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December 2016 Newsletter

It is a snow day on Salt Spring Island!

We don’t get much of this white stuff but when we do I revel in it.
There is a quiet that accompanies it and it slows us all down.

It has been a very busy year, so many classes, so many happy weavers, a fabulous trip to Ethiopia to work with some of the most remarkable weavers and the production of JST’s Online Guild.  I am so very grateful for all of it.  I could never accomplish all we do without such amazing supportive staff and friends and customers.  Thank you all.

I wish you all peace and moments of tranquility in this crazy world that is ours, it really is all that any of us could ask for.

My very best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy New Year.

This year our recipe is….Coffee with a lot of Bailey’s!

Holiday Hours.  We will be closing on Dec. 22 and will be back in the studio on January 2nd 2017.  All orders placed during this time will ship on January 2nd.

There is still a day or two left to enter our December 21st draw for one cone of every colour of 2/8 cotton.

And you have until December 31st to take advantage of our special offer on JST’s Online Guild.  I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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Colour & Weave Inspiration : Plain Weave and Twill

Colour and Weave Inspiration

During the past few weeks some great cloth has walked through our doors and I just have to share it with you. All of these pieces are based on Colour and Weave Technique…. basically working with dark and light colour combinations in simple cloth. In my workshop Colour and Design we do a Colour and Weave Gamp…. Dark/Light over and over, Dark/Dark/Light/Light over and over, Dark/Dark/Light over and over. There are 7 different combinations of Dark and Light. That is what Colour and Weave is all about. As striped fabrics with all the colour in the warp and just one simple weft you get amazing striping sequences but the real magic begins when you weave with dark and light in the weft. In our camp we basically follow the striping sequence in the warp to get the weft sequence. Charlotte had a opportunity to weave a very special gift and we wove the gamp exactly how it is in class but without the dividers. She choose JST’s 2/20 Tussah Silk in Double Chocolate and Glacier sett at 20 epi and woven at 20 ppi. to create this amazing scarf.  The hand and drape of this cloth are evident in the photos below.

Tea Towels

 

I am the lucky recipient of yet another tea towel…. that must make around 500…. but who’s counting and no one can ever have enough tea towels. Not when they are as beautiful as the ones I have….. I don’t mean to brag…. just sayin!

This towel was designed by Sharon Broadley after she saw a flock of White Sussex Chickens at Salt Spring Cheese during one of our workshops. Inspiration lurks everywhere on Salt Spring Island. This towel just makes you smile. Sharon’s borders are Dark/Dark/Light/Light in the warp & Dark/Dark/Light in the weft with a couple of red zingers all on a bed of beautiful white cotton. Plain Weave kids…. just perfectly wonderful plain weave. JST’s 2/8 cotton sett at 18 epi and woven at 18 ppi. Take a look at that corner, looks like little chicken foot prints :^)

The Benefits of Sampling

Sampling is one of the best things a weaver can do. In the end you gain knowledge that you can use again and again. You save money by spending to a bit to learn and practice on and in the end you are generally very happy you did it. There are many different reasons to sample but the most important in my mind is getting your sett correct. Nicole Onetto is a new weaver who has taken sampling to heart. She sees the benefit of sampling in her end products.

Recently she has been weaving blankets…. first just Harrisville Shetland and then Harrisville Shetland Warp and Mohair Weft and now she has sampled to get the best fabric possible using Shetland and Alpaca. Nicole’s goal was to create a very special blanket for her son and she has done it.  Her journey took her through many samples, testing for sett and ‘colour and weave’ ideas on Twill. What happens when you take all those wonderful dark/light sequences you’ve played with in plain weave and overlay a 2/2 twill on top. The results are stunning.

We have draped Nicole’s beautiful blanket on Mary our lovely mannequin. You can see how this fabric would make a stunning coat or poncho.

Nicole’s sampling provided her with the knowledge she needed to make the best use of the yarns she wanted to use. Harrisville Shetland at 12 epi, JST’s Prime Alpaca at 12 ppi. 2/2 twill weave structure.

I want to thank all my wonderful students for sharing their fabulous work. Bang On, Far Out, High Five, Gold Star to my wee Charlotte, Sharon and Nicole. You kids make teaching a joy!

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JST November Newsletter

jst-maple

This beautiful Japanese Maple is what I see when I come home from the studio every afternoon. I wait for this time of year so I can see it in all its glory.

Autumn is my favourite time of the year, right after Spring. In the Spring, spring is my favourite time of year, right after fall…go figure.

I guess I can hardly wait to get out in the garden in the Spring and then I can hardly wait for it to wind down in the Fall. I love these two polar seasons.

We have had one heck of a year in the garden and it is really nice to put it all to bed. The freezers are full, the garlic is in, winter brassicas are in fine form and now we can just sit back and eat :^) How good is that!

Update on Registration for 2017

Registration Day was a tad hectic….it was a record year….every seat was taken in 2 1/2 hours. Wait lists are nicely filling up. If you were unable to get your spot, please, please, please make sure you are on the wait list. We take people from the wait list every year….after all, life isn’t perfect, stuff happens and we get cancellations.

Shelves are Stocked

Knit City was a blast last month, it was great seeing so many old friends in our booth in Vancouver. You took your jobs seriously and we were pretty depleted at the end.

Fresh inventory has been arriving everyday for the past few weeks. Our shelves are stocked and overflowing ready to fill all your weaving needs this fall.

Christmas is coming kids so you better get at. Cheryl has been hanging out around her dye pots a lot lately and our silk wall is looking pretty delicious.

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Win 1 cone of every colour of 2/8 cotton – $580.00 Value!

Get automatically entered for every order you make at https://janestaffordtextiles.com

Contest starts today and ends December 21, 2016.

Imagine the possibilities if you had all these colours in your stash!

all-cotton

20% OFF All Euroflax Linen Until Nov 15!

Available in 28 colors. Whether weaving or knitting, Euroflax linen creates exquisite, elegant textiles.

Click Here to Shop Euroflax Linen Now

Website Update!

We are still fine tuning our new website and we love your input…it has helped so much. Thank You.

For all our friends south of the border we have added a feature that shows you the US price as soon as you view the site.

Items are put in your cart in the US price and when you check out you will see the CDN Prices as we have to process in Canadian $, but your credit card company automatically does the exchange on your statement.

Our next newsletter will be out in a few weeks with news about new products and great ideas.

Happy Halloween,

Jane

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JST September Newsletter

Hello Lovelies,

It is that time of year again….the time when we start to talk about registration for the upcoming workshop season in 2017.

We will open workshop registration on October 12th at 9 am. Registrations will be taken over the phone only at (250) 537-9468.

A New Year a New Format

There are big changes in store for weavers at JST in 2017.

For many years I have wanted to teach my workshops in sequence. I have wanted to work with a group of weavers for an extended period of time.  To offer workshops that build on previous workshops and therefore build weaving knowledge on a strong foundation.

I have been asked repeatedly if I would ever offer my workshops with a home study component that would allow the weaver to stay focused and work on a series of assignments that would cement the knowledge gained in the workshop…..

So we’re doing it.

This means….you have to take the workshops in order.  If you have never taken Colour and Design then you have to take it first.  If you have taken Colour and Design then you can take Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave 1.

In 2017 I am offering 7 runs of Colour and Design and 3 runs of the 2nd workshop, Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave I.   In 2018 we will offer 4 C&D,  3 of PW 1 and 3 of PW 2,  and in 2019 I will add Twills on 4 into the mix and after that Units Blocks and Profiles.  It is a long term plan to shift my teaching to sequential learning.  We will also be offering mini workshops online starting in 2018.

With every one of these workshops you can also have the optional extended home study component which will run for 6 months after your workshop.   We will provide participants who sign up for this option with an online forum where we can all continue to share and learn together and I will provide assignments that will help you solidify what you have learned in the workshop.

What do you get from Colour and Design?  You get a tool box that helps you make decisions.  Decisions about choosing the proper sett…based on the type of cloth you are trying to create, the cloth that you envision. You will learn to think about your weaving as a canvas.  We learn about division of space and about creating great colour combinations that are inspired from nature.  You also hone your weaving technique in this workshop.  It is important to learn good solid weaving technique, to have great selvedges, to be able to weave with ease and without hurting our bodies.   These are the things you learn in Colour and Design….it is often referred to as a life changing workshop.  I hear those words again and again and I truly believe that learning about Sett, Colour and Design is the first thing a weaver needs to learn to set them on a life course for independent thinking and creativity in regards to woven cloth.  It gives weavers the necessary knowledge to make decisions with CONFIDENCE.

What do you get from Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave 1?  You get a bigger tool box in regards to technique and sett.  We learn to look at our reed as a design tool by exploring weft faced fabrics and warp faced fabrics.  We learn about cramming and denting and supplementary warp and we overlay all these ideas on the systems we learned about in Colour and Design.  We learn that a good weaver is able to adapt their technique to suit different weaving situations and yarns.  We learn to weave linen with confidence and without fear.  It is a powerful 2nd step in the programme.

So…….  here are the dates that these workshops will be offered.

January 9-13th – C&D
February 27- March 3rd – C&D
April 3 to 7th – C&D
May 1-5th – C&D
May 29-June 2nd – C&D
July 24-28th – C&D
August 14-18th – C&D
September 11-15th – Plain Weave 1
October 16-20th – Plain Weave 1
November 4-10th – Plain Weave 1

Farm Stay Update

For the past 8 years Grant and I have opened our home to provide Farm Stay to all of our students.  Unfortunately we are no longer able to do this as we have had endless problems with water this year and we are quite certain this will not change in the near future.  Randy up at Green Acres Resort is willing to set aside cabins for our students.  Rosemary has opened her own little kitchen right in the heart of town and you will have several opportunities to drop into Rosemary’s and pick up picnic dinners, deserts, etc.   All accommodations at Green Acres do have kitchens so you can prepare your own meals if you choose.  There are also many other wonderful places to stay on Salt Spring and we have a list on our website.  In years past we have always picked our students up at the ferry and brought them home….well…we will still offer this service but we’ll take you to Green Acres instead with a stop at Rosemary’s wonderful shop called “Yum” or the grocery store.   If you stay elsewhere you will have to bring (or rent) your own vehicle.

Tuition Fees.  The workshop itself is $850.00.  This includes all materials, binder, sketchbook, pre-warped looms and a delicious lunch each day plus snacks, tea and coffee.  You also get a 10% discount on all yarns purchased at the workshop.

Optional Extended Programme: 6 months of mentoring and 6 assignments $150.00.  Mentoring will happen through a private online forum with scheduled postings.  (You do not have to commit to this right now, we will review it all at the end of the workshop and if you think it is right for you….then you can commit then).  This option is meant to be fun, exciting and stimulating, NO STRESS is allowed.

We will open workshop registration on October 12th at 9 am. Registrations will be taken over the phone only at (250) 537-9468.

A $350.00 deposit will be required and the balance will be due 60 days prior to the workshop start date.  All fees are in CDN $’s.

Thanks for reading this rather long letter…but I needed to fill you in on a whole lot of stuff.
Hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer.

Cheers,

Jane

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JST August Newsletter

August is a magical time for us at JST – read about our Natural Dye workshop, our Yarn news, and general Yarny business here – in the Old Ladies with String Digest. Newsletter begins after the Jump…

 


Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better. – Maya Angelou

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Throw * Beat * Change * Beater Back

Dispatches from the Studio

August at the studio is one of my favourite times of year. We are just in the middle of it all. The garden is producing so much food that we struggle to keep up with its bounty. The usual heat-wave rolls through, keeping us longing for the cooler evenings on our deck.

In early August we hosted our annual Maiwa Natural Dye Workshop. We were up to our elbows in madder, marigold, cutch, and cochineal and we all came away with blue fingers from the rich vats of indigo. I love how connected and industrious this workshop is. Everyone works so hard, and everyone pitches in to make it run smoothly. The beautiful products of a week’s dying are simply divine. You can find them on our Facebook page.

We are so fortunate to have such a deep connection to the team at MAIWA. If you’re not familiar with the amazing projects this family business supports and initiates around the world, please take a minute and click through to their website and read a little about them. They have made such inroads in remote artisan communities abroad, and have recently published a new retrospective of their pamphlet “A Quiet Manifesto”, which Charllotte published 30 years ago to make a case for the preservation of craft.We continue life in the studio this week with a 2nd run of Pushing the Boundaries of Plain Weave 2. During this workshop we study plain weave in two layers…commonly known as Double Weave. It is fitting that in this newsletter we have featured a lovely double width project woven in Harrisville Shetland. We are focusing on a few other beautiful blankets woven by our friends in Harrisville Shetland. Are you a chenille fan? We are phasing out our chenille line, and you’ll find some free patterns and a deep discount on our in-stock chenille.

Enjoy your summer kids.
– Jane

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye!

We have decided that after 20 years, it’s time to say goodbye to the Rayon Chenille we have in stock to make room for new yarns that so many of our customers have been asking for.
If you need some inspiration, check our these patterns that we are making available for free. It’s so hard to say goodbye.
So without further ado…

30% off all in-stock Rayon Chenille

Sale ends when it’s gone!





One Yarn, Two Ways

There is no doubt that our weavers are a talented bunch. In this section you’ll see two GORGEOUS blankets, woven in our Harrisville Shetland.

The one on the left is by Jennifer Barrett, and is woven in double weave. What’s really cool about this blanket is that Jennifer inadvertently proved our point about just using good technique rather than workarounds at the selvedges. Thank you for sharing Jennifer. It’s such an exquisite blanket.

The blanket on the right belongs to Jo O’Callaghan. Also woven in our Harrisville Shetland, Jo says the blanket was inspired by memories of the gorgeous colours of the Alberta landscape. What a lovely gift.

Here are a few ways that you can use this wonderful yarn:
We sett Harrisville Shetland four different ways:

  1. 8-10 epi in plain weave. When we sett it at 8 epi and weave at 8 ppi, we have a really soft, soft blanket that fulls up beautifully. At 10 epi and 10 ppi, the blanket is a little firmer, but still quite soft when brushed after fulling.
  2. If you want to do a twill blanket, we recommend a sett of 10-12 epi. The 10 is of course softer, and the 12 is a little firmer, but still nice and soft.
  3. For that extra special blanket, we use Harrisville Shetland for the warp at 8 epi in a twill, with our brushed mohair as weft at 8 ppi. Wow!
  4. Depending on the option that you choose above, you need anywhere from two to four cones of Harrisville Shetland to weave a 45″ wide by 72″ long blankie with fringe.

We want you to love Harrisville Shetland as
much as we do!

Take advantage of all the information in this newsletter and whip up a cozy blankie for the winter – for every cone of Harrisville Shetland purchased, your name will be entered in a draw for a $100 gift certificate to use at Jane Stafford Textiles.
Draw happens September 30th, 2016.

Winner of our $100 Gift Certificate

Congratulations to Sheila Devine, winner of our Tussar Silk Giveaway! We are looking forward to seeing your projects made with this yummy silk.We are doing this giveway all over again with our Harrisville Shetland. Every cone of Harrisville purchased equals one entry into the draw. Head on over to our shop and see what tickles your fancy.

Canada Post & Your Packages

Well, they’re at it again – Canada post is playing havoc with our plans to ship you the yarn you love for the projects you need to do. Here’s what we have planned in the event of a strike:
– We aren’t going to send any packages until we are sure what’s happening. We will still process your order, as normal, but we will hold all packages until we know more.
– If you really need it, we’ll work with you to arrange and alternative through UPS.

Stay tuned!


 

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JST’s New Tussar Silk

We are so pleased to introduce you to our lovely new line of Tussar Tweed Silk that we are carrying at JST. Direct from India, this silk is a beauty to weave with.

 


Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. – Chinese Proverb

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Introducing Tussar Tweed Silk

Look at this silk. This is a new line of silk that we have brought in from India and we are totally in love with it. We have it in three varieties: 30/2 Tussar, 20/2 Tussar, and a singles weight.

This is an unbleached Tussar silk that has been carded with two different shades, and when spun and plied, it creates a wonderful tweedy look. It has a magnificent luster, and reminds us of flaxen hair, yet it’s not linen. Our first samples will be combining our 40/2 Linen with this new silk.

We’d love to entice you to weave with this yarn, so we are offering a draw for a $100 gift certificate to anyone who buys this gorgeous new yarn until our draw date of August 15th.
Simply purchase at least one skein of this silk through our online store, and we’ll enter you in the draw! You’ll receive one entry for every skein purchased, so for example, you’ll receive five entries for the purchase of five skeins.
Winners will be announced on August 15th. Good luck!

Seat Sale – with the purchase of every David loom, receive a free bench.

Newer, wider, seat sale ends July 31

Those of you with a keen eye and with Louet bench experience will notice that this bench looks different. And it is. Louet has totally redesigned the bench that it sends to accompany its looms – and we have finally received some pictures so that we can show you what a FREE BENCH looks like 😉

This bench is a $425 value, and remember,
JST offers free shipping on all looms.
Click here to visit the David.

10% off Sale Ends July 31st

Just a reminder that our 10% off sale ends on July 31st. Thank you so much for helping us proofread our new website. Your help and comments have been invaluable.

Helpline Is Back!

We have worked tirelessly, and we can finally say that the JST Helpline is back up. It’s the best place on the internet to find the answers that you’re looking for – at least those that pertain to weaving!


 

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JST July Newsletter

Ah, July – the month of road-trips, workshops, and garden bounty. See what we’ve been up to here at the studio this July. Newsletter begins after the Jump. Happy Weaving!

 


Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. – Chinese Proverb

Throw * Beat * Change * Beater Back

Dispatches from the Studio

Hi kids. We’ve just finished another fantastic workshop with ten happy weavers from all across North America. As I write this, they are getting on ferries and float planes with their heads full of new ideas, and their suitcases even more full – with yarn!

Traditionally, summer isn’t the time of weaving – it’s the time of laying the foundations for the winter weaving months. Historically, we tended the sheep and the lambs, we tended the fields of flax and cotton, and we grew what was needed for the winter months ahead. In the studio, we find that we are always trying to stay on that pattern, preparing what we can to best support our weavers through the long winter season.

So, although it’s warm and sunny today, I find myself thinking about the winter. I’m traveling to India again this year, and I’m very excited to visit with friends, both old and new. We are planning a new cozy kit to release for all your snugly winter plans. We are even starting to think about Knit City, which is a massive show that we are attending in October. Even when I wish the clock would just stop so I could weave all the projects I have in my head, it seems that time marches on regardless.

Enjoy your summer, and if you are weaving, we would love to see a project that you’ve been inspired to create this summer. Even if I’m not finding time to weave, I love to be inspired by your progress.

-Jane

10% Sale Extended until the end of July

We would really like to thank those of you who took the plunge and tried our new webstore. We are certainly pleased with how things are going, and we owe a debt of gratitude to those of you who pointed out errors and glitches. We are extending the sale until the end of July – please use code MIDSUMMER.

Remember orders over $200 are shipped for free, and if you’re shopping from the US, you can take about another 30% off the price for the exchange rate! Shop Now and Save.

Hope for Korah Update!

Things are really progressing at the weaving program at Korah. Some of you may know that Jane was in Ethiopia for the month of January this year and spent sometime with an organization called Hope for Korah. She helped a few of the program leaders and participants become familiar with weaving techniques as a way to branch out into another area of re-training and hand-craft that allows people to earn money and that fosters growth. Here are a few of the most recent pictures we’ve received from Hope for Korah.

Rosemary’s Corner

It’s time for another delicious recipe from Rosemary!

Citrus Shortbread – Makes 2-3 doz

1 tbsp Lime Zest
1 tbsp Lemon Zest
1 tbsp Orange Zest
1 tbsp Orange Liqueur or Juice
3/4 lb Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Sugar
3 Cups Flour, plus 2 tbsp
1 tsp salt
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In a small bowl, combine the citrus zest with the liqueur.In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and not grainy. Add the zest and liqueur.

Gradually add the flour and salt just until well combined. Scrape the bowl a couple of times while mixing to make sure everything is incorporated.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. Divide into 4 pieces, and roll each piece into logs about 2 inches in diameter. Roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove logs from the fridge and unwrap. Slice into 1/2 inch slices and place on oiled or parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until just golden around the edges. Let cool on the baking sheets before removing.

For special occasions, you could drizzle these cookies with melted white chocolate, and decorate with candied violets. They may be stored in an airtight container for 1 week or frozen for 1 month.

-Rosemary

Free Bench with David

Our David (loom) is so handsome, that we thought we’d offer a free bench to entice you to spend hours sitting together! Contact us for more details and we’ll arrange for a brand new David Loom and bench to join your weaving adventure.

In the meantime, you can click here to head over to the shop and explore our David looms.

And finally, a pattern.

We thought we’d like to give you a little something to offer some inspiration for your summer project planning. If you’re anything like us, we spend so much of our summer in the garden and on our porches, that our looms can feel neglected.

We’d like to offer this free pattern that uses 8/4 cotton as a way to get the creative juices flowing and possibly allow for jump-start on your fall projects. Please click here for your free place mat pattern download.


 

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JST June Newsletter

It’s June! And here’s what we’ve been up to. And what’s coming this month. Happy Weaving!

 



New JST Online Store

It’s been a long, long road, but we are so pleased to launch our new online store! And we have a little sale in store for you since it’s because of you that we do what we do.

We sincerely hope that you like what you see on our new store. We love it – the big, bold pictures, the clean lines, and the mobile responsive platform are just what we needed to bring our products to you. Over the next months, we will be updating our images, adding even more full resolution pictures to the store to help you make your choices even more crystal clear.

Just a few notes about the new store:

  • Please update your bookmarks! The old link to the store doesn’t work anymore. Here is the new one 🙂 – janestaffordtextiles.com/shop
  • If you are having problems accessing the store, please clear your cache on your device. Here are some instructions on how to do it.
  • While we endeavoured to get it totally right the first time, we will inevitably find little boo-boos here and there. If you find something that isn’t quite right, or you think we should know about something, please shoot us an email.

Because it’s so new to us and new to you, we’d like to offer something to all our early adopters and yarnies who will do us the honour of testing the store for us.

We are giving you 10% off all YARN orders placed online until June 30th, 2016!

Just use coupon code MIDSUMMER at checkout.

Let us know what you think! Tell us on Facebook or email us – Jane would love to hear your comments!

JST Helpline Update
Sometimes even the helpline needs a little help – and we are finally ready to give the Helpline the help it deserves. We are going to be spending lots of time connecting our thousands of pages of info to well ordered categories in the next week, but we could use your help. If you find something that is supposed to lead to the helpline, but is a broken link (404 message, dead link), could you please take some time and let us know? We would be so thankful 🙂

Summer Unplugged

Going on a road-trip? Heading to the cabin or cottage this summer? Grand kids coming for a visit? Summer is a great time to unplug. We brought in just the things to help wile away the hours and to occupy your hands while listening to the FM radio or the sounds of nature.

We have Harrisville Potholder Deluxes and Lotta Loops, Schacht Zoom Looms, and Cricket Looms (and cool bags!) all in stock.

 

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JST April Newsletter



It’s Alive! It’s Live! It’s JST’s New Look.

The picture above is what we’re so excited about. It’s our newly launched website. We have been working on a very special project for some time now and we are happy to say that the web face of JST has received a facelift.

Although we loved our old site, time isn’t kind to websites, and technology just keeps marching on. We thought it was important to stay with the times and provide our customers and friends with a mobile device optimized website since so many of us are using these types of devices now. You will notice that the website will look different depending on whether you are using a smart-phone, tablet, or computer. This is completely normal and is why we redesigned our site in the first place.

We would love to hear what you like about our new site, and if you find any errors or omissions, do let us know.

Now on to the next thing – our online store! If you experience any troubles ordering, please just let us know and we’ll be happy to take your order either via email or over the phone.

JST Helpline Update
Sometimes even the helpline needs a little help. We are in the process of working on our Helpline so we can better serve weavers with questions, but at the moment, the Helpline is under construction. Thank you for your patience.

 

Silk, Silk, Silk

Just a little note for all of you silk weavers and lovers out there about our 2/20 Bombyx. This silk produces a lusciously soft fabric. We recommend that when winding your warp that you wind it with two ends in your hand at a time. This will reduce the number of interlacements going through your lease sticks, and make winding on much easier. If you can’t buy two skeins – no problem! Just wind your single skein into two balls. Easy peasy.

Have you worked with this new linen? We would love to see a picture of your project. Drop us a line at jane@janestaffordtextiles.com or find us and share with us on Facebook.

Presenting 40/2 Linen in 17 Colours

A few months ago we decided to bring in some new linen to the shop to mix it up a bit and offer an even smaller gauge of linen for those finer projects. Overwhelmingly, people seem to love this new line. We have just finished making up our new linen sample cards as well. You can get to the this new line in our shop by clicking here, and sample cards can be purchased by clicking here.


Cuddles on Sale

We have a small quantity of our hand-dyed Cuddles Alpaca blend on sale and we just wanted to let those of you who would like to try this yarn, or those of you who love this yarn. Why? Because we are not going to be dying any further batches of Cuddles. Cuddles is a wool/alpaca bulky, cushy yarn and we even have a knitting pattern for a cute little hat that we’ll throw in for you when you pick up a skein or two. The pattern uses only one Skein. It’s also lovely for the odd shot of texture in your weaving. Here’s the link to the store….

Rosemary’s Recipe Corner

One of the first things that burst forth in the spring is the old fashioned staple Rhubarb. As at home in many homestead gardens as in our kitchen, Rosemary has given us her delicious recipe for Rhubarb Muffins.

2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Topping (set aside)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your muffin tins.

Mix all the wet ingredients, including the sugar together in a bowl. Next, mix the dry ingredients together so they are well distributed. Incorporate the wet ingredients.

Add chopped rhubarb to mixture. In a separate bowl, mix your melted butter and sugar for the topping. Add batter to your tins, sprinkle with topping and bake for about 20 minutes. Then grab your butter, sit back, and enjoy!

Show and Tell

We’ve been playing with a pattern lately here at the shop and we’ve seen a few student interpretations of the pattern. Here is Claudia Cocco’s version of our Alpaca shawl. It’s a pattern that uses denting to produce some really stunning results. This shawl is made with the Alpaca Tweed and our hand-dyed bouclé. Thanks Claudia for allowing us to show this lovely shawl off!

Copyright © 2016 Jane Stafford Textiles, All rights reserved.

 

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Weaving in Ethiopia – Part 2

One of the wonderful things about travelling is being able to share ideas. I have learned so much from the weavers of India through my trips with Charllotte Kwon from Maiwa Handprints and I was able to share some of these ideas with the weavers at Sabahar.

 

Kathy arranged for us to have a meeting on our first day and I asked the weavers if they had any frustration with their process and warping did come up.

The wagumbo is heavy, so we looked at supporting it in a cradle so the warpers didn’t have to carry it and I also encouraged them to try the warping mill that they were using as a drying rack.

We looked at warping techniques from India on my i-pad….that was so much fun. Everyone had great ideas.

 

The warps used at Sabahar are extremely fine cotton singles that get cooked in flour to starch them. Then they are hung outside to dry.

 

We added weights to the skeins while they are drying to stretch out the over twist…or block the skeins while they dried.

 

The two harness loom does not prevent these weavers from creating beautifully elegant inlay. They hold their inlay sheds at the back of the harnesses and then insert a wide shedding stick to create the shed.

 

That’s it for this week kids. Episode three comes out in a week. Thanks for reading ~ Jane