The Memphis Guild of Handloom Weavers
Friendship Coverlet Project
What is a friendship coverlet?
The 2004-05 study group topic was the Overshot weave structure. For the 05-06 project (and continuing into '07), 12 weavers are moving on to the Friendship Coverlet project. Each friendship coverlet is composed of squares woven by the all the members of the project.
Each participant is selecting or designing one block in an overshot pattern. All of the pattern blocks are using the same sett and number of threads so they'll be approximately the same size. All of the blocks are woven with the same cotton warp and tabby weft. Each weaver chose her own wool or cotton pattern weft.
The coverlets will consist of 20 squares. Each participant will weave her own pattern for the other participants using the recipient's chosen weft. The first set will include 12 squares plus one for the guild. Once these have been exchanged, participants will decide if they want to weave the remaining 8 squares for themselves or swap additional squares with other weavers. Additional squares may be woven the same or altered by using a different treadling. An ambitious weaver may even decide to thread a different pattern.
What is Overshot?
Overshot
is a weave structure consisting of a background cloth and a supplementary
pattern weft. The background is a balanced plain weave, usually of fine
cotton or linen. The pattern weft is thicker and softer, often in a contrasting
color. The pattern weft "shoots over" many threads to form pattern
blocks on the surface of the cloth, skips under threads to form background
blocks, or is woven into the background to form halftone blocks.
Altering the pattern
The emphasis in the pattern may be changed by using a different tie-up. These designs are produced by rotating the tieup to different treadles.
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Alternate designs may be woven for some of the squares by reversing the tieup or treadling. The patterns above are known as "rose fashion." Four additional patterns may be woven on the same threading by weaving them "star fashion."
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Current state of the project...
(February 2007) Most yarns have been exchanged. Some weavers have been finished with their initial set of 12 exchange squares. Many are still weaving. A few are still on their first few blocks. The block swap will be held at the Fiber Feast Luncheon, May 19, 2007.