Tag Archives: hand weaving

May 21, 2013 · 5:53 pm

Quick tip for cutting hand woven fabric

So many people are afraid to cut their handwoven fabric….

BUT…. conquering the fear of snipping means that you can chop away with great gusto and whip up fabulous, one of a kind garments and accessories! So, YAY!

I was cutting out a spiffy hat today, and it struck me that I should make a quick little video to show what I do to cut off a length of fabric from my main piece of hand woven. So here’s what I do when I am cutting out the pieces for a project:

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, video tutorial, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as cutting hand woven fabric, fearless stitching, hand weaving, hand woven, handwoven fabric, how to cut handwoven fabric, sewing handwoven fabric, sewing techniques, textile techniques, video tutorial

March 1, 2013 · 4:27 pm

Woven Women- Sun setting, Moon rising

This week’s Woven Women tapestry has a long title:

Sun setting

Moon rising

Small wave at ocean’s edge

touches Her foot…..

Woven 2012-2013

7 inches wide by 14 inches tall

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tapestry, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Tagged as Goddess image, Goddess tapestry, hand weaving, hand woven, tapestries, Woven Women tapestry by Noreen Crone-Findlay

February 23, 2013 · 9:52 am

Woven Women- In the Heart of the Flower

In the deep mid-winter, I long for flowers.

My studio is full of plants that bloom, and I am grateful for their beauty.

Even though I can’t have flowers growing outside in the deep deep snow and ice,

I can dream of flowers and weave yarn songs to blossoms and blooming……

Here is my homage to flowers and blossoms:

She is 15 inches wide by 39 inches tall.

See: Woven Women-Dreaming the Well LINK for a photo of how I weave these tapestries on peg looms.

How to weave a hexagon using continuous warping and weaving techniques on the Lily Speed O Weave loom

A couple of years ago, when I was working on the designs for The Lily Speed O Weave design book LINK,

I figured out how to weave a hexagon on the loom, using continuous weaving methods.

The method is slightly tricky (it took me a LOT of experimenting to figure it out!) and has one disadvantage….

You have to use quite bulky yarn or else the hexagon is really loopy and open meshy (aka ‘sleazy’).

I decided that this made it not worthwhile to share the technique, as the knotting technique that was traditional for the Lily Speed O Weave loom allowed you to use absolutely any weight of yarn or thread.

Besides, I had figured out a way of speeding up and streamlining the knotting process, so I decided to just go with that.

But, a few days ago, a lady on Ravelry asked if anyone knew how to weave continuously on the hex loom and wasn’t into the knotting technique.

So, I figured…. okay…. I’ll make a video showing how to do this….

The secret to weaving continuously on the Lily Speed O weave looms?

Mashing up triangle loom weaving techniques with the continuous weaving technique of the potholder loom.

AND>>>> There’s a VERY important switcheroo that you have to make, mid-stream, as it were. 🙂

Once you have mastered the technique, it’s REALLY quick and easy to weave up hexagons on the Lily Speed O Weave loom!

And, here’s the video to show you how to do it:

Happy Hexagons! 🙂

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as bulky yarn, hand weaving, handwoven, hexagon motifs, hexagonal loom, hexagons, how to weave a hexagon, Lily loom, Lily Speed-O-Weave loom, Noreen Crone-Findlay, potholder loom, small loom weaving, video tutorial, weaving loom

February 4, 2013 · 11:52 am

Woven Women-The Eyes of the Butterfly

When I became a grandmother, I saw the world in a whole new way…. through the eyes of the butterfly…..

Seeing my grandson emerge, and witnessing him ‘spread his wings’ makes it so heartrendingly clear just how magical and fragile our precious world is.

In response, I wove this tapestry, which is a love song to my daughter and her son.

Becoming a grandmother means that I now sing a love song to all the tender new lives that we must nurture.

Tapestry: Woven Women-The Eyes of the Butterfly

by Noreen Crone-Findlay 2012-2013

approximately 14 inches wide by 36 inches tall

The yarn used in the tapestry is special to me for 2 reasons…. one is that most of it came from my mother’s collection of yarns, and the rest of it was spun by my beautiful daughter in love, Alliston Findlay.

Lots of precious threads here…..

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Filed under tapestry, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Tagged as babies', baby, beauty, becoming a grandmother, creativity, grandmother, grandparents, hand weaving, nature, tapestries, tapestry weaving, weaving, woven, Woven Women tapestry by Noreen Crone-Findlay

January 25, 2013 · 12:07 pm

Woven Women- Out of the Mist

My mother passed away recently, and one of the ways that I have been processing my grief is to take it to my looms and weave about it.

Because I am deeply focused on weaving tapestries and woven pieces for my solo show, ‘Woven Women’, it was natural that this weaving would take the form of a Woven Woman.

My mother suffered from a form of dementia, I have been feeling is how sweet it is for her to be released from that dreadful fog of confusion……..

And, so, I have woven a piece on my Saori loom with supplemental embellishment with my stick weaving loom, that I call:

“Out of the Mist”. She’s approximately 30 inches tall by about 10 inches wide at the widest point:

‘Out of the Mist’ by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)

One of my close friends gave me a seashell instead of a card, and it felt natural to have it become part of this piece.

I made a Kumihimo cord and tied a Celtic everlasting knot, which is stitched to her forehead, but barely visible under her cowl.

Weaving this tribute brought me great peace and comfort, and I think that my Mom would like it a lot.

Yes, I think that she does…

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Filed under Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Tagged as 'Woven Women' by Noreen Crone-Findlay, death, grief, grieving, hand weaving, hand woven, healing, healing through weaving, Noreen Crone-Findlay, Saori weaving, weaving, weaving loom

September 9, 2012 · 1:19 am

Soumak Pouch Weave Along – Part 3 – Warping the Looms

Today’s installment of the Soumak Pouch Weave Along is a video tutorial about warping the looms for the ‘no warp ends’ technique that will be the foundation of the Soumak Pouches.

There are a number of hints and tips that I have found that make warping for the pouches much quicker and easier.

The video shows how to warp the 8 inch and 12 inch Mirrix looms, using ‘s’ hooks.

The Mini (5 inch loom) is warped using the ‘no warp ends’ kit from Mirrix.

The looms are almost gift wrapped after warping!

Really? Yes 🙂

I have found that using ribbons to tie around the ‘s’ hooks on the lower edge of the 8 inch, 12 inch or larger Mirrix looms keeps the weft yarn from getting snagged on the hooks while weaving.

And, the Mini wears little babushkas or headscarves!

Yep. I tie bias tape or ribbon around the ends to cover the paper clips and keep them from snagging on clothing and to protect them.

I know it may seem odd, but it makes the weaving go more smoothly.

And, having the weaving be a joy is really important 🙂

Here’s the video that shows how the warping is done for the Weave Along:

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as bags, hand weaving, handwoven, how to weave soumak, Mirrix loom, Noreen Crone-Findlay, pouches, Soumak pouch weave along, textiles

August 25, 2012 · 9:09 pm

Two more pouches for the Soumak Pouch Weave Along

I’ve been shooting videos for the weave along that begins on September 2nd.

As I was shooting, I was weaving along on a couple of pouches.

Here they are:

A Stripey one, with some beads and other embellishments:

and the back:

I wove it with Lion Brand Bonbon yarn- cotton for the body of the pouch and metallic for the embellishment.

The size 8 beads along the sides are from Mirrix and the bone beads at the lower edge were in my stash.

The medallion on the back of the pouch is one that I snitched from a box of stuff that my daughter in law was going to give away.

(She gave it away, but to ~me~ instead of giving it to ‘anonymous’ 🙂 I can be shameless when it comes to pretty goodies! )

My daughter in law grinned at me when she saw the finished pouch, and said: ‘This one is yours, isn’t it, Mum?’

‘Yes! but how did you guess?’

She just laughed.

I guess it’s because I adore these colors and use them all the time!

I was concerned about this pouch:

Why? Well, because both my daughter and my daughter in law declared that they loved it and would love to have SantaMamma leave it in their Christmas stocking.

I didn’t want to make two pouches that were exactly alike, so I had to have a big old think about it.

And, I came up with the perfect answer!!!!!

TADAH!!!! I wove it up in the same colorway, but used wool yarn instead of cotton.

Here’s the back of the woolie pouch:

Kreinik supplied me with the gorgeous embroidery thread and edging cord for this pouch.

Here are the links for them:

The edging is 3/8 ” trim: # 170 Natural Pewter
http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=17023&cat=0&page=1
The embroidery thread is: Ombre: http://www.kreinik.com/kshop/product.php?productid=622&cat=0&page=1
1000 – Solid Silver

I love the combination of the soft loftiness of the wool with the sparkle of the metallic embroidery floss.

By the way, the embroidery thread is soft and lovely to work with. Some metallics can be barky and sharky.

This is soft and nooshy.

!AND!

Happy dance!

and ~whew~

My daughter in law (who happens to be an incredibly gifted and talented handspinner, so she is naturally inclined to be more drawn to wool), likes the woolie pouch –

HURRAH! SantaMamma is so relieved!

My girls will have their lovely pouches in their Christmas stockings, and they are ‘sister pouches’…. similar, but each unique!

Alright… time for me to get back to editing video….. 🙂

10 Comments

Filed under gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as business card pouch, cellphone pouch, diy, hand weaving, handwoven, Mirrix looms, Soumak Pouch, soumak weave

August 3, 2012 · 1:04 pm

Mirrix Loom Weave Along Soumak Pouch- 1- Warp and Weft

In September, I will be leading a Weave Along, using Mirrix Looms.

I will be posting the pattern, video tutorials, instructions and step by step photos for the Weave Along here on Tottie Talks Crafts.

The project is a Business Card Pouch, which also works well as a cellphone pouch, woven in Soumak, embellished with corded edges and chain stitch embroidery.

I have designed it to be welcoming to entry level weavers, but also, with options that will appeal (I hope) to more advanced weavers, too.

Because it can take awhile to get orders cleared and shipped, I am posting some suggested warp and weft yarns, as well as the links for ordering them now.

Hopefully, your yarns will arrive before September first.

Here are a few photos of some of the Business Card pouches that I have woven so far:

This is the first Business card pouch that I wove, using:

Harrisville Warp LINK

and: Wool weft: Harrisville Variety Yarn Pack: Brights LINK

I wove the second pouch with the Harrisville warp and for weft:

Harrisville Variety Yarn Pack Jewels LINK

I quite like both p0uches, but …. OOPS!

They are slightly too small for their intended purpose! EEGADS! Business cards don’t fit in them!

So, I went back to the drawing board, and altered the pattern.

By then, gorgeous yarn had arrived from Lion Brand yarns: LINK TO BONBON YARN

The photo doesn’t convey the scale of the balls of Bonbon…

They are tiny, perfect little balls of loveliness. Each of them is 2 1/2 inches (6cm) tall.

The cotton is simply gorgeous to weave with. I love it.

I wove these Pouches in Bonbon cottons, with Metallic chain stitch embroidery:

I used the ‘Nature’ colorway for the pouch in the photo above, and ‘Beach for the pouch in the photo below:

The Metallic yarns come in six packs, as does the cotton. I used yarns from both colorways: Party and Celebrate, for these pouches.

My daughter in law suggested that I add a swivel snap hook to the upper corner of the pouch.

I thought that it was a great suggestion, and so I have added it.

The swivel clip allows you to clip it to your bag, or the belt loop of blue jeans.

If your cellphone is one of the larger ones, you may need to upsize your pouch if you would rather use it as a cellphone pouch instead of a business card pouch.

I used Lion Cotton for the warp for these two pouches, because I wanted to use yarns that you can order at the same time to make this all easier for you:

I wasn’t sure if it would work for the projects, but it does just fine.

I don’t think that I would use it for tapestry warp for a really large project, because it has a cheerful slightly bouncy nature.

Warp for tapestry really does need to be made of sterner stuff 😀 None of that youthful springiness!

Speaking of warp- a couple of my Ravelry friends have asked if carpet warp would be okay for the Weave Along, and yes, indeed, it will work fine.

I am going to weave some of the pouches on carpet warp, and also on the green linen that’s on that ginormous spool.

In my next post, I will show you the equipment, materials and tools that you will need to gather up for the Weave Along.

Here’s the link to a post that has all the blog post links, to keep everything quick and easy to refer to : LINK

You are invited to post comments on the blog posts here on Tottie Talks Crafts.

CHECK LIST FOR WARP AND WEFT:

– warp

-weft

-optional contrast yarn for chain stitch embellishment

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as Business card pouches, embellishment, hand weaving, hand woven, handwoven, how to weave, Mirrix looms, Noreen Crone-Findlay, soumak weave, textiles, Weave along, weaving technique

July 25, 2012 · 3:58 pm

Tips for quick and easy heddling on Mirrix looms

I love how easy it is to warp the Mirrix looms.

I’ve found that there are a few things that can make the process of attaching the heddles go quick as a wink.

Efficient is good! 🙂

The first thing that I do, after I release the warping bar from the blocks and turn them around, is to slide a piece of cardboard or masonite between the layers of warp strands at the front of the loom and the back of the loom.

It sits there, in the middle, blocking the distracting view of those warp strands at the back of the loom. 🙂

Then, I use a shed stick that is at least as long as the width of the loom to pick up every other warp strand.

Then, I flip the shed stick on it’s side, with each end being supported by the shedding device blocks.

I now have 2 layers of warp strands because of this shed being open.

So, to keep the back warp strands out of view, I slide a ruler or strip of cardboard into the open shed.

Bliss! Now, I just have one set of warp strands ready for the heddles- Yay!

This makes things sooooo much easier!

I like the center brass knob of the shed changer to be as close to the exact center of the warp strands.

So, I count how many strands I need to attach to the rod, and divide that in 1/2.

I place 1/2 the heddles on 2 of my fingers, and 1/2 on the other 2 fingers.

I loosen the heddle rod and slide it along so it’s about 2 inches/5 cm from the edge of the warp strands.

Then, I reach behind the warp strand with a crochet hook, pluck a heddle off my fingers, and pull it behind the warp strand.

I catch both ends of the heddle loop and pop them onto the heddle bar. Slide the bar along as you go.

When I run out of the the first clump of heddles, I should be half way along the warp strands.

I work across , picking up all the strands, and attaching them to the heddle bar, then tighten up the little nut that holds the heddle bar in place.

Remove the shed stick and ruler, then rotate the heddle bar, sliding the heddles down the warp strands.

Turn the shed opener enough so the heddles open your first shed.

Use the shed stick to pick up the warp strands that are between the warp strands that you have just heddled.

Turn it on it’s side, insert the ruler, and repeat the process.

Check to make sure that all the heddles are securely attached to the heddle rods.

When I was making the video, one little bounder escaped, which was actually a good thing.

This allowed me to show how to capture the escapee heddle and tie it back in place.

Remove the shed stick and ruler and check the sheds, then attach the handle or treadle and Voila!

You’re ready to weave!

Here’s the video:

Happy Weaving! 😀

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, video tutorial, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as hand weaving, handwoven, heddles, heddling, how to heddle, Mirrix loom, textiles, weaving tips and hints

Tag Archives: hand weaving

Quick tip for cutting hand woven fabric

Woven Women- Sun setting, Moon rising

Woven Women- In the Heart of the Flower

How to weave a hexagon using continuous warping and weaving techniques on the Lily Speed O Weave loom

Woven Women-The Eyes of the Butterfly

Woven Women- Out of the Mist

Soumak Pouch Weave Along – Part 3 – Warping the Looms

Two more pouches for the Soumak Pouch Weave Along

Mirrix Loom Weave Along Soumak Pouch- 1- Warp and Weft

Tips for quick and easy heddling on Mirrix looms

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