Theo Moorman Technique

Now that I’m in my second year of weaving, I’m finally tackling my first piece of plain weave…..well sort of plain weave. I am doing a spaced and crammed scarf with an added inlay technique called Theo Moorman. Theo Moorman technique is based on groups of three warp ends. One thread is very fine and is used to anchor the supplemental inlay weft thread. The other two threads are thicker and are the primary structure threads; they are woven as plain weave. In each dent there are three threads, one thin thread and two thicker threads.In my case I am using 2/20 silk that has been hand dyed a variegated royal blue for the structure threads. For the fine thread I was going to use sewing thread in a slightly darker blue, but lucky for me it ran out, before my warp was finished. So instead I am using a stainless steel thread encased in black merino wool, it is very shiny and makes me very happy! Thanks to Susan at Thrums for sharing a sample of this yarn with us. I think that the scarf is going to be much better; it really adds a depth to the scarf.
For the spaced and crammed part of the scarf, there are five warp blocks 1” across and ½” space between them. So I put 3 threads per dent in a 12 dent reed that equals 1” and left 6 dents empty.
The main weft I am used is the same blue silk as the warp and for the Theo Moorman inlay squares I am using 2 ply green silk with soft slubs and purple 2/20 silk. 1” squares are woven then a 1” space is left, I’m using Venetian blind slats for the spaces. To add even more interest to the scarf, I’m only adding inlay on specific blocks to make a larger design.
Theo Moorman inlay is a very simple technique yet it has such a great impact. First step is to do one pick in plain weave with the main weft, in my case the blue silk. It goes all the way across and where there is no inlay, it weaves a block made up of plain weave.
Second step is to open a shed that only has the stainless steel and throw a pick of the supplemental weft, green silk. Here is a close up of one of the inlay squares. The blue weft can barely be seen, further away it can’t be seen at all. The inlay is done in a brick method; it can also be done as perfectly straight rows, called the Dukagang method. Beside is a block of just plain weave however with variegation of warp and weft with the shine of the stainless steel it is also very special. A cool thing about Theo Moorman technique is that the back of the cloth doesn’t show any of the inlay weft. It is truly a surface design. Here is the sample so far, exciting isn’t it, and yet another addition to Mum's workshop!

Theo Moorman Twill Again ~ Four Shaft Scarf

The final project in my Theo Moorman journey was a real pleasure to weave, but yet again Windows 10 has eaten my data!  Yesterday’s forced update ate a bunch of my PCW files.......what the heck, they had nothing to do with Windows!   

This is what I can remember....

I decided to work with the same format as my previous Theo Moorman scarf, but to make a few small tweaks.  I changed the colour, the twill pattern edge and both the inlay fibre and how it was laid in.

I chose to weave the background cloth for this scarf using white 2/8 tencel.  I kept the silver lurex as the tie down thread and changed the inlay yarn to Filatura Di Crossa Gioiello in a slate grey colour.  This is a fine knitting yarn that is mohair, wool and a tiny silver sparkle bumps.

The warp was threaded with a simple broken twill pattern on the edges and 2/2 twill for the inlay portion.  The goal was to have plenty of interest on the reverse side of the scarf. The sparkle panel down the centre and the broken twill edges should take care of that.

I laid in the Theo Moorman design as large blocks down the centre of the scarf and I think it’s a winner.  I love the graphic look and because the inlay yarn is so fine and soft I’ve kept a beautiful drape.

Well off to see what I can salvage on this laptop....I swear to god Microsoft is doing this crap to make us all Apple users!

Theo Moorman on Three Shafts ~ A Scarf

I am involved in a study group with my guild, the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners; and this year our topic is inlay.

I thought I’d take a look at the Theo Moorman technique of inlay and see how far I can go with it. Typically, this technique is used in tapestry or ecclesiastical weaving, and it involves a surface design element laid over a woven background cloth.  The inlay is held in place by a nearly invisible tie down thread which is hidden within the warp and only surfaces when needed.

I thought I’d start with the simplest permutation of Theo Moorman; that is plain weave ground cloth and one tie down thread; so, only three shafts are needed.

I found this pattern in Handwoven Magazine May/June 2013; the pattern was created by Line Dufour (you can read her blog here).

I pulled the ground cloth warp ends separately from the tie down ends and this created a bit of a problem for me. How was I going to get them to interleave; since I prefer to warp back to front.  I ended up using two sets of lease sticks, one for each warp and after the ends were spread I lashed them together.

This worked perfectly! The ground cloth is woven on shafts 1 and 2 alternately and the surface design is laid in on shaft 3.   The tie down threads are always in play and move with shaft 1 while creating the background and independently on shaft 3.

This scarf wove up very quickly and frankly I  found it a bit boring.

 I am a bit concerned that the underside of the scarf has quite a bit of pattern telegraphing ~ not enough to be interesting but enough to notice.

I was really concerned when I pulled this scarf off the loom; it was as stiff as a board and during the weaving process the Tencel had completely lost its lustre!

I had my fingers crossed as it went into the Eucalan wash, hoping it would soften.  After it dried it was much softer but still not very supple.  I guess that it is the nature of plain weave to be firm, but this was unpleasantly firm!

I decided to throw it into the dryer with a clean towel on the Air/Fluff setting and viola ~ it came out wonderfully supple!

I will periodically be working on Theo Moorman’s technique throughout the year and I hope to see just how far I can push the concept and still make a wearable scarf or shawl.

Theo Moorman Twill on Four Shafts ~ A Scarf

I have had quite a summer... full of computer angst and weaving!  My laptop which was running Windows 7 crashed and I bought a new laptop with Windows 10.  Recovering my photos and information has been an ongoing frustration.  I’m not a complete Luddite, but man, Windows 10 is very unfriendly towards older files and programs and tries to force you to keep your information on their cloud which they meter.  Hopefully, I’m back on track now, so back to weaving!

After completing my first Theo Moorman technique scarf on three shafts for the Qualicum Weavers study group (seen here) I immediately put on another scarf warp.  I was really happy with the first scarf, but the reverse side of the scarf was really plain Jane and boring.

The goal I set myself was to see if I could use the Theo Moorman technique to make a scarf that had nice drape and that also included some interest on the back side.  Usually all the fun stuff sits on the front and the back of the cloth is covered up if it’s a garment or by being placed up against a wall if it’s a hanging.

I threaded the loom using a 4 shaft 2/2 twill as the background cloth rather than the traditional plain weave.   My base warp is 2/8 tencel and the Theo Moorman tie down treads are silver lurex.

My weft is the same 2/8 tencel and the inlay section in the middle is hand spun, hand dyed silk singles. The soft spin of the silk really encourages the drape.

I was thrilled with the way the silver sparkled on the reverse side of the scarf and with the contrasting stripe of colour near the selvedge and the twill pattern, I’m calling this a winner!

I was so happy with this scarf that I contacted Handwoven Magazine and happily they asked me to send it to them.  Then the Canadian Postal strike in June made it impossible for me to make the submission deadline.  Then I had a horrible time trying to find a commercially made yarn that is the same as my hand spun....it just all became such a daunting task, I’m giving up and sharing with you instead.

This year my hardy hibiscus are all doing fantastically...Hibiscus Syriacus ‘Aphrodite’, look closely and you can see a bee inside.

Theo Moorman Technique Part Two

The Theo Moorman inlay scarf is finished, and it wove up very quickly considering that it was finger manipulated. The scarf looks like tiles of brilliant colour, separated by big airy spaces.
The coral blocks are medium sized silk singles produced by Debbie Bliss, the green blocks are hand dyed silk slub from The Silk Tree.
Here it is just off the loom, draped over the back of the loom, with the Venetian blind slat place holders still woven in. The pattern that I chose for the inlay blocks was based on an X of the coral silk with the centre square of the green. I wanted to achieve a strong graphic pattern that really showcased the inlay blocks and I think I succeeded. The colours I chose all have the same value, so it’s the shape that really stands front and centre.
When the scarf is shown with the full pattern, the pattern looks more like diamonds than an x cross; although not what I had envisioned I’m more than happy with the graphic look.
The scarf has a very unique drape. The blocks of plain weave are very firm and have little movement, but there is plenty of movement in the unwoven blocks and the open work. The overall feel is very soft and silky; the stainless steel doesn’t seem to be affecting the drape at all and adds so much shine!
The edges of blocks are a little loose, but the stainless steel and the inlay really hold the warp threads in place nicely, so there isn’t much migration between blocks at all.
It is a very different style of scarf to what I have done before and I’m completely taken with the bold blocks of colour.

Four Shaft Ladder Ribbon Scarf

After I finished the Three Shaft Theo Moorman scarf I was left with scads ~ well a full ball and a bit ~of the ladder ribbon yarn that I had used as inlay.

This yarn is Bernat Matrix and the colour is called Natural Network.  I had used a similar yarn once before as warp with good results so I thought it would be a great use for it.

I pulled 94 ends and sett them at 12 ends per inch ~ 1 per dent in a 12 dent reed.  I wanted this scarf to wear with a black blazer and since I’m really, really short; I pulled only 80 inches for warp length.

I knew that the end result I wanted was a loosely flowing scarf that had the ladder colours popping through randomly and an undulating twill appearance; so I threaded the loom in a straightforward 2/2 twill, and treadled it the same straight twill. 

I made sure that I beat extremely lightly to allow the 2/8 tencel weft to slip and deflect over the colour spots in the ladder yarn.

While I was weaving the scarf I beat to maintain the 45 degreeish angle and aimed for 12 to 13 picks per inch.  To achieve this I beat on the closed shed after changing pattern shafts.  I basically laid each thread softly in place.

When I took the scarf off the loom it looked like the weft had pretty well covered the warp, but after washing I got MAGIC!  It really moved around and gave the ladders lots of play room.

The Tencel weft slipped around and started to look more like the undulating twill I had hoped for.  The ribbon popped out here and there and it looks great.

The best part of it all is that I didn’t have to twist the fringes…..ladder yarn doesn’t fray.
A great stash buster for me too!

The garden shot for today is Cotinus Coggygria 'Golden Sprite' (Golden Smoke tree), amazingly the new leaves come out almost burgundy in colour.  I coppiced this shrub in late winter to encourage lots of leaves and few flowers.

Table Linen in Inlay and Goose Eye Twill

I’ve joined a study group with the Qualicum Weavers and Spinners.  The group is called Exploring More and we are study Inlay.  Mum has already done two projects with Theo Moorman, one with a plain weave ground cloth and the other with a twill ground cloth, that she hasn't blogged about yet.

I have chosen to do a table linen project with classic inlay.  Inlay is a finger manipulated supplementary weft that doesn’t weave selvedge to selvedge.  There are various techniques that create different patterns, examples of some can be found here from a Transparency workshop that I did.

The warp is 3/10 buttercup yellow from Dressew, a fabric supply store in Vancouver, which I have never used it before.

The pattern is four shaft goose eye twill blocks but I have extended it onto eight shafts as I didn’t have enough heddles on the first four shafts.  I’m amazed at how complicated the pattern is, with only four shafts.  The weft is the same buttercup yellow as the warp so that pattern has an embossed effect. Finding an ilay weft was a bit more problematic because I wanted the inlay colour to really pop.

I used Orlec for the Inlay thread because it doesn't shrink, which means that the squares wouldn't pucker.  I picked a bright blue Orlec for the inlay colour, and its way too bright!  You can also see that I wasn’t sure on how to secure the end of the inlay.  It was three layers deep at the end and looks very funny.  You can’t see it but I also didn’t make my inlay thread long enough!

I auditioned two shades of grey Orlec and I am going with the darker of the two.  You can’t really tell but my beat changed during the inlay into a heavier beat that I liked better.  So I unwove everything; all five inches so I could start again to get my beat perfect.

The grey Orlec is the right choice, the blocks are highlighted but don’t overwhelm that rest of the table linen.

The inlay technique that I picked was Ryss Weave with two picks of the ground twill between each inlay.  I like the offset stacking and the long three thread floats.  To secure the inlay I did a double pick at the beginning of the square and at the end.

Here is the finished table linen, sorry about the colour but it’s raining this afternoon.  The inlay squares add interest, and although you can’t see in the picture the goose eye and twill blocks really shows up.

This is a close up and you can see the goose eye and twill blocks a bit better.  You can also see that I didn’t quite get the inlay squares right.  They all have a section that is inside the goose eye portion. So I guess the table linen is mine now!

This picture is off the back piece.  The inlay just peeks through onto the back, which makes it a one sided weave structure.

The take away of Inlay for me is that it is a pretty but there is a big drawback.  I’m not sure that the inlay blocks are going to stay in place when the table linen is washed again; will the Orlec slowly work its way out?

I don’t know and it is something that worries me about the piece.  I thought about putting a little bit a Fray Check on each end, essentially gluing it into place, but it slightly changes the colour of the Orlec; or, I could sew some beads to anchor the ends but then how do you press flat?

I think that Inlay isn't suitable for items that I'm going to sell, there is too much of a question mark about how the Inlay will behave through use.  But I did discover how much I like the cotton from Dressew!

Final Garden Shot is Campanula Garganica 'Dickson's Gold'.  It really is lime green with pale blue flowers and it is just stunning.