Dogwood pattern
by Margaret Gaynes

Dogwood placemats These items with a dogwood pattern were designed by Margaret Gaynes. The pattern was published in Handwoven in May 88 (p. 42), where it won an Award of Excellence in weaving for the home. The samples were both placemats and scarves. It was much admired by the rest of the guild, and when Glory Koehler died in 2001 this pattern was chosen for the communion cloth made by the guild in her honor.

Dogwood Placemats

PROJECT NOTES: This draft was shared with me by Orla Poindexter of Concord, California. The original source was the Southern California Handweaver's Guild 'Tie-Up" newsletter from October 1974. The dogwood pattern is unusual in that the flowers are formed by the plain weave rather than the lace sections of the pattern. I wove this for a wedding gift, choosing mercerized cotton for its sheen and wash-ability. The off-white color goes with any decor, and the lace looks especially nice when the mats are used atop a colored tablecloth or dark wood.

FABRIC DESCRIPTION: Bronson lace.

FINISHED DIMENSIONS: Four table mats, each 15" wide by 20 1/2" long, including 3/4" hem on each end.

WARP & WEFT: 10/2 mercerized cotton at 4200 yd/lb:* 2760 yd off-white.

YARN SOURCES & COLORS: This is Halcyon Yarn's 10/2 Pearl Cotton item 84, at 4000 yd/lb:* color #105 Natural. NOTIONS: Matching off-white sewing thread. E.P.I.: 24.
*See the General Instructions for yardage notes.

WIDTH IN REED: 16 1/2"

TOTAL WARP ENDS: 400.

WARP LENGTH: 3 3/4 yd, which includes take-up, shrinkage, and 27" loom waste.

placemat draft DRAFT (image may be icky on your screen, but larger version should print legibly)

P.P.I.: 24.

TAKE-UP & SHRINKAGE: 10% in width and 7% in length.

WEAVING: Before threading, be sure you have enough heddles (200) on shaft 1, as that shaft carries half the warp ends. Begin and end each mat with 2" of plain weave, beating firmly to make the p.p.i. the same as the plain weave side borders of the lace area. Weave pattern for approximately 20". Separate the mats with several picks of plain weave in a colorfast contrasting color.

FINISHING: Machine stay stitch the ends of the fabric. Machine wash in warm water on cotton cycle, using detergent. Machine dry, removing when slightly damp. Steam press. Stay stitch the ends of each mat and cut them apart, removing the contrasting separator wefts. Turn ends under 1/4", press, and then turn under again so that about 5/8" of plain weave borders the lace at the ends of the mat. Hand stitch the hems; press.

Dogwood Scarf

PROJECT NOTES: The dogwood pattern was so pretty that I wanted to do more with it. After changing the draft slightly to spread out the flowers, I wove a series of scarves using silk and wool yarns. In addition to the yarn used in this piece, I also wove scarves on this threading using: Silk Tree's 2-ply fine cord at 4650 yd/lb for warp and weft (which wove a more open pattern than the scarf shown). Silk Tree's 2-ply fine cord for warp and Silk Tree's tussah fine singles at 4220 yd/lb for weft (because of the Bronson lace floats, this fabric had a double-faced appearance with white on one side and tussah on the other). JaggerSpun Superfine Merino at 5040 yd/lb for warp and weft.

FABRIC DESCRIPTION: Bronson lace.

FINISHED DIMENSIONS: 5 1/2" wide by 55" long, plus 2" fringe on each end.

WARP & WEFT: Silk at 3400 yd/lb: 730 yd natural.

YARN SOURCES & COLORS: This yarn is a singles natural tussah plied with a 2-ply off-white bombyx silk, purchased from Aurora Silk in 1985.

E.P.I.: 24.

WIDTH IN REED: 63A".

TOTAL WARP ENDS: 165, including floating selvedges.

WARP LENGTH: 2 1/2 yd, which includes take-up, shrinkage, and 27" loom waste.

P.P.I.: 24.

TAKE-UP & SHRINKAGE: 20% in width and 5% in length.

WEAVING: Begin and end the scarf with four picks of plain weave and hand hemstitching. The flowers can be randomly placed on the scarf.

FINISHING: Before washing, secure the fringe so that it doesn't tangle. (I tied overhand knots at the end of large groups of warps.) Machine wash in warm water using Ivory Liquid or other mild soap on delicate cycle with three minutes of agitation. Hand rinse and lay flat to dry. If necessary, press while slightly damp, using a cool iron. Trim the fringe to 2". (If hand washing the scarf, be sure to manipulate and agitate the fabric in the wash water -this not only softens the fabric but moves the yarns so that the lace "opens up" and the pattern is more distinct.)

By Margaret Gaynes
reproduced from Handwoven, May 88, p.42
Last updated: 4/2/05