March 2015 – Page 2 – Warped for Good

Bold Hemstitching

March 13, 2015March 12, 2015 Karen

An embroidered trim is what I have in mind for this scarf. Hemstitching is just that. Instead of the usual single strand, I am using two strands of the 8/2 cotton weft in a contrasting color to accentuate the embroidered look. The hemstitching marks the beginning and the end. You can make hemstitching barely noticeable if you want, or you can make it so bold it can’t be missed, like I am doing with this one.

Hemstitching, with Contrasting Color:

Preliminary

Weave an inch/2.5 cm or more of fabric for a header.
Thread a blunt tapestry needle with a single or doubled strand of weft thread four times the weaving width.
Starting an inch/2.5 cm away from the right-hand selvedge, weave the needle over and under, next to the first weft thread in the weaving, going toward the selvedge.

Pull the stitching thread almost all the way, leaving the end woven into the selvedge. Capture the woven end within the first several stitches of the hemstitching.

Step 1

From right to left, take the needle under several warp ends. In this example, the needle goes under six ends.

Step 2

Pull the thread all the way through, keeping it taut at the woven edge.

Step 3

Take the needle back over the same (six) warp ends, and go under the same (six) warp ends, bringing the point of the needle back up between wefts, two or more rows away from the woven edge. In this example, the needle comes up between the third and fourth rows of weft.

Step 4

Pull the thread all the way through, keeping it taut at the woven edge.

Finishing

Repeat Steps 1 – 4 across the entire width.
Finish by needle weaving the stitching thread back into the selvedge for an inch/2.5 cm. Trim off the remaining stitching thread end.

Hemstitching at the end of the woven fabric:

Starting on the right-hand side, secure the end of the stitching thread as before, and follow Steps 1 – 4 for hemstitching across the width. The only difference is that the needle comes toward you under the cloth in Step 3, instead of away from you.

Bold hemstitching at end of cotton lace weave scarf. Karen Isenhower — Cotton lace-weave scarf in springtime colors. Bold hemstitching at the end.

Everything that has a beginning has an end. Since the beginning of time, and through the ages, our Maker has been unfolding His mystery of life and love. There will come a day, though, when the mystery is finished. Certainly, there will be bold hemstitching at the end of the cloth as the Maker, the Grand Weaver himself, brings time as we know it to a close.

May your days begin and end with an embroidered edging of love.

By hand,
Karen

Tools Day: Temples

March 10, 2015March 9, 2015 Karen

Draw-in happens. It is a natural part of weaving. Sending a weft thread across the warp, weaving over and under, naturally pulls the warp threads closer together–this is draw-in. But excessive draw-in ruins selvedges, causes warp ends to fray and/or break, and wastes time because it creates problems. The width across the fell line needs to be the same as the width of the warp in the reed. If the cloth is narrower at the fell line, there is abrasion on the outer warp ends from the reed, as the beater comes to the cloth.

Two things work together to help prevent excessive draw-in:

1) Angling the weft. Placing the weft across the warp at an angle adds extra length to the weft, which helps to accommodate for the natural draw-in.

2) Using a temple (stretcher). The purpose of a temple is to maintain consistency in the width of the cloth. It does this by “stretching” the cloth out, holding it in place with little spikes on each end of the tool. Moving the temple frequently uses the tool to its best advantage. I move mine about every inch of weaving. For more instruction on how to set a temple, please see one of my most popular posts, Tools Day: Temple Technique.

I weave with a temple more often than not. The temple must be set properly, to the precise width, so I have several sizes in my growing collection of temples. Sometimes it works to combine two different sizes to get the measurement that is needed.

My first temple was a make-do tool that I used with my rigid heddle loom on lightweight weaving. It is not adjustable, so it only works with one specific warp width.

Make-do temple for a rigid heddle loom. — Slat with clothes pins glued on the ends makes a simple lightweight temple for a rigid heddle loom.

My wooden temples are from Glimåkra. They serve me well, and are the ones I use most often. Since they are adjustable, they cover a wide range of possible widths.

Wooden temples (Glimakra) for weaving. — Wooden temples (mine are Glimåkra) work well for any type of weaving.

Switching parts to two sizes of temples. Info about temples on the blog. — Switching parts on two different sizes of temples can increase the range of possible sizes. And, yes, some of my temples have an extra hole, added by my husband, to increase the range of the temples’ adjustability.

Tips for using a temple! — Perfect width of temple for this cotton lace-weave scarf found with combination of two different sizes.

Handmade extension for temple. Temple tips... — Steve made an extension for my longest temple when I needed a really l-o-o-o-o-ng temple. He used finishing nails for the little spikes. It’s perfect!

The metal temples are heavier, with thicker teeth, and work well for coarser weaving, especially rugs.

Metal temples for weaving, especially rag rugs. — Metal temples work well for weaving rugs. Like the wooden temples, these also have interchangeable parts, which can extend the range of possible widths.

Temple in place in scrap weft between rag rugs. Temple tips. — Temple is set in the scrap weft between rag rugs. Ready for the start of another rag rug!

May your selvedges shine, and your broken ends be few.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Copying Springtime Colors

March 6, 2015March 5, 2015 Karen

Does fear of making a mistake keep you from experimenting with color? To be on the safe side, repeat something that you have done before. Or at least copy someone else. Isn’t that why we love Pinterest? You don’t have to think something up; just do what somebody else has done.

Color combination for a cotton scarf. — 8/2 cotton, with the self-imposed challenge of using seven different colors of weft on the light green warp.

I have woven some wild color combinations. Including some that I regret. You know, the what-was-I-thinking kind of experiments. Those pieces get hidden away; or, I keep them only for personal use, but never for show. But here I go again, trying to make a handful of colors work together. We won’t see the overall results until the scarf is off the loom, when it is too late to undo it.

Cotton puckered scarf on the loom. Springtime colors! — Final scarf on this cotton warp. Three different shades of green are separated by narrow stripes of springtime colors, with slightly longer floats in the narrow stripes. Will it work? We will see…

All of us have done things we regret. There’s no chance for a do-over, so we just hide it. We have to be careful not to be shaped by our regrets. Fear of making a mistake can keep us frozen in indecision. Yet, when I come to Jesus, he is able to keep me from stumbling, from repeating my missteps. Yes, I learn from my mistakes; but even better than that, the Master Weaver gives me an example to “copy.” His example is tried and true.

May your regrets be few.

Always learning,
Karen

Hand-Hemmed Rag Rug

March 3, 2015March 2, 2015 Karen

A good rug lasts many, many years. The finest rugs outlast their owners, being handed down as useable heirlooms, like the two aged rag rugs I have that were woven long ago by my grandmother’s neighbor. I get excited about making colorful rugs that are meant to be walked on for years and years.

Finishing rag rug warp ends before hemming. — First step after cutting the rug from the loom is pulling out scrap rag weft with a long tapestry needle, and securing warp ends by tying groups of ends into square knots. Walking weights (again!) hold the rug in place.

I am hemming this rug by hand, using 12/6 cotton seine twine rug warp and a tapestry needle. This makes a tidy hem, with nearly invisible stitching. I secure the ends of the hemming thread by weaving them back and forth into the woven hem with the tapestry needle. (Refer to Related Posts in the sidebar to see other ways I finish rug hems.)

Hand-stitched rag rug hem. — After trimming the warp ends to 1/2 inch, the hem is folded under twice and pressed. Hem is stitched down, including the selvedge sides, with short stitches in the rug warp.

Pursue truth. That means doing what it takes to find answers. It’s as simple as examining what we are walking on. What are we basing our life on? It means seeing the created and looking for the Creator. Taking a closer look at a unique rug that catches our attention, we see evidence of the weaver and the stitching hand. Discovering truth is like finding a handmade rug that is intriguing enough to put on display, yet is placed on the floor to satisfy our needs for daily living. It gives our feet a sure place to walk, and it’s worthy of being handed down for generations.

Finished double-binding twill rag rug. Karen Isenhower — Finished double-binding twill rag rug.

May you experience a satisfying walk through life in all respects.

(This rug is called “Improvisation,” and you can find it in the Warped for Good Etsy Shop.)

Weaving rugs,
Karen