I have so many sweet memories of Christmas as a child. I was so fortunate to have wonderful grandparents on both sides of my family who lived relatively close. My sister and I would spend time with my Grandma Bartosiewicz for a few days and then our family would spend Christmas Eve and Christmas day with Grandma and Grandpa Sayler. I loved it that Grandma and Grandpa Sayler would invite my Grandma B and my aunt over for Christmas Eve dinner. We had quite the crowd. Christmas Eve dinner was a formal event. Although we’re generally not ones for formal events, I did know that Christmas dinner was different than the typical dinner get together we would have outside of the holidays. The table was set with the finest china and Grandma Sayler’s meals were absolutely amazing.
When my grandmother moved to an assisted living home, I given one of the sets of china. Setting this set on the table each year brings back a rush of memories of our family Christmases years ago.
Of course, my grandmother being a weaver, had coordinating handwoven placemats and napkins for this set. I used them for many years. Unfortunately, prior to weaving myself, I didn’t really know how to care for handwoven items and they’re looking a little worn. I think it’s time to make some placemats myself. I hoping these may be a small part of holiday memories for my children and grandchildren.
Designing the Placemats
I’ve been wanting to weave placemats for this set for literally years. I knew I wanted them to be special and was just waiting for the right inspiration. There are quite a few considerations. First, the colors had to coordinate- not necessarily a direct match, but coordinate. Second, I wanted the focus to be on the china. I did not want the design of the plate to compete with the design of placemat. Third, the feel of the placemat had to be just right. I didn’t want thick placemats as that doesn’t elicit the feel of formality. I also didn’t want them to be too thin either. Fourth, I needed them to be a little durable so that if they were put in the washer and dryer by mistake they wouldn’t be ruined. Fifth, they needed to be the right size for the tables. Sixth, I wanted a sheen to them. Tall order, right?
The inspiration came from Berta Gray Hayes. I’ve been reading a bit about the history of weaving and came across her overshot drafts which she created on a small Structo loom. The drafts she created with that tiny loom are just incredible. My grandmother and Ms. Hayes lived during the same time period. Although I’m sure they probably never met, it just bring a little bit of history to my project. I landed on her Daybreak design.
Colors, Patterns and Yarn
After some testing, I decided to use 8/2 unmercerized cotton in the warp, 10/2 mercerized cotton as a ground (plain weave) in the weft and 5/2 mercerized cotton as the pattern in the weft.
I first wanted to play around with the draft itself and to experiment with different treading sequences. So the I threaded my loom according to the draft and just played.
Let me just take a moment and pat myself on the back. I usually don’t take notes, but this time I did and I’m so thankful. I wove this sample months ago and there would be no way I would be able to figure it out now.
After completing the treadling sample I wanted to play with colors. I grabbed the following colors from my stash of 8/2 cotton and threaded them for the warp: Garnet, Rust Orange (1316), Ceyenne (5213), Pumpkin, Gold and Olive. For the weft I ordered 10/2 and 5/2 mercerized cotton (Astra): Wine, Old Gold, Antique Gold, Safari, Desert Sand, and Burnt Orange. I then just played changing colors of both the 10/2 plain weave and 5/2 pattern.
Just a little side note- the colors, especially the golds, look different in the photo than in real life.
After sampling with patterns and colors, for the first set of placemats I decided to use Garnet and Ceyenne in the warp, 10/2 Desert Sand as the plain weave and 5/2 Burnt Orange as pattern. I decided to keep it simple and just treadle the pattern presented in the BGH book. I’ll be a little more adventurous in the next set, but again, I wanted the placemats to compliment the plates and not compete with them.
In terms of weaving, my sett was 13 epi, there were 197 ends and it was 14.7 inches in the reed. I wove a 2.5 inch hem using the Ceyenne 8/2 cotton and then wove 21 inches followed by a 2.5 inch hem. After washing and hemming, the placemats ended up to be 12 inches in height and 17.5 inches in length. Perfect size for my table! Well, here it is:
I’m actually very happy with the placemats. Featuring the plate and not so much the placemat was my goal and think I nailed this perfectly.
