2018 Wk 45 - Triaxial Weaving - a sort of tutorial

I set up a board for Triaxial Weaving for the weaving sessions at Chertsey Museum, and I have learned a lot (mostly from mistakes).  This is possibly less of a tutorial and more of a "things I would do differently next time" post!

Preparing the board (4 layers of corrugated card clipped together)- I started trying to draw the lines to make perfect triangles: with prefect points - no point, you just need some lines to be parallel to.  Consider using some fusible stabilizer / interfacing as the top layer of your base if you can drawer the lines on what you have (you'll see why later)

I zigzagged the warp (vertical) ribbons to a piece of ribbon: that worked well but I should have done that as a long edge not a short edge.  I pinned each end of the ribbons - I switched later to drawing pins / thumb tacks - they were much better as they could go down into the board rather than having to go in at a steep angle

I started weaving red: two under, one over.  Then (according to people on Pinterest) the third colour (green) goes two over and one under (I clearly ignored that instruction at top left)

But I didn't find it quite as simple as that!

Yes the green went over two blues and then under one, but what about the pesky reds?  I kept saying to myself 'under the bottom of a red diamond, under the blue and under the top of the next red diamond' (it mostly worked best in two stages: working from right to left on the next pic I would go under the bottom edge of a red diamond and under a blue, then bring the ribbon out before it snuck under the next blue, then send it under the top half of the next red diamond

This pic shows it better and also shows my secret weapon - masking tape oper the leading edge of the ribbon I was working with - it behaved like a broad flat needle.  

What else did I learn?  Cut the ribbon on an angle or you get a frayed bit which doesn't look pretty

When you have done all you can do, and have checked and re-woven every £$%^&* mistake, sit back and admire what you have done!

Now it just needs to come off the board!

All that dratted ribbon wants to do is come un-woven!  This is where I wished I had laid down some fusible stabiliser under the ribbon - but I didn't, and my time machine is out of batteries so I had to think of a plan B.  I THOUGHT the reverse would be as perfect as the front but as this is my first attempt I couldn't be sure.  I used some press'n'seal (sort of tacky clingfilm) on the front

and carefully flipped the weaving over - all correct, except I hadn't considered that the back of the ribbon is matt rather than shiney!

I decided to love the mattness of the reverse.  I ironed fusible stabiliser on the front and pressed with some scrap fabric on top  (do remember to put fusible stuff adhesive side down, and if you forget the first time try and learn from your mistakes and not d it again!!!)

I pressed from the middle out removing pins as late as possible so nothing (not too much) moved

But here is is: a triaxial woven flimsy

 Wooohoooo