Category: bands

Is Wet Finishing Really Necessary?

Karen

Oh, how I wish you could feel these hand towels! They are soft. When I take a run of towels off the loom, I first cut them apart and serge the ends; and then I throw them in the washer and dryer for wet finishing. This cottolin and linen fabric went in stiff and scratchy… (Click HERE to see how it looked before wet finishing.) But after the rigor of agitation, spinning, and heat, the towels are perfectly soft and absorbent! Our own hearts can be stiff and scratchy, and not very soft, can’t they?

Handwoven towels in classic M's and O's weave structure. Soft and durable. Tabs are linen, woven on band loom.
Cottolin warp and weft, with some 6/1 tow linen weft stripes. These durable hand towels will stand the test of time, getting softer and softer with use. I wove the hanging tabs, 100% linen, on my band loom.

It’s hard to admit I need help sometimes, because I would rather think I am good enough to make it on my own. Admitting need is a first step toward a softened heart. Maybe a little turmoil in life is like being thrown in the washer and dryer–we come out softer because we realize how needy we are.

Classic towels almost too pretty to be used; but oh, they must be used!
Soft and pliable towels, neatly folded. Almost too pretty to use; but oh, they must be used to be truly appreciated.

My purpose for these towels is to use them as towels (or, more specifically, for gift recipients to use them). The towels became useful when they became soft and pliable. That’s how I want to be in the master weaver’s hands. How about you?

May you receive delightful gifts that are soft to the touch.

Softly and tenderly,
Karen

Always in Reach

Karen

A long strap on this thread cutter enables me to wear it around my neck. I used a long inkle band for the strap and a short narrow woven band for a connecting loop. This makes the thread cutter very handy; it is always in reach. I can’t drop it or misplace it.

Inkle and band loom woven bands put to use as strap for thread cutter.
Inkle band, woven with variegated crochet cotton thread. Narrow band woven on band loom forms the connecting loop.

Today I’m thinking about what it takes to be truly satisfied. If I am thirsty, a drink of water will satisfy me. But do I pay attention to the thirst that is deeper within? Inner thirst is satisfied with living water. Our creator is the source of living water and invites us to drink freely. Available, near by, accessible.

May you enjoy a nice, cool drink of refreshing water.

Satisfied,
Karen

Weaving Basics

Karen

I love making bands! I started weaving bands in the 1980’s on my inkle loom; and more recently, I have been weaving bands on my Glimåkra two-treadle band loom, like these bands. Now, I am also learning to weave bands with a small rigid heddle. (The pattern for this Sámi band is from this book – not an affiliate link.)  There are rudiments of weaving that form a basis for understanding and developing skills. In the arena of faith, convictions are the rudiments that form a basis for learning and growing.

Rigid Heddle Band Weaving
Doubled 8/2 purple cotton thread forms the pattern, and single strands of 8/2 unbleached cotton are used for the background. Tools used are a rigid heddle, a shaped band knife, and a band lock.
  • Keep warp ends in order
  • Maintain even warp tension
  • Prepare your shuttle with carefully-wound weft
  • Pay attention to selvedges
  • Stay consistent with weft density
  • Follow a written draft, or a pattern passed down, or one committed to memory

Understanding these and other basics will give you a good foundation for any type of weaving, large or small. If I keep these essentials in mind as I practice, I have every hope that I will end up with something worthwhile.

Convictions of the heart form the basis for learning how to live in a meaningful way. When these convictions arise out of faith in our master weaver, they are accompanied with unfailing, unwavering, and unending hope. And hope assures that the journey is worthwhile.

May hope be your lifelong companion.

Reviewing the basics,
Karen

A Different Kind of Band Music

Karen

The musician in me sees this band loom as another stringed instrument! My left hand passes the shuttle back and forth. My feet change the sheds by stepping on the treadles. My right hand beats in the weft with the band knife. Pass—Tug—Step— whack-Whack. One—Two—Three— and-Four. The two treadles operate with a simple pulley system, so they are always in sync with each other, keeping this instrument moving. Like the treadles, grace and peace are two elements that operate together to create harmony in our lives.

Colorful band woven on two-treadle band loom.
Doubled thick threads make a raised pink dot down the center of the band. Variegated threads combined with solid colors create a gradually changing color palette in the background threads.

We all long for grace and peace, don’t we? Grace, meaning forgiveness when we mess up; and peace, meaning freedom from anxiety. Why, then, do we avoid grace, thinking we should just try harder not to mess up? And we attempt to create peace by filling our longing with things that will not satisfy.

When grace and peace from our creator have their place in our lives, we experience the sweet harmony of the soul. Satisfied, with his grace and peace wrapped around us like an exquisite shawl, we stand ready for the music of the day.

May grace and peace from our creator envelop you.

Making music,
Karen

How to Fix a Listening Problem

Karen

I maneuver this tiny band loom shuttle entirely with my left hand. Winding the shuttle properly is essential. If the thread is not wound tightly, loops of thread start slipping off the ends of the shuttle, which messes up everything. Good listening is like a well-wound shuttle, and is essential for the health of any relationship. Even when we want to listen better, it’s easy to fall into bad habits.

Glimakra Band Loom with hand-carved shuttle
Three sizes of linen thread are combined to weave a simple band on the band loom. Shuttle, hand-carved by my husband, is modeled after an old Swedish band loom shuttle.

Mrs. Isenhower, your son does not have a hearing problem, the audiologist informed me. Apparently, what he has is a listening problem. Ha ha! That seems funny now, years later. When it comes to listening, though, eight-year-old boys aren’t the only ones with a problem. My own viewpoint often stands in the way of hearing another. And in defense mode, I miss what another person says entirely.

If I listen with a humble heart, I am more interested in what you have to say than I am in my own opinions. Humility prepares the heart before a conversation, like carefully preparing that shuttle for the band loom, and smooths the way to truly hear.

May you hear something new as you practice listening today.

Learning to listen,
Karen