (bedspread size, say).
Ah!
I was going to wash and press first, then measure, cut the panels, serge the edges, and sew. Instead, I cut, serged the raw edges, and seamed the panels first.
While I would like to share I followed Ms. Van Der Hoogt's instructions and only sewed the loops of the weft together, but I did not. The 10/2 cotton seemed a bit too thin and frail to support the seam, so I actually incorporated a bit of the double 8/2 cotton floating selvedges into the seam, although I ensured the join was flat.
A bit tedious, the job went rather quickly. It probably took two hours for both seams.
Instead of hemming it straight away, I decided to throw it in the washer (warm/cold) and dryer, which is how it will be laundered.
It shrunk.
A lot.
Pre-wash it was 108" x 82".
Post-wash, just as it came out of the dryer without benefit of an iron, it was 82" x 68".
The warp was commercially dyed 8/2 cotton. The weft was hand dyed 10/2 unmercerized cotton. The sett was 24.
Fresh from the dryer, I brought it to the husband who was comfortable in his recliner. I threw it over him and asked if it were a good weight for a blanket, as is, or whether I should consider backing it with something.
"Ummmm," he smiled. "Nice and warm."
And, just like that, the husband claimed it as his own.
The selvage edges are slightly thicker due to draw in, despite the use of a temple. However, the seams are flat and smooth. Note: The fabric has not yet been ironed. It has a lovely texture straight from the dryer.
While the panels are horizontal, as the blanket will be used, instead of vertical, I am delighted.
At the moment, it remains unhemmed, as I decide whether I should hem just the cut sides or the selvage sides as well. If I decide to do all four sides, the question becomes whether I should make some wide double fold bias tape to enclose the sides from some coordinating fabric.
Time to overthink the options...
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