I have made a video tutorial using the 2 inch hexagon loom from Dewberry Ridge Looms to make 2 kinds of flower motifs.
Also, there are tips about working with metallic threads from Kreinik Threads.
The circular warping technique is shown.
Happy Weaving!
I made a video that shows how to weave square, triangle and diagonal motifs on the Thumbelina, Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa looms.
But… it was 2 hours long! Whoa! That’s just too long.
So, I thought: I wonder if I can figure out how to ‘fast forward’ it?
And, I did!
But, I think that I got a little enthusiastic with the fast forward function- LOL!
I turned a 2 hour video into a 2 MINUTE video!
Prepare for take off… buckle your seat belt…. here we go!
Um…. next time, I might not speed things up ~quite~ so much!
Happy weaving!
I have posted a new video tutorial that is the second in a series of how to weave tapestry on the Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa looms.
I designed the Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa looms and Dewberry Ridge makes them. They’re wonderful!
This video shows how to
1- Start the weaving at the curved edge while weaving side to side.
2- How to fill the curved space that will form by using eccentric weaving (weaving that doesn’t go all the way from side to side).
3- How to weave dots of color.
4- How to use hatching to make a pattern- in this case, a circle shape in the middle of the weaving is made by alternating 2 colors of yarn.
5- How to finish the straight edge at the end of the weaving.
Here’s the video:
To see how to set up the Mollie Whuppie loom please go to my previous post, which will take you to the first video in this series: LINK
To buy the Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa looms, please go to:
www.dewberryridge.com
Video tutorial by Noreen Crone-Findlay showing some tapestry weaving techniques for the Vasilisa loom.
The following techniques are covered in this ‘how to’ video tute:
1- How to warp the Vasilisa (and Mollie Whuppie) loom
2- How to secure the lower edge
3- How to prepare for weaving by making a cartoon, and the protective layers of cardboard and plastic for the cartoon, then weaving in the shed stick
4- How to weave vertical lines using the ‘pick and pick’ technique
5- How to change colors to turn the vertical lines into checkerboard pattern
6- How to weave a circle motif in contrasting colors, showing how to weave up to the circle motif to create the supporting structure for it.
7- How to weave the circle in pick and pick technique
8- How to complete weaving the background
9- How to finish the upper edge
10- How to stitch the gaps closed
The Vasilisa loom is used in this video, but the techniques shown work just as well on the Mollie Whuppie and Thumbelina looms.
The Vasilisa, Mollie Whuppie and Thumbelina looms were designed by Noreen Crone-Findlay and are built by and available from Dewberry Ridge Looms.
THREE SISTERS PIN LOOMS LI'L WEAVERS
This is the first in a series of videos showing techniques for weaving tapestry on the 3 Sisters (Thumbelina, Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa) Looms.
Happy weaving!
And, here’s the video
The Bound Double Damascus Edge works beautifully to finish Peg loom woven fabric:
It’s sturdy and secure.
Here’s a video about how to do the Double Damascus edge and then how to stitch over it for a Bound finish.
People keep asking me for help with advancing the warp on long peg loom weavings.
So I have made a video showing the stages of how to move the weaving down the warp strands- on long, wide warps, it takes a lot of effort!
I wove my husband a mat for his morning pilates and he loves it.
So do the dogs, so the mat does NOT live on the floor!
It’s 2 feet wide by 6 feet long.
The loom is from Dewberry Ridge Looms and the yarn is from Briggs and Little.
It’s 100% wool and makes a scrumptiously cushioned rug.
Here’s the video that explains the process of advancing the weaving:
The enchanting little Thumbelina loom now has 2 big sisters!
I have designed 2 gorgeous new little looms and Dewberry Ridge looms are building and selling them.
I am just thrilled with them!
The Three Sisters are: LINK
Tiny Thumbelina: LINK
And her sister: Mollie Whuppie: LINK
And, the biggest sister: Vasilisa: LINK
What can you weave on Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa?
Well, everything that you can weave on Thumbelina, but on a larger scale.
I’ve written an instruction booklet that shows how to weave techinques so you can weave:
Tapestry pouches:
Tapestry dolls:
Freeform tapestry ‘Weavies’:
Baskets:
Statement necklaces:
Prayer Flags:
Banners and bunting:
And, the Mollie Whuppie loom has a secret power!
She can mend socks!
You can’t make socks on the Mollie Whuppie loom, but the patches that you weave are totally perfect for fixing the worn out heels of precious hand knit socks.
Here’s a little video that explains the origins of Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa’s names and shows the projects:
I love Mollie Whuppie and Vasilisa, and hope that you will, too!
I’ll be showing you more with them, in upcoming posts.
Happy Weaving!
Recently, I had a lovely conversation with my darlin’ grandson.
He said to me: ‘Nanma, I LOVE your dolls. Will you make me one for Christmas?’
I was thrilled that he is pleased with my work and that he wanted me to make him a doll for Christmas.
What an awesome 7 year old he is!
I asked him if he wanted a wooden one or a woven one, and I was convinced that he said, ‘Wooden’….
So, I stayed up very, very late one night, and got up early, to carve him a wooden doll:
I used a birch branch from our son’s neighbour’s tree. It’s been drying for a year and a half and is lovely to carve.
Tottie Tomato cheered me on as I carved.
She comforted the new doll, because she knows that the knives, chisels and sandpaper are very uncomfortable, and that paint brushes tickle….
After he was done, and I had knitted his sweater and jeans, Tottie Tomato and New Boy went to hang a few ornaments on the tree in the village.
Something was feeling not quite right….
I thought: I have to check and see if Grandson actually said that he wanted a wooden doll…..
So, I asked him which dolls he loved?
Wooden or the woven art dolls?
We were out at a concert of his Grampa’s music, so I sketched the shape of the 6th Sense art dolls in the air.
YES! he said, firmly!
THOSE are the ones I love!
Oh oh….
I asked him to draw in the air and show me what shape he had in mind.
Yup….. Woven Women 6th Sense art dolls, and NOT 6 inch tall wooden dolls….
oops.
He specified that he wanted it soft to cuddle and that it had to wear black shoes.
I asked him to draw exactly what he wanted…..
He held his hands up in the air and showed me the size.
So…………………………
I have been weaving up a storm……………. well, a doll, along with a few other things……
I used the tapestry weaving technique to weave the body front, and plain weave for the back.
I did a clasped warp technique for the arms and legs to make the color changes work for the arms and legs.
I hope that he approves of how I interpreted his design!
I hadn’t thought of making him a doll for Christmas, so I am incredibly grateful that he asked.
And, because I didn’t get the brief right first time around, our little sweetheart gets TWO dolls, not one!
For now, they are chilling out by the Village Christmas tree, enjoying themselves in knitted armchairs that I designed for Findlay and Flora Bear.
The pattern for the chairs is in my etsy shop:
I can’t bear to wrap them until the last moment, so I will have a chance to enjoy them, too!
Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Happy Solstice, Happy Yule, Happy EVERYTHING to you and yours!
Love and blessings all round.
May 2017 bring Peace, Wisdom and Compassion!
Last month, when there was a spectacular Super Moon, we stepped outside to admire it.
The gigantic moon looked like it was suspended in the huge trees that line our street.
The image of the Great Tree Mother, rocking the Moon in her arms, rose up in my mind….
and I knew that I had to build one of my 6th Sense one of a kind art dolls.
Here she is:
Great Tree Mother Rocked The Moon in Her Arms:
While I was contemplating how to build the Great Tree Mother piece, my husband and our daughter took the dogs for a walk one morning.
Chloe came home with a wonderfully gnarly branch that had been pruned from someone’s tree and tossed into the alley.
She just knew I needed it…. even though, at that point, I hadn’t told her what I was mulling about 🙂
We have a very deep connection!
It is perfect.
So’s our daughter….
Anyhow…
The faces….
Years ago, my dear friend found a moose antler that had been shed and she asked me if I could use it.
I cut 3 faces from it, and carved them and painted them.
Two of them became part of this piece:
Tree Mother’s face.
She also has a ‘Hidden Face’ that is hidden inside the piece and will never be revealed.
Too bad I didn’t photograph it! Oops…
Here is Moon’s face:
I carved the hand from wood.
I wove the bands on 2 different looms and knitted the grey hand spun cloth of her robe.
All of the 6th Sense Woven Women have 6 pennies incorporated into them, as a metaphor for coming to our senses, and embracing intuition, intelligence and inspiration.
She is 29 inches/72.5 cm tall and the branch spreads out to 15 inches/37.5 cm wide.
She is not for sale.
By the way, she is also a celebration of creative adaptive re-use and upcycling. I love that.
Here is my latest ‘6th Sense’ Woven Woman one of a kind art doll: The Light of Courage:
The 6th Sense is actually 3 senses rolled into one: Intuition, Inspiration and Imagination.
We all need our 6th Sense to be working well these days, which is why I am making one of a kind art dolls in honor of our Sixth Sense.
The pink wire star was made using the Star loom that I designed for Dewberry Ridge looms: Link
The copper wire behind the wire star on her forehead was woven on the potholder loom.
Her face and hands are wooden.
The star over her heart is copper wire that I crocheted:
Because tatting is so contemplative, I have added some tatted elements that I tatted, using tatting shuttles that I made for myself:
I wove the Dragonfly on the Dragonfly loom that I designed for Dewberry Ridge Looms: Link
The 6 pennies = 6 cents= a metaphor for The 6th Sense
I wove the fabric for her on 3 small looms: Inkle, 4 harness Structo, and potholder loom.
I made wooden butterfly wings for her back:
The butterfly wings and dragonfly on the front are symbolic of transformation.
She is 16 inches/42 cm tall by 7 1/2 inches/19 cm wide by 3 1/2 inches/9 cm thick at the base, tapering up to 1 1/2 inches /4 cm thick at the top.
Filed under Uncategorized
Noreen Crone-Findlay, designer and author
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 