Sampling is my Rabbit Hole

Sampling for me is a rabbit hole...

I start off with a new concept and the intelligent part of me says sample to make sure you are on the right track.    Then, days or perhaps weeks later, as happened this time, I finally stop sampling; get focused and get back on track using little of the information I gleamed from sampling.    

I know I do this...and yet I keep doing it...leaving so much less time to work on designing the layers of meaning in my piece, which is by far my favorite part.

I am incredible excited about a concept I have for a new series of pieces.  I started planning  backwards this time since I wanted to make sure it would be easy to finish and be exhibit quality.  First I bought the frames and planned how to finish the piece...next I bought two potential linens for the warp and weft with the  texture I wanted...then I chose the weaving structure which would do what I wanted it to do....  At this point I saw the piece so very clearly in my mind.  Ah, now the intelligent part of me said...best to sample to make sure you get the right sett, warp and pattern.    

Above you can see the result of three weeks of sampling, warping, changing reeds etc.  Over 14 feet of Huck (3, 5 and 7 thread Huck) in a variety of patterns, warps, wefts, setts, reeds,  etc.  Once I started my curiosity took over.  I liked the very first pattern I tried...but I had to try all the patterns in my new book on Huck since I was curious.  Then I had to change the sett...the warp...then various combinations of both...

And in the end,  I chose to use cotton seine as my warp and weft,  which I did not sample.  A set of 10 epi which I did not sample.  And moved to a table loom instead of the floor loom where I did do all those samples.  

And although I am a bit behind schedule,  I think it will work just perfectly...