Of all the processes that weaving includes, warping is one that many weavers find challenging. It is particularly so if you warp infrequently, if you have a physical characteristic that makes it difficult, or if you simply have limited time within which to complete a project. Beginning in October of 2008, FireWatch Weavers offers a warping service that will perform some or all of the steps required to warp your loom for a particular project. These steps include:

Winding and chaining the warp.(This can be done either at our studio or at your location.)
Beaming the warp.
Threading.
Sleying and tying on.

Mentoring you while you warp your loom yourself.

For example, if you have problems with your elbow or shoulder, we can wind your warp for you and send you the warp chain. Or, you can wind the warp and we can beam it, then you can thread it yourself. Or, if you can wind and beam, but have trouble seeing to thread, then we can thread it for you. Or we can mentor you through one or more steps, or do the entire process.

Our method warps your loom back to front (warp is beamed first, then threaded and sleyed) using a raddle. We provide you with a worksheet on which you document the information we will need to perform the tasks you select, including

Dimensions to calculate warp length, OR specified warp length;
Dimensions and picks per inch to calculate number of ends, OR specified number of ends;
Threading draft including border threadings;
Loom information;
Equipment checklist (so we know what to bring).

If you elect to have us wind the warp in our studio, you mail (or deliver) the warp yarns to us, and we mail it back (or you pick it up, or we bring it if we are beaming the warp).

The cost is a rate of $12 per hour, plus postage (if necessary) and/or mileage (if necessary) at the rate of 25 cents per mile after the first 20 miles (that is, the first 20 miles are free). Travel time is not counted in the hourly rate. There is no charge for error correction, unless it is due to incorrect documentation (for example, a need to change the sett or modify the threading.) or an unsuitable warp (for example, a warp that you wound with not enough ends, or a sett you chose that is too close for the weave).

As an example: a recent 8 yard warp of 8/2 unmercerized cotton, 401 ends, threaded in overshot, sleyed at 20 epi took 1.75 hours to wind and chain ($21) , 1.5 hours to beam ($18), 2 hours to thread (24), .5 hour to sley and tie on ($6) = $69.

We accept payment by cash or check, or, for the full service only, Visa or MasterCard.