Gemstone Table Runner | Project PDF + WIF

Subtle color changes across the width of this design are created by warp stripes that mix two colors of yarn.

About this Project

Inspired by the brilliant (and sometimes iridescent) colors and patterns found in the natural world, designer Sheila O’Hara embarked on another collaborative project with her student and friend Jan Eckert and Jan’s 16-shaft AVL manual dobby loom. They modified a pattern from Pennington’s book on twill to use 14 shafts and reversed the angle of the twill for the border threading. The resulting layers of partial diamonds stacked like steps on top of each other made for a lovely edge. Finally, they assigned shafts 15 and 16 to a loom-controlled selvedge. After realizing their previous warp used almost the same threading, they tied the new warp to the old one, and only had to rethread a few groups of threads on each side. Sheila and Jan picked deep, rich colors for the warp and vivid Tubular Spectrum colors for the weft, all in lustrous pearl cotton. To give the cloth more shimmer when viewed from an angle, they lengthened some floats in the tie-up. As a result, one side of the runner appears more warp-faced and the other side more weft-faced.

Contents

• Project Instructions PDF (includes lift plan)
• Runner WIF

Details

Structure Twill.

Equipment 16-shaft loom, 20" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 1 shuttle; 6 bobbins.

Yarns
Warp (for two runners): 10/2 cotton (4,200 yd/lb; UKI Supreme), #99 Dark Sierra, 349 yd; #142 Purple Passion, #27 Purple, #120 Deep Purple, and #15 Navy, 442 yd each; #5 Loden, 447 yd; #154 Forest Green, 226 yd. 10/2 cotton (4,200 yd/lb; Valley Yarns; WEBS), #3794 Burgundy, 570 yd.

Weft (for one runner): 10/2 cotton (4,200 yd/lb; Lunatic Fringe Yarns), 5 Blue Green, 252 yd; 10 Blue Green and 5 Blue, 189 yd each; 5 Purple Blue, 315 yd; 5 Purple, 158 yd.
Note: To weave two identical runners, double the weft yardages listed here. Sheila suggests that you experiment with your own weft colors for the second runner on this warp.

Note: Some of the UKI yarn colors may be difficult to find, including #154 Forest Green. Mo-Purl Yarns’ 10/2 Virgo Cotton in Peacock and Lunatic Fringe Yarn’s 5 Blue Green are possible alternatives.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 19 ⁸⁄₁₀".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 102" (51" for each runner).
Finished size: (after washing and hemming) two runners, 17" × 42" each.

Visit our help article for more information on WIFs, including what they are and how to use them.

About: Sheila O’Hara received a BFA from California College of the Arts in 1976. Since then, she has made her living by selling her artworks to museums, corporations, and private clients. She has exhibited her work and taught workshops all over the world. She is currently teaching weaving classes one day a week in her home studio in Lower Lake, California. She is also a part-time comedian.

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