One for Michelle

I made another strip bag--this one is for Michelle--we are working a trade. She is making a lamp shade and I am giving her this bag. I really like this project--mainly because there are no rules and some surprising things usually happen.  I threaded this as a twill and started weaving a plain weave with it.  I then remembered that my 4 treadles were still in a pattern and really liked what happened.  I have to write it down so if I ever want to replicate it I can.  Now I think I am going back to my "Green Book".  I found a pattern that I really like and am going to make something really "Springy"!

I Don't Usually Get Two!

I don't usually get two things in a row that I like--but these I do. This is the "book" bag I made for the LaFarge Library fundraiser.  It is cotton and linen and should be great to put books in to carry back to the library! I like to make these bags, they are simple to sew and they use up a lot of odds and ends.  All of my bobbins are now empty!

This is a bag I made out of my "rug" wool.  I figured the only way I wasn't going to try another rug was to get rid of the stuff so it would not tempt me.  Its pretty big.  I think it would be a good bag for car trips, for all that "stuff" that flies about.  I may also give it away to some unsuspecting soul. 

Off to the Library

My local library is having a fund raiser for its expansion project and a friend called and asked me if I would dontae something.  So I thought of a "book" bag.  This is a bag made out of a 7"strip that is about 120" long.  It is then folded and sewn with only a couple of seams.   It is very sturdy and has a long shoulder strap making it a really perfect book bag.  I also like it because it is a great way to use up scraps of this and that.  I threaded it in a pattern called Jean Lilly but did not like the way it looked, so am just weaving it as plain weave.

New Kitchen Towels

Here they are--my new kitchen towels.  They are 16.5"x29". There were supposed to be four but I only got three for a couple of reasons.  The warp is hemp and by the time I got to the fourth one it kinda stuck together and the tension was not good.  Even though the hemp is "hairy" when it is on the loom, once it is washed and dried it is very soft.  Another reason, to be really honest,  is that I was bored by the time I got to the fourth one and decided to use the coveted whacking shears! We are replaying our kitchen counter tops--I have burned the Formica one too many times and think they will go really well. 

Just Shoot Me

So just shoot me if I say I am going to weave another rug!!!!! I have finally gotten the point--I am NOT a rug weaver.  This yardage is going to be some towels for the kitchen. They are 18x35.  The warp and weft are hemp with a little 16/2 cotton for the stripe.  I think they are going to be really nice.  I am so wanting to use the cone of hemp that I bought and these will probably finish off most of it. 

Two Things---Happy New Year

All dressed up and no place to go!!!! These two little ones paid us a visit over the holidays, they are Liz and Jim's youngest.  Every time they visit they find the same two pairs of dress up shoes and clunk around in them. Thought they looked smashing in Christmas jammies!

We have had one of those ugly over-the-sink lights for years.  A couple of months ago I saw this idea in a shop window--to the tune of $300.  So I set out to re-create it for far less.  Found the yellow egg basket in Iowa while on a day trip with some friends--$26.  Harry found some lighting stuff (he is a fan of the $1 boxes when we go to an auction) and always seems to have just the right part.  The light was $8.  So I came in way under $300.

Back to Weaving--Its Been A Long Time!!!!

 When I was a child my parents took a trip to Canada and came home with Trapper Point, Hudson Bay Blankets.  I have two of them and have not used them for years.  I thought They would make great rugs.  I have never been happy with the rugs I have made. They never seem to have enough "heft" to them.  This time I think it might be different.

I sett the warp at 4 per inch and cut the blanket 1/2 inch wide.  I actually like the way the stripes of color work out--they seem random but really are not.  I think I may give the rug to my kids in Colorado who are in the process of installing hard wood flooring in their living room.  I may have enough for two.  Who knows.

My Whacking Cat

So this is my cat. She is at least 11 years old and really doesn't like to hang out with me a lot. Anyway, I am still into whacking glass and today she decided to join in the fun.  This is my third and last mirror-then I am back to weaving. I have been busy in my Studio trying to straighten things out and get rid of some of the stuff.  I have made some progress but not enough. I am aiming to have this mirror done by Thanksgiving and then go back to weaving--a rug this time out of some Hudson Bay Blankets that I have had since I was a kid--we shall see.

Something Different

I decided to take a short break from weaving. We took a trip last month out East.  When I was in Canada I saw some great mosaic mirrors in a Craft Co-op and decided I would like to make some.  A good friend, Angie, has a great stash of glass and I paid her a visit.  On that same trip we went to Acadia National Park in Maine and I picked up some shells, pebbles and sea glass.  The mirrors were a junk store find, I got two for $7.  This one is going to Colorado as a gift.  I miss weaving and am going to start some hemp towels next week. 

DONE

All Done!!!!!! I think I am done with this weave for a long time.  It was really fun to do and I learned so much from it.  I love the curtains.  Next I am going to make fabric to cover a love seat that I got at an auction for ten dollars or so.  Still have a lot of hemp to use and am going to mix it with 16/2 cotton. We'll see, there are always the giant "whacking" scissors.

Some for our house....

I delivered the curtains to my son's home in Colorado.....they looked smashing and they both liked them a lot. So I decided to make two more pairs for our house.  They are a little different.  Instead of using 10/2 cotton I used Hemp. Really.  I got an enormous cone for a very reasonable price.  It is fun to weave with, much like linen I think.  The stripe is some linen I have been hording for a long time.  I think it looks great.  There was very little shrinkage, none in the width and maybe an inch or two in the length.  I want to get the second set done before we leave for New England in a couple of weeks.  The rods are made by my son who is a blacksmith artist living in Colorado.

Its way too hot to wear it but.....

 This shawl is knit as a sample for my friend Angie.  She dyes a lot of yarn for a sheep and wool festival in the fall and thought it would be fun to have some samples.  It was fun to knit, a little odd in how it was constructed but I think it turned out fine.  It is about 100 here today so needless to say I won;t be wearing it soon.

One Pair is Done

I finished the first pair of panels to send to my kids in Colorado--the window they will put them on is quite a bit smaller so it is a little hard to tell exactly how they will look but I think they will look smashing!!!!

The first panel is done

The first panel is done--I really like it. Now I have to warp another one, too bad I had to whack off 18" on the first warp, darn that mistake!!!! Anyway, I don't mind threading--this is an easy one.  Now I am torn between just hanging the panels off some very cool rods or making shades, what do you think?

My Summer Project

I have always wanted to try this weave--A Swedish one from Vav.  My son and his wife have moved into a "fixer upper" and have been doing a lot of work on their bedroom/bath.  They live in Colorado.  So I am making two Roman shades for the bedroom.  I decided to weave each piece of fabric in half sections as my loom will not make the wider piece of fabric.  I also think it is easier to weave this way. I am using 10/2 pearl cotton.  It weaves up very fast. I want to get them done before we go to Colorado later in the summer so I can see them hung.

The Queen

My husband and I have recently returned from a fabulous trip to Europe.  We spent almost a month traveling by train throughout central Europe.  I usually reject all things made in China but could not resist the "queen".  I found her in Amsterdam (was she on vacation?).  She is solar powered!!!!! Her purse has a mirror and when she is placed in a sunny spot she waves!!!!!! She makes me laugh.  Now back to reality and I am going to weave again soon.  I want to make some curtain material for my son and his wife.  They are remodeling and some roman shades sound perfect.  They are coming to Wisconsin next week and we will figure out the weave pattern then. Till then I will laugh with the queen.

My New Chair Pads

I am back to weaving and decided that I needed to do something with my old chair pads.  They were pretty old but not worn out so I thought I could use them as a base and make some new ones.  I uses 16/2 cotton and the pattern is goose-eye.  I like that they are each a different color.  I think they will look great when they are all sewn.

So I Put A Bird On It

Several years ago I was at a local auction and saw what I thought was a really nice foot stool.  I think I paid $10 for it and when I got it home it was not so nice at all-plastic leather and China made.  So I have been pushing it around since that time always thinking what I could do with it.  We had this very neat "Army" blanket that was somewhat the worse for wear and I thought "why not".  Since the winter has been snow less here I went up into my woods and picked up some leaves and began.  Towards the end I thought it needed a little boost so I put a bird on it!  I like it and so does my old cat who has begun camping out on it.

Its Magic

Somehow I always think it is magic when what looks like a jumble of ends actually works! Maybe cause I've been known to have a jumble of ends that don't work!  Anyway it always amazes me when what was in my head actually works! I used 16/2 cotton at 30 epi and I think it will be fine for the chair cushions.

Back to Weaving

It is good to be back to weaving.  I thought a lot about what I wanted to do next and decided to make 4 chair covers.  I rearranged my studio and set up my jack loom.  I have another rep weave project in my head but need to put on four more shafts before I can do it so I thought this would be a good interim project.  So I got out my favorite book and decided on Goose eye.  I had a lot of 16/2 cotton and decided to make all four of them somewhat different.

The gold on the lower left is going to be the background and then I will make the four cushions with each of the other colors--at least that is the plan for now.  I decided to add a 1" stripe in each of the colors  thinking that this would combine them as a group.

We will see--it is good to be back weaving again.