In praise of Diane Mortensen and Not Using Floating Selvage Threads–Blog Post
We read with great sadness about Diane Mortensen’s passing after her own epic trip of a lifetime and a brief illness. She had successfully battled many health challenges but went on her own terms. There is a nice obituary about Diane in the Gulf Islands Driftwood online Magazine. Michele first met Diane at a Florida Tropical Weavers Conference.
By Michele Belson
Many years ago, early in my weaving career I was fortunate to take a class from Diane Mortensen, a Canadian weaver and painter from beautiful Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. We in Florida were lucky that Canadian instructors enjoyed coming to Florida in March!
Warp Speed Ahead!
I arrived in my usual state of insanity with the warp from a commission (one of my very first!) still on my trusty Baby Wolf loom. I apologized profusely and was delighted by Diane’s supportive response. She responded to my apologies with a cheerful version of ‘paying work takes precedence!’.
Being a fast weaver and faster warper even then, the commission was completed before the end of the day. Then my class warp was beamed, threaded and ready for the class the next morning. I don’t remember the topic of the class, but I gleaned several gems from it. As a production weaver herself, Diane encouraged us to be efficient.
On Floating Selvages.
Her teaching on floating selvages stuck with me to this day. We have incorporated her tricks into our most recent scarf kit, All That Glitters. Diane felt that floating selvages slow you down a bit, and she encouraged her students to find a way to eliminate them.
Her first suggestion was to try starting the shuttle on a different side to see if uncaught edge threads could be prevented without the use of floating selvage threads. And it usually works. In the Glitter Scarf draft, the combination of a 2/2 Broken Twill and a 3/1 Straight Twill is a situation where floating selvages are usually suggested. However, in this scarf, the Abigail Gimp yarns are on the selvage edges and those threads are not well suited for floating selvage threads. Adding an extra 20/2 black thread on the outside doesn’t look nice either.
I found by starting my shuttle on the right side of the loom at the beginning of the repeat there was no edge float. An added benefit is that when there is a treadling error, both selvages develop a noticeable float within 2 repeats. It is easy to unweave and get back on track. So, no floating selvages to slow me down and a built-in check against treadling errors.
If changing the treadling order didn’t work, her sage advice was: ‘If it offends thee, pluck it out.’ If the warp end on shaft 1 isn’t catching, simply remove it. Removing a single or even 2 ends at the edge of the warp is rarely significant. Between this method and the one listed above, I rarely use floating selvages.
Many of our kits do use floating selvages and there are times to do so. Watch for a blog about the advantages of floating selvages coming soon.
Truly Sage Advice
Diane encouraged us to THINK about our work, make it efficient and effective, and to prioritize what’s important. Things like “Paying work comes first!”. Her advice made a lasting impression on my work both in weaving and in life.
Several years ago, Diane was battling cancer and asked for friendly words on Facebook. Though it had been more than a decade since the class, I told her about the impression she had made on me and my work and my life. She voiced appreciation.
She and I communicated occasionally, though we never met in person. She loved her Golden Retrievers as much as I loved my Black Labs. She was an avid gardener. Her love and appreciation of her husband Klaus was always endearing.
We wish Diane safe travels, warped looms, a sunny garden, and furry companionship!
Beautifully said, Michele. I remember Diane’s workshop on placemats using bundled wefts, and still make those. Her weighing down the warp with a typewriter also comes to mind with a smile.
I met Diane, as well, at a FTWG conference many years ago in a workshop on supplementary warps. She was inspiring. Then, when HGA Convergence was in Vancouver, I and 2 friends took 2 ferries to Salt Spring Island and visited Diane at her beautiful home. It was a grand visit and I cherish the memories. My condolences to her friends and family . It is a loss to our weaving community. May she rest in peace.