Old lessons

You know I named my little Etsy Shop Everything Old is New Again.  My first thought was simply that I am weaving again, after leaving it so cleanly eleven years ago. We sold literally every loom, every pattern, every jig and tool we invented over the years, and we sure invented a lot. Production weaving on floor looms takes a good deal of ingenuity and a brother who can build anything described to him.

So, I opened a little Etsy shop and stocked it with scarves. Everyone loves scarves. Then I added my world renowned towels, for kitchens, dishes and tea. I put on a ginormous towel warp and wove blue ones and red ones and natural ones. I didn't even start the green ones. It was a lifetime supply of kitchen towels.  I finished the warp off in plain weave and reprised the old shirt.

Shortly into our weaving career I realized rugs and place mats would not work for us, we needed to make clothing. Nothing fancy; we were not fancy weavers. But, we knew cotton, the workhorse of the fiber world. We wove good cloth in great colors and turned it into shirts and jackets and the occasional skirt, that were two thirds of our sales.

This past week, I freshened up the look of the old shirt, shortened it (although I can make it longer in a heartbeat), made three shirts and started a forth. Sadly, my towel width fabric can only go to a size small shirt, so the initial stock will be small or extra small. The good news is, tomorrow I’ll ask Emily to help wind bobbins and I’ll put a new and wider warp on the loom.

I made and posted three shirts to Etsy. I put one on my Etsy link here on the blog. I went to supper. I came back and found the one I picked to show on the blog is sold, to a customer from twenty or more years ago. Tomorrow, before I even begin on the loom, I will take new photographs of the other two. I know better than to put such a light color in front of a pale background. More old lessons.

New fabric for the old shirt. I am becoming fond of the grouped thread arrangement that makes light cords. Visually, I would prefer even more cords, but then the fabric would not be stable enough to make a sturdy garment.  I don't do fiddly, an old and not to be forgotten lesson.