I have uploaded photos of my series of mixed media tapestries, “Follow the Thread” to
https://crone-findlay.com/2022/01/17/tapestries-follow-the-thread-series/
If you’re interested in any of them, please send me a message 🙂 LINK
Category Archives: weaving & handwoven
Refurbishing Older Four Harness Table Looms
Late last summer and fall, I discovered that I can no longer use treadle looms because of a problem with one of my feet.
That came as a surprise, but I love table looms, so I sold my floor loom and quested after the perfect table loom.
I really enjoy fixing up old looms, so I happily adopted this dear old loom built by an unknown maker:
She was in really rough shape, so it took a lot of tender loving care to bring her back to life.
I had to build a new ratchet for her cloth beam and apply many many coats of oil to her dried out self. Poor old girl!
One of her toggles was totally messed up, so I replaced the cord and now it works beautifully.
She had a truly grim warp wrapped around her back beam, with crumbling newspaper from 1974 in the warp, so she had obviously been neglected for a long, long time.
She is now a cherished member of the loom clan in my studio and I wove a bunch of Tea Towels for Christmas presents on her. (LINK)
She’s a delight to weave on, and is definitely a keeper!
She’s warped up with mug rugs for next Christmas- we work on Christmas presents all year long, so it’s kind of fun to start the year off with the beginnings of next Christmas 🙂
And….. This is Caroline…. the newest vintage member of my loom family.
For years, I have been longing for a Woolhouse loom, but they stopped production, and the looms are so wonderful that they don’t come available very often.
I was ecstatic to find one online and was amazed to be able to buy her!
She joined my loom herd not that long ago and it’s been fun re-furbishing her.
We had an oops when we transported her home…
Whoops…. one of her little wooden gears disappeared into a snow bank when she got loaded into the back of the car. Luckily, I was able to cut down an old wooden spool and it works just fine.
The lady that I bought Caroline from told me that she found the texsolve heddles annoying because of a couple of issues.
She mentioned that the heddle frames didn’t drop when the levers were down.
Rather odd, but vintage looms can be quirky.
She had talked to someone who suggested adding weights to the frames.
This made sense to me, so I puzzled over how to do it, and settled on adding steel rods to the bottom of the heddle frames. Perfect!
She also found it frustrating that long strands of texsolve stuck out at the top of the frames and snagged on each other.
I fixed that by trimming the ‘eyelashes’ at the top edge- it helped solve that problem.
And, oh yes, the heddles were not inserted right, and bowed out all wonkywobbly, so I fixed that, too, and now Caroline’s as sweet a little weaving machine as can be!
BUT, oh my! There was one more surprise that threw me for a loop.
Out of the blue…. YIKES!
Good grief! one of the rods that connects a traveling cord to the levers suddenly broke when I was weaving. FLOP went a lever! What?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
That had me appalled and my head was spinning…. I went to bed feeling quite upset.
But then, after thinking, sleeping and dreaming on it, I figured that I could probably fix it by bending another steel rod to as close as I could get to the shape of the broken one.
I figured out how to take apart the mechanism to get the old one out and then huffed and puffed as I bent and shaped the replacement.
It was fiddly, but not too hard to insert the new one.
and –
Voila! Caroline is now a happy little loomie! (whew! ) (and I know what to do now if it happens again with one of the other connector pieces).
You can see in this pic that one of these things is not like the others… but it works a fair treat!
Anyhow, now, she weaves like a dream.
Her shed is quite small, so I use stick shuttles on her, and enjoy her most enormously!
Oh… another thing I did…
Somehow, she seemed to be asking for a little bit of embellishment, so I cut small wooden pieces and drew some things that are precious to me on them.
Then I wood burned and painted them and stuck them on in places that wouldn’t get in the way.
Caroline approves.
Both of these dear old looms were a lot of work to bring to life again, but what a joy it is to know them so well and to feel them purring!
They are pure happiness to weave on and I hope that I have a lot of years of weaving bliss with them, and then, of course, at some point, they will move on to another weaver whom I hope will love them as much as I do! But, not for a long time…. 🙂
Tea Towels woven from upcycled crochet cotton
Last summer, loved relatives gave me 2 boxes of crochet cotton that they had adopted from the ReUse Centre in their town.
This is the smaller of the 2 boxes.
I immediately used some of the cotton to tat butterflies, and thought about what to use the generous and unexpected treasure that remained.
I decided to weave Tea Towels for my family – I wanted the cotton to become something useful, rather than just languishing as ‘stash’.
I had no idea, when I began, just how much I would love weaving the Tea Towels!
It was so meditative and contemplative- and watching the play of shadow and light on the various shades of cream and white cotton was deeply pleasing.
To begin the journey, I warped up several warp chains.
And wove
and wove and wove….
The blue bands look odd, because I used several strands of variegated blue thread held together…
I used one of my favorite weaving drafts, ‘Rosepath’, which gives the diamond effect when woven to the ‘correct’ treadling, but also a pleasing zig zag twill and of course, plain weave tabby.
This was perfect for me, as it allowed me to add definition to the hems, the cream colored borders, the blue bands and the body of the tea towels.
Once the tea towels were all woven, washed them and then ironed them and hemmed them.
I had hand stitched the hems between each of the towels while they were on the loom, but then stitched the hand stitched edges again by machine before cutting them apart.
I then rolled and pinned the hems and stitched them by machine.
I had hand stitched the hems on some of the prototype tea towels, but wasn’t happy with the way they looked, so opted for the machine.
He has the family ability to raise one eyebrow very high and fix you with a baleful gaze.
This is also a family trait. We pass along such interesting legacies, don’t we?
My father could transmit a world of ‘ahem’ with his eyebrow. Ahem.
I didn’t sew over any more pins after I was given ‘the eyebrow’!
Earlier in the process, I wove miles of tape on my narrow band loom.
But, I forgot to take a picture of the weaving process for the tape.
I cut lengths of tape from the miles of narrow band.
Then I sewed the hanging loops with it onto the tea towels by hand.
Then, off to the washing machine for the towels….
It was so exciting to see how washing the towels snugged them up and made them all soft and inviting.
And then ironed the living daylights out of the tea towels again.
Most of them have been designated as gifts.
Generous gifts of boxes of abandoned crochet cotton by our relatives turned out to be such a lovely gift for me.
I loved the process of bringing the cotton to life again and I hope that the towels will be a pleasure in some small, quiet way for years to come.
How to Weave a Butterfly on the Mirrix Saffron Loom
I have been weaving a lot of butterflies lately, as a metaphor of hope, transformation, healing, creativity, community, and so much more.
These butterflies are ones that I designed to weave on the Mirrix Saffron loom.
I love the way that I can set up the Saffron to the exact size that I want….
The pink butterfly is made by weaving a full size triangle on the Saffron (see instructions in my book: Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom).
And, the blue butterflies are made by weaving half size triangles.
Because the smaller butterflies are woven using a variation on the technique that I developed for the book,
I have made a video showing how to weave them.
The bodies are made on the loom, using the same setup as the wings, so you can weave away without having to re-set the loom. Yay!
Here’s the link to the Video How to Tutorial:
Mirrix looms are selling a wonderful kit that includes my book: Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom, as well as the Saffron Loom and the Sandy Stand for it. It’s a great kit! Here’s the link for it:
In the video, I mentioned that I carved a chopstick to make the weaving hook for weaving the triangles.
Here’s the link to that video:
Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART SIX: How to assemble the banner
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 K I T
ASSEMBLING THE BANNER:
Place Einstein behind the narrow band.
Stitch his hands to the front of the banner and then stitch the banner to his sweater.
Enjoy and be inspired!
Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART FIVE: How to weave the freeform homage to Albert Einstein
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 K I T
FREE FORM WEAVING: HOMAGE TO ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Albert Einstein is woven (with a few extrapolations and a slight adjustment to the waistline) following the instructions for the Woven Dancer on page 30 of “Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom”.
In order to hold the pattern onto the loom, a backing board is needed. See: LINK
INSTRUCTIONS:
HOW TO WEAVE THE ALBERT EINSTEIN FIGURE:
1: SET UP THE LOOM so it is 11 inches/27.5 cm) from the lower set of pegs to the upper set. Lock it into the ‘Sandy Stand’.
Fold the ends of the backing board to the back and slide it in place on the loom.
2: WARP THE LOOM: Following the instructions for the Woven Dancer on page 30 of ‘Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom’, with 1 strand of #4 Medium weight (Worsted or Sport weight) yarn white and 1 strand grey held together as if they are a single strand:
Skip 6 pegs at each side of the loom and warp the loom, following the instructions in the book closely.
3: WEAVING:
LEGS:
Leaving only an inch or of a tail end rather than the long tail end listed in the instructions in the book, weave the legs with 2 strands of black yarn held together as if they are a single strand, and packing the weaving down closely to completely cover the warp strands. Follow the instructions in the book for weaving the legs, but noting that you will be beating the weft yarn in more densely than in the book.
SWEATER:
With 2 strands of light blue yarn held together as if they are a single strand, weave up to the neck. Beat the weft so it completely covers the warp strands.
DO NOT pull in the waistline as it is drawn in the book. Weave the sweater straight up to the shoulders.
Wrap the neck with the blue yarn and weave in the ends.
SLEEVES:
Weave the sleeves following the instructions for the arms, but, once again, beat the weft so it completely covers the warp strands.
FACE:
With skin tone yarn, weave the face, weaving under 1/over 1 and over 1/under 1.
MOUSTACHE:
Stitch loosely over the shed stick with 1 strand of white yarn and 1 strand grey yarn held together as if they are a single strand at least 3 times. Take the ends to the back of the head.
EYEBROWS:
Take 2 slightly tighter stitches over the shed stick for each eyebrow.
EYES:
Stitch 2 small black ‘e’ size beads on for eyes.
HAIRLINE:
Lock the top of the head in place by stitching around each warp strand at the top of the forehead.
Lift Einstein off the loom.
NOSE:
Stitch 2 vertical stitches with skin tone yarn.
SHOES:
With Brown yarn follow the instructions for the feet on page 36. Weave the yarn ends into the legs.
HANDS:
Weave in the single strand at the side of each hand into the arm so that it is the same size as the loop of the hand.
With skin tone yarn make hands the same way as the feet. Weave the yarn ends into the arms.
HAIR:
Stitch loops of hair yarn around the edges of the face and on the back of the head.
Use felting needles to finalize the loops into the ‘dandelion’ shape of his classic signature hairstyle.
FINISHING:
1: Steam the woven figure on the wrong side with a steam iron, being sure to not touch the iron to the weaving.
Finger press the arms down and the hair into place.
Weave in the ends.
Trim any ends.
2: Sew a plastic or metal ring to the back of the head for hanging the banner.
“Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART FOUR: How to make the cardboard backing board for the freeform weaving
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
FREE FORM WEAVING: HOMAGE TO ALBERT EINSTEIN:
Albert Einstein is woven (with a few extrapolations and a slight adjustment to the waistline) following the instructions for the Woven Dancer on page 30 of “Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom”.
In order to hold the pattern onto the loom, a backing board is needed.
INSTRUCTIONS:
HOW TO MAKE THE CARDBOARD BACKING BOARD FOR THE SAFFRON LOOM:
1: With the corrugations running the length of the piece: Cut 2 pieces of corrugated cardboard that are 13 inches/32.5 cm long by 5 1/2 inches/13.75 cm wide.
2: Tape or glue the 2 pieces of cardboard together.
3: Score a line with a ballpoint pen or knitting needle 1 inch/2.5 cm from each end.
4: Cut a notch out of the center of each end piece that is 1 inch/2.5 cm by 1 inch/2.5 cm.
5: Trace the pattern for the largest Woven Dancer onto plain paper or graph paper and center it on the backing board.
6: Tape it in place, then tape a piece of clear plastic, either from recycled plastic or a plastic page protector over the pattern.
“Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART THREE: How to weave the triangles
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
HOW TO WEAVE THE TRIANGLES:
Make 2.
1: SET UP THE LOOM so it is 2 1/2 inches (approximately 6.25 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 warping the Triangle on page 82 of ‘Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom’, leave 6 sets of pegs at both sides open so just the center 10 pegs are used: Begin at the right hand side.
With 2 strands of white yarn held together as if it is one strand, and 2 strands of pale blue yarn as if it is a single strand, put on 5 loops of white warp strands and then, 5 loops of blue yarn. Cut and tie a knot in the middle.
Diagonal:
Take the blue yarn around the lower left hand peg beside the warp strands up to and around the peg that is adjacent to the warp strands at the top right hand peg
Weave the end of the blue yarn around the lower left hand pegs, back and forth to secure it, then snip the end off.
3: WEAVE:
Follow the instructions in the book to weave the triangle, using a crochet hook. Repeat for the second triangle.
4: FINISHING THE TRIANGLES:
If necessary, pull up on the diagonal yarn end to pull the triangle into shape.
Steam the triangles on the wrong side with a steam iron, being sure to not touch the iron to the weaving.
Finger press the triangles to shape them into pleasing triangles.
Weave in the ends.
Trim any ends.
“Imagine” Banner Weave Along: PART TWO: How to embroider 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
HOW TO EMBROIDER
THE WORD ‘IMAGINE’ ON THE NARROW BAND:
NOTE: The embroidery is done while the weaving is still on the loom and under tension.
1: Print out a copy of the ‘Imagine’ letters so they are approximately 1 inch/2.5 cm high by 7 in/17.5 cm or use 1/4 inch graph paper to draw them out.
2: Fold the paper so the edge of the letters can be placed right against the 1 inch/2.5 cm high white center section of the weaving.
3: Place the straight pins at the upright lines of the letters, ‘I’, ‘m’, ‘n’, and at the outside edges of the chubby ‘a’, ‘g’ and ‘e’.
4: Use the pins as guides to draw the letters onto the narrow band using a permanent felt tip marker.
5: Following the instructions on page 27 of “Innovative Weaving on the Frame Loom”, embroider the letters with dark blue embroidery floss.
FRINGE:
6: Lift the weaving off the loom and remove the 2 pieces of cardboard.
7: Cut the ends of the loops at the right hand side of the narrow band (it was at the top of the loom) open.
8: Trim the ends that were at the lower edge of the loom, now the left hand side of the band, to the same length as the warp ends at the other end of the narrow band.
9: Tie a knot (left over right and under, right over left and under) with each set of 4 strands of yarn across both ends of the narrow band.
10: FINISHING THE NARROW BAND:
Steam the narrow band on the wrong side with a steam iron, being sure to not touch the iron to the weaving.
Finger press the narrow band to make sure that the fringes behave themselves and line up politely.
Trim them again if necessary.
“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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