Good Bye Joseph Leisey

It's not as though he'll even notice that I am gone.  It's a rather long story....you see, Joseph Leisey wrote a beautiful threading draft way back in 1783.  When I discovered it at an exhibit table put there by the Complex Weavers, I was astounded that this draft was almost as old as our country.

Here's the text:  Joseph Leisey's 1783 Draft Book, 8 Harness, 12 dent reed, 3 to dent, 36 epi, 44/2 Linen, trompt as writ, "Weave a Kerchief".

I just had to weave this draft...

Now, shortly after acquiring Stanley, I decided to go for this draft....but Stanley is a 12-Harness Macomber...  "This is just like me," I thought, "I can't leave anything ALONE!"

So I modified this 8-Harness draft for my 12-Harness Stanley....even my looms are required to do their best! I wove beautiful stoles with Joseph Leisey....I hoped he would have approved.  I wove some yardages, as well.  But, I was curious about the draft "as writ" and felt, in order to really do it justice, I must do that, too.

So I moved Joseph Leisey over to my dearest and oldest loom, The Old Structo. This Structo Artcraft loom (see under "With a little help from my friends") isn't so efficient for my 'speed weaving' of yardage, but, thanks to Joseph Leisey, I discovered that it is purrrrrrrrrrfect for stoles!  (And, I weave stoles on the Old Structo to this day...)

As I begin weaving another stole, I discover that, as the 12-Harness version of the old draft is strong and stable, the 8-Harness draft, "as writ", was not to my liking.  Okay, I've only got 40 yards on this Structo, I'll be okay.  I supported the draft by weaving "as overshot" with tabby rows alternating with the lacey floats.  It was stable, but no fun....no fun at all.  So I isolated the most stable parts of the draft and vowed not to use the unstable blocks at all....then, by adding 2 tabby rows between each group of lacey float rows, I had one fine fabric!

So, happily weaving Joseph Leisey for a couple of years, I made stoles, I made baby blankets and I wove lovely yardages.  Several hundred yards have gone through getting blessed by the lovely old draft as I "dummied on" several times, changing warp colors, changing weft colors, taking that sweet old draft apart, shuffling it about, enjoying it frontwards, backwards, right-side-up and up-side-down.  I cast it asunder and then put it back together again.  I could weave it in my sleep....and have...

But, all good things must come to an end and, as you see to the left, it has.  It obviously shook me up more than I realized until processing this photos.  The rest of the photos were entirely too blurry to even show details at all.




I think this blurry photo might be showing me that I was more affected by leaving Joseph Leisey than I ever would have thought it would.

So, again I say, good bye Joseph Leisey, with my most profound thanks.  I can only hope that I may someday give some future weaver as much joy as you gave me...possibly in the year....2238.  I am ever aware of the timelessness of what we do and how we, all weavers, touch each other.  We read a language like none other, and, even across time and space, we continue to bring joy to each other.

Some years back, I wrote some words about this weavers-in-the-fabric-of-life situation and here they are....

"Past Weaver, Future Cloth"

The hands of this weaver did tire and slow
And it seemed that the fabric was done.
Yet here I strive to take up this work,
Since one weaver is never just one.

And when I tire, please see this cloth
And be moved to continue it on.
To keep alive our web of life,
The weaver's dance can never be done...

Cat Brysch
1992

I don't have so much a Trick of the Trade this post as just a handy-dandy thing that I have done for years.  There are times when we all have so many 'irons in the fire' that it's difficult to keep track, right? Well, in this case, what is happening is I need lots of well-lighted, roomy work spaces and I need several!  So, what do I do?  See the photo above....that picture is worth a thousand words!  I have put a cloth over the  warp threads on Jimmy and, since he's not tied on to weave at present, I only needed the long narrow cloth that you see at the reed over the shuttle race.

Then I have put a work board (I have several sizes available at all times to use) over the shuttle race across to the breast beam.  Nothing is harmed in creating this wonderful work space and I have the best light in the world right there.... comfortable seating, too!

Here's a smaller work space over Arlene.  The green cloth (an old pillowcase) is draped over the whole scarf that is in progress, so the board will not touch the delicate, tiny warp or the hand-dyed silk scarf. And there is another work space!

I have a huge board that I've put over Doris in the past when I was really needing some space and this works great.  At present, I have 4 separate work spaces going on at looms that are not a part of my numerous deadlines.

Multi-purrrrrrrrrrrpose looms....nuf sed!

Thanks so much for reading.  Now, I'm off to do fiber art, paper work, hand sewing, Raggy Cat assembling and weaving again and am sending Miles and Miles of Smiles,  Cat B.

Back from Intermountain Weavers Conference

It is so very good to be home.  Even when the trip away was wonderful, there's truly no place like home.  And what have I been doing?  They say a picture is worth a thousand words so.....look UP!  Whenever I am in my booth, I feel like I am standing in the middle of my dreams made real.  The fabrics that I think up in my head are there to be seen and felt.  And the most fun is that people actually can visit me in my dreams!

Two of my most satisfying dreams have been "Desert Daze" (the bottom several fabric rolls on the rack, and "Desert Nights" (the top 3 fabric rolls).

"Daze" has proved very popular over the years and I'm now weaving on my seventh warping of this fabric.  As of yesterday, I have had the colored warps sitting on the breast beam on Deedle (the loom on which I weave this fabric) and it will be my eighth 70-yard warp!  I still need to buy the 'sand' for this warp, but I have to colors all planned out.

"Nights" is new and already showing some interest.  I had two quite nice sized rolls which I took to Texas to that show in College Station, and sold out of them...so I came home with orders for more to mail out, wove those and then began to weave more for IWC in Durango, CO.  I feel that I haven't really had time to explore "Nights" yet, but will in the coming months.

I have recently been asked how someone can order something off my blog. Since I'm rather new at this, I just assumed that anyone interested in any of my fabrics would email me and the dialog would begin.  But, I guess I should say that.  Since I don't have Product # connected or any listing, I can see how it might be confusing.  So.....if you go to "THE WORK ~ With a little help from my friends..." area very near the top of my blog, you'll see a list of "friends" which are the names of my looms.  Say you click on Margaret and look at the photos, read the pricing and the description of the fabrics that I weave on Margaret.... then, you are really interested in making yourself a skirt from one of the fabrics. Nice for ME!  You email me directly (or you could leave a comment, I guess) and I will email you back.  The great thing about emailing me directly is ....then you and I are having a one-on-one conversation and I can send you photos directly that show all the varieties of fabrics that I have woven off of Margaret.  Then, if you see something in particular, I can send close-ups of that fabric so there are no surprises should you decide to order.  I can include for you the exact measurements of width and length and such, so you would know what you are getting. You can look at your patterns, OR, as with the skirt I made from Margaret fabric, it's just a TUBE with elastic at top and a nice turned, hand-stitched hem!  I hope is has been a helpful addition and I will also put up a "sign" somewhere on my blog....I'll figure out where very soon!

I will post more later and add another "Trick of the Trade" as time allows!  The garden is calling, there's beans and squash and okra to pick, there's looms to tie-on, there's paperwork to shuffle!  Keep smiling........ and purrrrring!

A Cloth for Janie

I've been busy finishing up some orders that I received from my trips in Texas and here's my last one for this go-round.  As I weave this cloth, I remember this dear lady who came into my booth in College Station and, when I didn't have enough, ordered 4 yards of it!  I am so thrilled and honored to be weaving away for Janie!

I am enjoying weaving on Jimmy so very much and this fabric, one of my newest creations called "Desert Nights" has been quite popular indeed.

Next I plan to weave some 20/2 rayon in, as it will make the fabric even more light weight and have a drape that is to live for!  I am weaving with relatively small weft threads of purple 20/2 cotton and chartreuse 10/2 cotton and there are 48 rows to a series, so it's not a fast fabric to weave, but I think the result is worth it!

When the Village Vixens visited my studio recently, there was discussion about why not choose one of the lovely colors that is IN the warp and weave with that as one of the wefts of this Shadow Weave.  My answer is that, if I did that with, say purple, the eye would go immediately TO that spot where the purple weft meets the purple warp and I don't want that.  Our eye will always go to the "difference" in something....the variable, so I would rather keep all of the colors in a state of change and contrast....I hope that makes sense.

I've also been thinking that I should mention that, yes, I have cut my hair!  There was more than one shocked look in my booth by old friends in Texas who said "What did you DO?"  Well, I cut my hair!  I gave 19 inches of it for making wigs and, because there was so much of it, my hair will help make about 1/3 of a wig.  I thought I'd better cut it soon, because I am graying pretty fast now....moonlight, I call it.... and I love it this way.  But, the wig makers cannot use gray hair and, when I found that out, I was so disappointed and little insulted!  BUT, I went on line and found out WHY no gray hair, so I feel okay now.  The reason is that the average pony tail, 8-10 inches long, make about 1/6 of a wig, so they have to combine other donations to make an entire wig and then, to make all that match, they have to dye the hairs.  Gray hair doesn't take the dye as well and won't keep it well once it's in there, so they just can't use it if it's got like 6% gray.  The ends of my hair were still pretty brown, so, just before my 61st birthday, I cut my hair and donated it.  That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

Okay, so besides weaving for Janie, I am getting ready to IWC....Intermountain Weavers Conference which takes place at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado from July 21st through July 24th.  This is such a lovely event for everyone and, as a vendor, it's heaven itself.  We don't have booth numbers, but I can still be found at the Student Union Hall, the Vallecito Room and it's FREE to the public!  The exhibits are also free and absolutely amazing.  Now, I must say here that this conference is also of interest to ALL fiber artists.  No matter what you do with fiber, you'll find the supplies, the books, the inspirations and many kindred spirits!  You can find out more on the website by putting in Intermountain Weavers Conference 2011.  I would say just put in IWC, but that brings up a lot of wine things, too, so better spell it out, okay?  Please come and say hello!  You'll be happy you did!!!

HERE'S A Trick of the Trade!!!!
P A P E R ! ! ! ! !
It would be fair to say that, with 9 looms, I use a LOT of paper.  I dress my looms front to back and don't prefer the sectional system which I used for years.  For non-weaving readers, we put paper in our warp as we are winding it on the warp beam, so the outer layers won't sink into the inner layers, making for terrible tension problems.....I've often said that we weavers are so happy because all of our tension is IN OUR WARPS!!!!...Okay, I'm corny!

First suggestion, note how I store my paper by rolling gradually tighter lengths into another roll until I have tons of paper in a really small space...see the box.

Second suggestion is that you can purrrrrrrrrrfectly lovely paper at HOME DEPOT!  Go to their paint department and ask them where the rolls of floor protecting paper is.  It's pretty tough stuff and helps me in rolling my really long warps.  Note that there are usually 2 sizes....get the 36" length.  With that length, since all of my looms are wider, I turn the paper to cut my lengths...then, every time a put on a paper, I've wound on ONE YARD!  Cool, huh?  I have a paper count as I wind, so I know how far along I am progressing!

Third suggestion is near and dear to my heart.  As I wind on my woven fabric onto the cloth beam (see photo), from the very first, I put in a paper that has been folded at least 4 times to make it reall thick (I'd use the corrugated paper here, but have none wide enough).  Years ago, I used to take off my fabric and see the ugliest distortions in my lovely cloth and (oh YUCK comes to memory)...so I started doing this.  I used to do it only for my lighter fabrics and stoles, but now I do it at every loom every time.  Each loom has it's own paper, pre-folded, ready to go at wind-on, stays with the loom at all times and is used again and again and again...that's for the Scottish!

Now, see how smoooooooooooth that fabric will be from it's very beginning to it's lovely end.  AAAAAAAAh, now I'm happy.  I am sending out happy thoughts of weaving and gardens growing and everyone getting just enough rain and Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Laundry Days?

Many of us know the joy of taking fresh laundry off the line and breathing in the wonderful fragrance as a reward for our labors.  I do that with our household laundry and, though I started hanging out clothes before it was popular, I still take some pride in being a little more 'green'.

But, the handwoven yardage that comes from my looms needs to be put through the machine wash and the machine dry to bring about the maximum shrinkage in consideration of my buyers.  During these "laundry days", the magic is when I take the yardage out of the dryer!

I always grin from ear to ear when I see 'batches' like this.  Each piece, whether yardage or "This-N-That's", has been zig-zag stitched to protect them from unraveling during the washing and drying processes.

These photos show just a few of the many 'behind the scenes' efforts that are never seen when my yardage is hanging in my booth or when I show cloth to a visitor to my studio.

If I were to make a complete list, it would include, but not limited to, the following: shop for and buy the warp thread, measure the warp into up to 15 chains of up to 70 yard lengths, dress the loom (a huge sub-list!), tie on warp, choose weft(s) and wind (load) bobbins.....weave weave weave, cut off the yardage, zig-zag each end of the yardage, wash it, dry it, hand roll it onto the display roll, tag it, smile, smile, smile.

I charge by the yard after all these steps have been taken to create the maximum shrinkage so, depending on the fiber content, I might weave a yard and a half to get that yard that I sell.


I've been asked about my pricing and, in my booth especially, I've even been criticized for the rates I charge!  Off of Jimmy, and basic fabric off of Margaret, I get a lovely bunch of fabrics that are only $35.00 a yard...what a deal, huh?

When I explain my pricing, visitors do seem to settle down and understand and what I say is....  In the industry, shops will double, or even triple, my price, so that $35/yard quickly becomes $70/yard or even $105/yard.

Though I think the shops are wonderful and I would be honored to be in them.... I have tried to resist putting my yardage in shops ONLY because, in my booth or my studio, the deal is you buying directly from the artist....and I get to meet YOU in the process, too!

Though I've started an Etsy Shop at CatBryschCreations on Etsy, I will continue to keep my prices as low as I can there, too. I can take PayPal and credit cards now, so I can offer more conveniences to my buyers... with a little added cost to me, but this is worth a try!



My dream is to find the adventurous individuals who sew and want one-of-a-kind fabric to do it with!  Also, I hope that some clothing designers will find me for special limited lines or art pieces.  I am continually in awe of the creativity and spirit of people who want to sew with handwoven goods.  They are all fearless!

And now....HERE'S A Trick of the Trade!

We've all been HERE....you have dressed the loom, wound bobbins, put in the header and now...there in front of you is a minefield of hang-ups everywhere!!

If you are weaving with 20/2 like I do, or LUREX at 88,000 yards per pound (no kidding!), these weft threads will catch of anything...they will catch on the knots of the warp, whether you use knots, bows or lash on and they will catch on the loom parts, making the first part of your fabric s l o w . . . . to say the least.

AND, there's no safe place to put your shuttles, if you are using 2 or more. There's the photo above of what used to be a torturous problem for me that would not go away until you weave enough to advance those knots around the breast beam and down.


Well, there's a little thing I do that helps and it takes me less than 10 seconds to do....the materials I use are 2 alligator clips, 2 clothes pins and a piece of fabric (mine's a piece of old sheet) which is as long as my widest loom and about 15" in width.  Mine is folded to create that size.  Check out the photo at left which is speaking 1,000 words....

Now, the photo at left shows after one advance...and to advance the whole affair until those knots are all the way around,  remove the alligator clips and leave the sheet wrapped around the tie-on bar....the pressure at the beam will hold it fine.  The clothes pins are underneath there pinned securely to the tie-on cords (or cloth if you have that) to give a stable 'cloth' for the shuttles to rest and not fall through....we don't want that!!!

This cloth goes from loom to loom until all my fabrics are well on their way and the booby traps are GONE!  I hope that, if you have this problem, that this trick will help you.  This has cut my weaving time, in this early stage, down to 1/4 of what it used to be with all those hang-ups!

I'm sending out happy weaving thoughts and Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

When everything is running smoothly....

WOW, it's been awhile since I posted because I've been lashing on just about every loom and getting them started weaving.  Also, I have a plan brewing to put on Hazle which I hope to submit to HGA's Convergence yardage exhibit in 2012.....this fabric would have 3 background colors and 2 squash blossom colors and a continually 'rolling' blend and change.  MAN, can't I think up something simple?  I just don't seem to have that tendency.

Another thing I've been busy with is....I've gotten myself on Etsy!  I have put my little Raggy Cat Pin Cushions on there and a couple of scarves! In time, I plan to put more scarves, more Raggy Cats (if they sell), my Fabric Flower Pins and my stoles!  It's fun and easy and I just decided to give it a try.

My shop is called...Cat Brysch Creations Studio by CatBryschCreations on Etsy.
Wish me luck!

I've often been asked where I got my training.  I have never had a lesson, never. I sure have taught a few of those, but never had one.  The closest I can come to a lesson was when a very dear lady, Judy, loaned me her Baby Wolf to try a real draft on, so I could see what a commercially constructed loom was like.  Before that, I was using a loom that I made myself, and, at the time I wrote for Handwoven in the '80s, I submitted a 13-Harness draft that they had to alter so people would know what to do with it!  They had to really work at it, and I felt a little bad (and so honored) that they made such an effort.  That's when I knew I had to learn these conventional looms and weaver's language called drafts!

The integration was almost instant....my weaver brain very quietly went....oh! and that was that!  I was amended.  I realized, too, that these looms added a great deal of speed and convenience!  Wow, but I must have been living in a cave or something.  But, during that "time of not knowing", I got a special kind of training... instead of the loom doing it FOR me, I was designing every single thread.  I could 'see' where every weft thread was traveling, under, over, when it was floating above the web to make a pattern element.  And that was a good thing!  It seems that many weavers today just learn to follow the instructions and don't necessarily learn to see what each treadle produces.  This is why some weavers have trouble seeing, and then interpreting, errors.  So, if you are a new weaver, take the time to recognize what each harness does for you. Even today, when I look at a draft, my brain still 'sees' where every single weft thread is traveling...

I was trying to develop a space on this blog where I could add tricks of the trade that I might pass along..... things I've worked out over my 37 years.  But, the blog space filled or something, and would not let me add or change anything anymore, so I had to just delete it!  So, instead, I'm going to try to offer a few tricks of the trade in my posts.

HERE'S A Trick ~  This trick is offered assuming that you have taken out all threading errors and are just weaving along happily.  When I am weaving, I have a "watch spot" that I watch very closely....it might hold one whole motif of the entire pattern, and if it doesn't develop right or look right, I've made an error! This "watch spot" adds efficiency because I can see instantly if something is not right!  Now, of course, I do let my eye cover the whole fabric as I weave, but that spot insures I haven't missed a treadle sequence or doubled up on something.

This, to the right, is my "watch spot" on Doris.  Now, Doris has 1,500 warp threads on her and there's no repeats of design until you get to the center and then everything is mirrored.... so, there's a LOT to watch!

But my eye falls upon that one circled motif row to the right side of this photo...it's the rounded oval surrounded by upper and lower part circles.  I know it well, so, when it doesn't look right, I need to check my work!

I will have more 'tricks' in my posts, because there's nothing better than weavers sharing!  I hope you are weaving today.  I know I'll be weaving and sending out as many good, and watchful, thoughts as I can in my Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.

Happiness Is.....

Now, if you've been reading this blog, you know that I've been traveling and have done 2 shows back-to-back and a wonderful visit to Rosepath Weaving in Lindale as well.  What fun I've had.  Then, when I get home, the 'work' begins.... unloading the rig and taking contents of all those boxes apart to rearrange everything and packing it up for the next show!  Well,  okay, it's taken me awhile, but now I'm beginning to prepare my looms to, again, help me make fiber magic.

Now, except for the volume of yardage that I weave, we are all weavers together, right?  So, you know what happiness is......

Happiness is when you have tied your warp threads onto the front cloth beam, you've wound your bobbins within a thread of STUFFED, you have even woven in your HEADER, that moment comes when everything is right with your world... and you begin to weave....now this is happiness.  Weavers everywhere unite in one great big happy grin....I'm gonna go weave on Jimmy now...e'ya later!

I am sending out much of this happiness and Miles and Miles of Smiles,  Cat B.

Rose Path Weaving and Other Adventures

I am back from a long journey through Texas on my way to CHT ~ Contemporary Handweavers of Texas which held their state-wide conference in College Station this past week.  But, on the way to be a vendor at that event, I stopped at Rose Path Weaving to visit one of the shops that my husband supplies with his weaving and spinning tools.  While there, I offered a 4-hour demo/workshop on Jim's Hokett Would Work Hand Looms to all comers.  What fun it was, and what a fun bunch of people!!!

The photo can't say it all, though, as it cannot show the wonderful atmosphere in there, the beautifully arranged stock, the knowledgeable brainpower in the place or the giving spirit of the people inside.  For that, I hope you will go visit in purrrrrrrrrrrson.  To visit on line check out www.rosepath.net and get an eye-full!  They offer classes and one is coming up on the Hokett Would Work Hand Loom, so you can learn all about weaving on these fantastic little looms.

Here is a close-up of my work "Tierra Persona" (Earth Person) which won first prize Fiber Arts Fiesta where I was also a vendor.  This piece took many, many hours to complete, holds sculpted fibers and threads of cottons, rayons & silks and cast fibers that were all combined by using collage, couching and beading with glass beads. I hoped it would sell for it's modest $695 price, but, regretfully, it did not.  It hangs again in my hallway where, I must admit, I would miss it if it sold.  My goal is to sell it someday.  I will begin another fiber art piece with my goal to enter it into the Mixed Media section of AFAF in 2013.  I wanted to show this close up because people who came by my booth said that the close-up just astounded them....if you will notice.... even the irises of the eyes and the lips are renditions of leaves.

Here is my booth at Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference in College Station.  I had some of the most wonderful neighbors at this event who made the experience much more FUN.  Peggy and Penny at SkyLoom Weavers (find them at www.skyloomweavers.com) brought such humor and help to all their customers and they are from Cat Spring, TX....now wouldn't I like to go THERE!?!?!  Chele at Fiberlady (find her at www.fiberlady.com) is so full of knowledge and works so hard at what she does!

This trip was tiring after having done a show the week before, but I will recover quickly because I HAVE ORDERS TO FILL!!!!!!!!!!!  With all my best wishes, I am sending Miles and Miles of Smiles, Cat B.