Weaving Finishing Techniques

You can debate whether the often large amount of time spent weaving a project develops a weaver’s patience or whether weavers are patient by nature. I’m sure I don’t know, but I do know there is a certain peace found in time at the loom, whether warping or weaving. The projects found in the May/June 2017 issue of Handwoven take that peaceful feeling one step further and, in some cases, multiple steps further with exquisite finishing techniques.

FINISH BY HAND OR BY MACHINE? OR BOTH?

Only recently have I come to realize there are two schools of thought about finishing by hand versus machine stitching handwoven projects. Both methods have staunch advocates, although I imagine most weavers use a bit of each to finish their projects. This issue comes down firmly on the side of finishing by hand. It celebrates the patient and sometimes slow work of hand-finishing techniques.

In some cases, a combination of techniques creates a beautiful and complex finish: Deborah Jarchow’s shawl combines decorative stitching and a bound fringe; Tom Knisely’s rug combines a Damascus edge, fabulous V-shaped braids, and 3-strand braids; and Deanna Deeds’s Gumdrop Scarf includes Danish medallions and twisted fringes. Both Sarah Jackson and Nancy Dunlap added beads but in very different ways: Sarah added seed and large beads to weft twisted fringes, while Nancy wove the beads directly into her scarf.

In another take on knotting, Anita Osterhaug knotted macramé fringe on a silk scarf designed by Susan Du Bois and woven by Charlotte Updike, and Rosalie Neilson added interest to her rep runner with Cavandoli knots. Finally, Suzie Liles used loom-controlled and weaver-controlled techniques to add lacy touches to her placemats and mug rugs, and Donna Hudson, inspired by a lace sampler, incorporated weaver-controlled leno lace in her linen wall hanging.

Whether you only ever finish projects by hand or hardly ever finish projects by hand, I think you will find the finishing explorations in this issue interesting and compelling. They may even convert you to the peaceful world of hand-finishing.

Weave well,

Susan