Mini projects and what I learned from them (part 2)

Teddy bear jacket – I was getting better at planning the warp and charting the placement of each thread. Continuing to use holding stitches in cardboard to hold the warp in place, I experimented further with shaping. I used both triangular wedges and diamond shaped insertions in the warp. I wove the body of the jacket from the bottom up and then added in the sleeves. I tested the idea that some of the warp threads of the body could become weft threads in the sleeves. This idea sort of worked, but it was hard to make the turn really neat and I left some holes of uneven weaving at the point where the sleeves join the body. I created an integral buttonhole which worked well. As the jacket had quite a sharp increase in dimensions for the teddy's tummy, I needed to slant the warps quite sharply. I learned that a really steep angle between warp and weft didn't work very well because it made the fabric lose stability and become puckered and stretchy. Threads at closer to right angles form a sturdier fabric.