Weaver's Information

One of the things that I have found important in the last few months is a weaver's journal. Normally, I'm not one for keeping track of any of my projects, but even that is a bit of a misnomer. I keep track of projects, but not the immediate cloth.

For the most part, I keep track of the project such as the one below:

Black Iris Bag
Keeping track of the fabric I wove for the project is a different matter, but that has changed as I developed more and more lengths of fabric. Some of my fabric works for ponchos or shrugs whereas other fabric works better for aprons or purses.

It's in this new journal that I keep my information.

In here, I keep track of samples, length, measurements before and after washing the fabric, as well as where I purchased the yarn, the type of yarn, and how much I used. All this information is necessary for me to repeat a process later.

It also helps me keep notes on projects that didn't work as well as I hoped. Inside, I keep two swatches: one washed and one unwashed. It's actually amazing how much a piece of fabric will shrink after it's been washed. A four inch swatch will shrink down to three inches.

For anyone who wants to be a weaver, especially a designer, keeping a journal is paramount. It collects information that can be easily accessed later. When you incorporate swatches, you can also have a sense how the object feels. This tactile information might dictate how you utilize fabric you've made.

While you might not be able to put in historical textiles, having a place to store what you've learned from historical swatches is also helpful. Inside, if possible, you can incorporate the swatches you've woven. These samples provide a great idea for projects.

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