Warping wefting weaving, oh my!

Hi all.  When I was cutting into the linen yardage, I wondered which way the sampler should be positioned.  Should I measure the width out from the selvage so the length would be parallel to it?  That's what I always assumed.  But what about all those small pieces that give no hint of edge?  Since I have found only little information on this, it can't be important.  If it was, every instructional book and website would make mention of it but if they have, it is not easily found.  I did find one, in Shay Pendray's  Needleworker's Companion (Amazon).  In one small segment she talks about the direction of stitching and suggests that you should follow the grain (direction) of the canvas.  That means keeping the selvage edge on the sides, not top or bottom, claiming the stitch will lie flat with wide coverage.  If you don't see the selvage, pull one vertical and one horizontal thread from the linen.  One will be more crinkled - the warp thread.  So the crinkled linen threads should run top to bottom, and the smoother from side to side.  I also read that warps are harder to pull from fabric and weft pulls easily.   This is because the warps are tightly stretched and are the core foundation of the weave, while the weft is woven through with less tension.  Easy to remember - weft runs left.  The selvage runs the same as the warp, top to bottom and is created from the weft wrapping the edge to continue the weave.

 

 

  This is the way they used to cut yardage at my LNS years ago.  Most pieces included the selvage.

 

 Seems like the only way to do it.  So the 18" side on a 13 x 18 piece would run the same as the selvage, and that would be ideal. But a larger sampler requiring a fat quarter or long half would have the selvage edge to the top/bottom, not the side. This may be important for serious stitchers but I am the opposite.  Especially with smaller projects, I have no intention on checking the warpy wefts. I use whatever size fits the project and honestly, I don't know why I questioned it in the first place.  So I say get wild and stitch dangerously!  Grab that linen and turn it whichever way you would like.  You already knew this anyway.

And just so you don't think I make up paint stories, I went to the store for more this morning, same formula SAME formula.  This small board shows what I brought home compared to the finished frames and doors.

I am not crazy.  This is lighter, pinker, and the doors painted in this will NOT match. The label matches the other!!  I am out of Dove after this one.

My heart design is coming along nicely and I will start the stitch this evening.

Enjoy your day!

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

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