Twelve Shaft Tea Towels

This time of the year I always seem to want to weave something simple and satisfying.  Tea towels always fit the bill.  My Louet Spring has twelve shafts but finding patterns using twelve is always a hunt.

This pattern was exactly what I was looking for, a lovely twill on twelve, and the threading and treadling couldn't be simpler.  Treadling a straight twill allows me time to make sure my posture and technique are correct.

I pulled an eleven yard warp in navy blue cotton and sett it at 24 ends per inch.  I beat these towels fairly hard to get a balanced weave. 

My plan was to weave ten tea towels in deep jewel hues; so I wove the towels in emerald, turquoise, ruby, garnet, sapphire and amethyst. 

Since I was weaving these in a single colour I did a short hem detail.

A tangle of towels waiting to have the selvedges finished.

A new addition for me is an upgrade from a Janome mechanical sewing machine circa 2003 to a Singer Quantum 2017.....holy cow have things ever changed during that time!  This baby even threads the needle by itself.  I think my only job is to choose the project.  Although some things will never change; that is my mothers sewing box in the background.

It was very satisfying to see the pile of sixteen tea towels ready to be washed and hand hemmed.   Ten are mine and six are Ngaires'.  We often share tasks, I cut them apart and finish the selvedges, Ngaire presses them and pins up the hems and then I hem them.  I’m still happiest with hand finishing because I don’t like the squished line that the machine gives to the hem.  It was a really good day for me, not only playing with my new sewing machine, but a couple of loaves of bread too.  The sweet smell of a successful day.