Category Archives: tutorial & how to

“Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART ONE: How to weave the narrow band

To see all the links for the ‘How To’ posts for the “Imagine” Banner Weave along, please go to L I N K S

To order the loom, book and extras kit for the Weave Along from Mirrix, please go to K I T

In order to weave the “Imagine” banner, you’ll need the following things:

Saffron Pocket Loom

Extender rod

Sandy Stand

Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom Book

HERE IS A LINK TO THE BOOK AND SAFFRON LOOM KIT that is available on the Mirrix website. LINK

Other things that are needed for the ‘Imagine’ banner:

Yarn: Less than an ounce of each of the following colors: white, grey, black, pale blue, brown, beige

Embroidery floss: 1 skein of navy or dark blue

2 small black ‘e’ beads for the eyes and needle and thread to sew them on

Scissors

cardboard

a plastic page protector

a ruler

transparent tape

felting needles,

6 rubber bands

paper

long straight pins

permanent felt tip pen

plastic or metal ring to hang the banner

1 Weaving Needle (5 1/2 inches or 6 inches long with a blunt tip)

1 Shed Stick: a second weaving needle or 6 inch Paddle style bamboo Cocktail Skewer or a short dpn knitting needle

1 craft needle (short metal tapestry needle approximately 2 3/4 inches long)

-1 crochet hook: 4.5 mm crochet hook works just fine

PART ONE:

THE WOVEN AND EMBROIDERED NARROW BAND:

The narrow band in Albert Einstein’s hands is woven (with a couple of small modifications) following the instructions on page 171 of “Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom” for the Alpaca Blanket. While it’s still on the loom, the word, ‘Imagine’, is embroidered using a simple running stitch.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1: SET UP THE LOOM so it is 11 1/2 inches / 29 cm from the lower set of pegs to the upper set. Lock it into the ‘Sandy Stand’.

2: WARP THE LOOM: Following the instructions for the Alpaca Blanket on page 171 of ‘Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom’, put on 10 sets of warp strands.

Use 2 strands of #4 Medium weight (Worsted or Sport weight) yarn held together as if it is a single strand.

Skip 6 pegs at each side of the loom and warp the following colors, or your choice of colors:

NOTE: A ‘set’ of warp strands in this case means tying around one peg from bottom to top of loom and snipping it after tying the knot at the lower edge. The 2 strands of warp yarn are held together while warping the loom.

1 set of warp strands Black

2 sets Light Blue

4 sets White

2 sets Light Blue

1 set Black

3: Slide 3 rubber bands over the lower set of pegs and 3 rubber bands over the upper set of pegs to help keep the warp strands from jumping off.

4: Cut 2 pieces of cardboard that are 2 inches/5 cm tall. The piece that will go into the lower edge of the warp strands should be 5 1/2 or 6 inches/15 cm wide. The piece that will go into the upper edge of the weaving once it’s done can be just 3 inches/7.5 cm wide.

5: Weave the shed stick under 2/over 2 across the warp strands at the top of the loom.

6: Weave the longer piece of cardboard into the warp strands – slide it into the shed formed by the shed stick and push it down to the lower edge of the loom. This will make the warp fringe at the first end.

7: WEAVING:

NOTE: The instructions in the book say to pull in on the weft strands while weaving. When using the Saffron loom, that is not necessary.

With 2 strands of white yarn and a weaving needle, following the instructions in the book, weave until the weaving is 7 1/2 inches/ 19 cm tall.

Fold the shorter piece of cardboard in half lengthwise and weave it into the warp strands, then open it up. This will keep the weaving taut while you embroider the word, ‘imagine’.

The 2 pieces of cardboard – 1 at each end of the weaving are essential to keep the weaving in place while embroidering the letters.

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“IMAGINE” Banner Weave Along

IMAGINE” BANNER

Woven on the Mirrix Saffron loom, using techniques fromInnovative Weaving on the Frame Loom”

A Weave Along by Noreen Crone-Findlay

The “Imagine” banner is a reminder about the power of creativity. Noreen Crone-Findlay, author of “Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom”, has designed this banner as a weave along, featuring the delightful Mirrix Saffron Loom.

Albert Einstein has been credited with saying that he valued imagination over knowledge.

Now is certainly the time for us all to imagine that we can make things better, so hurrah for creativity, resiliency and imagination!

The 3 components of the ‘Imagine’ banner are all based on techniques that are featured in ‘Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom’, with little tweaks so that you can make a unique and one of a kind celebration of creativity to inspire yourself and other people, too.

You will need the Mirrix Saffron Loom and ‘Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom’ by Noreen Crone-Findlay (that’s me, of course) to participate in the weave along.

Mirrix is offering a kit that includes both, as well as other tools that are used to create the ‘Imagine’ banner.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE BOOK AND SAFFRON LOOM KIT that is available on the Mirrix website. LINK

You can use whatever yarn (#4 Medium weight yarn) that you like to weave the banner.

I will be posting the instructions for the Weave Along in 6 separate posts here on Tottie Talks Crafts,

beginning on Sept 13, 2021 .

PART ONE: How to weave the narrow band L I N K

PART TWO: How to embroider the narrow band L I N K

PART THREE: How to weave the 2 small triangles L I N K

PART FOUR: How to make the cardboard backing board for doing freeform weaving L I N K

PART FIVE: How to weave the homage to Albert Einstein figure L I N K

PART SIX: Assembling the banner L I N K

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How to Build a Folding Wooden Doll Chair

After I carved and wove 3 dolls that didn’t fit the doll furniture that I already had, (see Brown Paper Yarn Dolls) ,

I decided that I had to build them each a chair.

And so I built them each their own little chair with a seat woven on the Mirrix Saffron Loom, using instructions from my book: Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom.

HERE IS A LINK TO THE BOOK AND SAFFRON LOOM KIT that is available on the Mirrix website. LINK

The Chairs are not in the book, but the weaving patterns are. See pages: 68, 50 and 45.

Here are the dimensions for the wooden parts of the chair:

The wooden pieces are all 1 cm thick and 2 cm wide.

Pieces A are 24 cm long (cut 2)

Pieces B are 20 cm long (cut 2)

Pieces C are 11 cm long (cut 2)

The Dowels are 1/4 inch in diameter:

A: Cut 2 that are 11 cm long

B: Cut 2 that are 9 cm long

C: Cut 1 that is 13 cm long

The Seat: Weave a piece of fabric that is 20 cm long by 7 cm wide and stitch through the end of the warp loops, over the top dowel of A and the front dowel of B.

The finished size of the chair is:

Height: 20 cm (8 inches)

From front to back: 18 cm (almost 7 inches)

Width: 13 cm at widest point (about 5 inches)

The dolls are very happy in their new chairs!

I have made a video, showing how to build the chairs- but please note that I forgot to show how I sew the weaving to the chair.

Oops.

I simply lifted the weaving off the loom and stitched through the warp loops with 2 strands of yarn, going over the dowel.

I hope that you will have fun making doll chairs for your dolls and teddy bears, too. ❤

Here’s the link:

Happy Chairmaking!

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How to Spin and Weave Brown Paper Yarn

One of my favorite eco friendly crafts is spinning yarn from brown paper….

This video shows how:

And, then, I love to weave the brown paper yarn into all kinds of fun things like this bunny and teddy bear.

I carved their heads from wood, and made their little shoes from scraps of garment leather that I glued to wooden soles that I carved. The navy shoes were made from a thrift shop coat that I cut and sewed into a ton of different things- bags and doll shoes and doll clothes.

I made their hands from scraps of heavy weight leather that I was given years ago.

Bunny’s face is lopsided because the scrap of firewood that I carved her from was wonky, but she forgives me for that!

I adapted this pattern from my etsy shop to weave their bodies on weaving sticks, using the brown paper yarn that I had spun: Here’s the link:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/92453904/pdf-pattern-for-delightful-dolls-woven?ref=shop_home_feat_1

The brown paper yarn also works BEAUTIFULLY for weaving baskets. Here’s a link to my pattern for weaving baskets on weaving sticks:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/111292892/pdf-pattern-for-all-kinds-of-baskets?ref=shop_home_feat_3

And, here’s the link for jewelry to weave with weaving sticks. Brown paper is wonderful for making jewelry!

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/124255671/ebook-jewelry-woven-on-the-stick-weaving?ref=shop_home_feat_4

I love all the neat things that can be made with brown paper yarn. In our house, brown paper is NEVER thrown away!

It always gets upcycled into nifty new things 😀

This is my contribution to the monthly ‘Scrap Happy’ Blogging group- people who delight in making things from scraps and upcycled bits of this and that post on the 15th of each month.

Here’s the links to the rest of the group. I always enjoy seeing what each of them has done each month:

KateGun, EvaSue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, JanMoira, SandraChrisAlys,
KerryClaireJeanJon , HayleyDawn,
Gwen, Bekki, Sue L, Sunny, Kjerstin,
Vera, NanetteAnn, Dawn 2, Noreen (this is me, but you know that) ,
Bear, Carol, Preeti and Edith

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Some Simple Hacks That Make Carving Wood Safer

I don’t usually post twice in one day to my blog, but I just had a conversation with a friend on facebook that nudged me about something I wanted to talk about-

Being safe when carving wood.

Why?  Because I have caused myself considerable harm a couple of times when a moment of mindlessness let my knife slip, with almost fatal consequences.

I talk about it in this little video:

 

Here are some specific things that I use to keep my hands safe while I carve:

 

The square of wood with the enhanced corner is a carving support that my husband built for me.

See how the lip hangs over the edge of the desk?

It sits on anti-slip fabric to prevent it from skidding around.

Another square of the anti- slip fabric is on the carving support to keep the piece from skidding while I am carving it.

My lovely husband made it from various scraps of wood we had around.

Make it any size that works for you.

 

The piece of wood with bark on it is a great way of holding down a piece of carving with my left hand while I carve with my right hand.

The knife, chisel or file can easily slip and plunge into the hand that is holding the work in place and I would rather skid into a bit of wood than my hand.

(I’ve had more than my fair share of stitches over the years!)

 

Tottie Tomato is modelling rubber thumb and finger thingies that are usually used for filing papers, but they work great as finger and thumb tip protectors on my left hand.

Can you see how the nubbinses are almost all gone?  That’s from interacting with knives, chisels, sandpaper and files.

Better to nip the finger protector than my finger.

 

The 2 leather things are thumb protectors that I made from leather by trial and error to get the fit and shaping right.

I cut an oval of thick leather that I had in a drawer in the studio and punched holes around the top to gather it and also 2 holes in the tabs to tie them into a comfortable fit.

You can see that the lighter color one is almost done… it’s really notched up – and none of those cuts made it to my precious thumbs! Yay!

It started out looking identical to the darker colored one (same leather), but the hard use and lots of slices have taken the finish completely off it.

I sometimes wear the second one on my left hand, but not often.

I NEVER carve without wearing the protector on my right hand thumb.

You can see why, as it’s so beaten up by just a few hundred hours of carving.

 

Power Tools: 

ALWAYS wear a face shield when working with electric tools, and a dust mask and ear protectors and anything else that is going to keep you safe, smart and out of the emergency room!

This is only friendly advice from a person who has done damage to herself when NOT wearing safety equipment and I really don’t want you to hurt yourself.

BUT I also have to make the usual disclaimer… I don’t know your situation and I mean well, but I am NOT an authority on safety issues, just a concerned and loving person.

So, my friend, USE YOUR THINKY BRAIN AND DON’T DO DUMB STUFF, okay?

hugs ❤

 

 

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Tiny Woven Snowmen are so much fun

One of my most favorite things to do at Christmas time is to make ‘the ornament of the year’ to give to family and friends. I usually end up making a LOT of them and it’s totally delightful.

This year, I have been weaving up a ton of tiny Snowmen- I designed them last year and made a video so other people can make them too.

Here’s the link to the ‘how to’ video:

https://youtu.be/a-9cfTzd4QI

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Embroidering on Hand Woven Fabric

If you would like to embellish your hand woven (or knitted or crocheted) fabric with embroidery, but aren’t quite sure how to do it, then I have some suggestions for you.

I have made a video showing one of the ways that I have figured out how to embroider on hand woven fabric- this technique will work just as well on crocheted or knitted fabric. Here’s the link to the video:

Here’s how to embroider on pin loom weaving:

Here’s how to embroider on hand wovens using the tambour chain stitch crochet technique:

Here’s how to stitch lucet cord to the edges of a handwoven piece:

Here’s how to make loop embellishments with lucet cord:

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Quick and Easy Clip On Pouches to Weave on Potholder Looms

Our small dog inspired me to weave a clip on pouch to carry hand sanitizer.

She picked up a chicken bone when we were walking and I had to stick my fingers in her mouth to get it out.

Oh, so in need of getting my hand cleaned off quickly!

I decided that NOT having to stick a messy hand in my pocket was a great idea, so I came up with clip on pouches to carry hand sanitizer.

Then, I wove up a stack of potholder squares to play with different ways of exploring color and texture and also different kinds of hanging loops.

I also figured out different ways of connecting clips, toggles and clamps.

This is a quick and easy project and would make a great gift!

Here’s the how to video:

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How to Make a Tutu for Dolls Using Upcycled Cloth Tea Bags

For links to video on how to upcycle cloth tea bags into Teabag Yarn, and how to weave triangles with it,  please go to: LINK

I love finding fun and unique ways to upcycle things, and so I have had so much fun turning cloth tea bags into yarn and weaving with it, to make tutus for the Merrie Sunshine and Mermaid Minnie Moonbeam dolls.

For the main page about Merrie Sunshine and Minnie Moonbeam dolls, please go to: LINK

Here is the video that shows how to make the Upcycled Tea Bag Tutu:

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How to Upcycle Cloth Tea Bags into Teabag Yarn

Ahhh, tea!  One of life’s great pleasures!

Some teas come in cloth tea bags that can’t be composted, so instead of throwing them in the garbage,

here’s a great way to upcycle the bags into yarn that you can weave with (or knit or crochet).

I’ve made a video about how to cut the cloth tea bags into fabric yarn-

What can you do with upcycled tea bag yarn?

Weave with it as if it’s regular yarn… for instance, here are a Star , a Dragonfly and Heart woven on pin looms that I designed for Dewberry Ridge Looms

Or: Make upcycled brooches- here’s a video showing how:

More videos  about weaving with teabag yarn –

How to Weave Using Upcycled Teabag Yarn 2 Nails at a Time on Pin Looms:

AND:

 

 

AND:

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