finishing – Page 21 – Warped for Good

No Motivation Needed

September 12, 2014September 11, 2014 Karen

You never need to motivate me to sit at the loom, or convince me to make time for weaving. I’m not sure why I am this way, but something in me longs to make fabric. I weave nearly every day, not to be productive, but simply because I love to weave.

Nine goose-eye towels, pressed and ready to hem. Karen Isenhower — Nine new towels, with hems pressed. Each towel will have a matching hanging tab stitched into the hem.

Ten meters / eleven yards gave me nine towels and two generous samples (Just wait. Next week I will show you what I am making from the samples!). Now, I am weaving hanging tabs on the band loom to match the towels. Meanwhile, the linen dice weave is progressing nicely on the big loom, as well. I am not just a person with weaving looms. …I am a handweaver.

Band loom weaving, making hanging tabs for handwoven towels. — Short two-yard warp will weave up quickly, giving me plenty of hanging tabs for the towels, plus extra length of woven band to put in my “band stash.”

You do what is in your heart to do. The commitments you make from the heart define you. Fruit in my life reveals what is in my heart. What does good fruit look like? Unselfish generosity, showing integrity in every interaction, and treating others with respect. I want to be the kind of person that lives this way, not because I “should,” but because that is what is in my heart to do.

May your good fruit basket be full.

(These towels will show up in my Etsy Shop soon. If you have your eye on one, let me know, and I will be happy to reserve it for you.)

Have a fruitful day,
Karen

How I Make a Bound Hem

July 4, 2014July 3, 2014 Karen

I intended simple woven turned hems. When this rug came off the loom, however, the white ends of the rug didn’t look as I expected. I was frustrated trying to make these hems work. Was there another way to finish the rug? Yes. A compatible cotton duck print was just what I needed to sew bound hems!

When circumstances don’t go our way, we can get stuck in frustration. I cannot control my circumstances, but I can control my own behavior and attitudes. Give up control to gain control. Isn’t it interesting that options become apparent when we let go of how we thought it should be?

How I make a bound hem:

1. Cut hem fabric the width of the rug plus 2 inches /5 cm by hem depth plus 1 inch / 2.5 cm. Serge all edges of hem fabric to eliminate fraying. With right sides facing, center hem fabric from side to side on rug, with fabric seam allowance toward the end of the rug. Stitch along hem line, 1/2 inch / 1 cm from edge of hem fabric.

2. Fold hem fabric over, and press flat.

3. Fold the hem fabric back on itself, right sides together. Fold remaining long edge outward, adjusting to match the width of the hem. Stitch through folded hem fabric 1/8 inch / 3 mm away from side of rug.

4. Turn the corner right side out, straightening out the point with a straight pin, if necessary. Press corner. Fold long edge under 1/2 inch / 1 cm across the width of the rug. Press.

5. Use doubled sewing thread to stitch the folded edge to the rug. Use a whip stitch, catching a warp end in each stitch. End with final pressing of top and underside of hem.

To see this rug on the loom, view this post, Made to Be Noticed. To see the finished rug, view “Made to Be Noticed” Rag Rug in my Etsy Shop. Or, simply visit my Etsy Shop to see all my new rugs. (You saw them on this blog first!)

May you see all your options.

Making things,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Five Rosepath Rag Rugs

June 27, 2014June 26, 2014 Karen

My mother taught me to notice and enjoy beauty. I think that is why I find so much enjoyment at the weaving loom. The interplay of colors and materials never ceases to amaze me. I am often delighted as I see the woven material forming under my shuttle, feeling more like an observer than a performer. So, it was with great pleasure that I got to show my mom my weaving looms when she came to Texas for Melody’s wedding. I put this rug warp on the loom with that special visit in mind. Thanks for everything, Mom!

Rosepath rag rugs just off the loom. Karen Isenhower — Seeing the underneath side of the rugs first, just after the rugs are cut from the loom.

Winding rug warp on warping reel. — First step is winding the warp on the warping reel. 219 warp ends in two similar shades of grey, 8.5 yards / 7.75 meters long.

Weaving narrow strips for rag rug hem. — After weaving some waste fabric strips, I weave the hem, using 1/4 inch- / 1/2 cm- wide strips. I mark the green ribbon to show the weaving length of the hem, and the overall length of the rug. I also mark the midway point on the ribbon.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. 1 of 5. ki — This is the rug my mother got to see on the loom. She liked it!

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. 2 of 5. ki — Turquoise paisley fabric pairs with a solid blue to outline the brown rosepath design.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. 3 of 5. ki — Three ski shuttles create gradient color changes in the blue and teal (out of view) background, while maintaining the white rosepath pattern. It was a little insane to manage three ski shuttles! But I have to admit I enjoyed it.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. 4 of 5. ki — This is my version of Radiant Orchid, the Pantone Color of the Year 2014.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. 5 of 5. Karen Isenhower — Two-toned rosepath, with dotted outlines. Subtle turquoise waves almost hide in the dark earth tones at each end of the rug.

End of the rag rug warp. Too close for comfort. — This is not how to plan a rug. The end of the warp is right behind the shafts. Or, maybe this shows how well I planned the warp, right down to the very last inch…

Five New Rosepath Rugs. Karen Isenhower — Not yet cut apart, ready for finishing the ends and hemming.

May you make fond memories with those you love.

(While I’m busy hemming these rugs, please visit my Etsy Shop to see more rosepath rag rugs.)

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Where the Weft Is Vulnerable

June 10, 2014June 9, 2014 Karen

The outside rows of a rag rug are vulnerable. Twining secures the weft, making it a good way to begin and end a rag rug. I cut a length of rug warp thread two and a half times the width of the rug. Starting on the left side, with the length of thread folded in half, the top half goes under, and the lower half goes over each successive warp end.

Twining at the end of a rag rug on the loom. — Twining separates the warp ends evenly and secures the weft. At the end of the row I weave in the ends, and then, beat twice with the beater to push the row of twining firmly into place.

Is it really necessary to secure the weft? When the rug is under tension on the loom it seems like everything is holding together just fine. It is tightly woven, with the weft firmly packed in. Yes. It is necessary. The rug will start falling apart the minute it is cut from the loom. Twining keeps the most vulnerable place of the weaving intact.

Faith is the vulnerable spot where you allow yourself to be loved by God. Wrapped in his mercy and his grace, our weakest point is no longer our entry into failure, but where we are kept in his security. Your faith is the point of access, the opening, for your maker to show his strength to make you complete.

May you rest secure.

Etsy Announcement!
My new Etsy WarpedforGood Shop is open! I would love for you to come and browse. As my tried and true blog friends, your feedback means a lot to me. Please let me know what you think!

You may remember seeing the progress on some of the items in the shop, like the Warp Rep Rug, the Rosepath Rugs, and the Cutest Little Loom Rugs. The rugs you see on the loom now will be posted in my Etsy shop when they are finished!

Your Friend,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Finally Finished

May 30, 2014October 9, 2014 Karen

Finish the finishing, please. I always have a pile of handwovens that need finishing. Don’t you? The finishing smorgasbord includes repairing skipped threads (unintentional floats), securing ends, fringe treatments, hemming, wet finishing, pressing, adding hanging tabs, embellishments, and more. You know you are finally finished when your handiwork is being used and enjoyed.

1. Twisted fringe on bamboo huck lace small tablecloth. This cloth covered an heirloom table, becoming the altar, at Melody’s wedding. (This short piece was at the end of the warp after weaving two shawls.) You can see the shawls HERE, and twisting the fringe HERE.

2. Added hanging tabs to handtowels. Installed Ikea rod with basket and hooks to hang handwoven handtowels in the powder room. (When you need tabs for towels, it helps to have a collection of inkle and band loom bands.) You can see the most recent towels HERE – I kept one of the eight for myself; the rest became gifts.

Ikea basket and hooks hold handwoven towels for guests. — Ikea basket and hooks hold assortment of handwoven towels for guests to use in the powder room.

3. Untangled the fringe of alpaca/tencel throw. (A wet finishing nightmare I don’t care to repeat.) You can see what it looked like before washing HERE.

Alpaca Tencel handwoven throw with lattice fringe — Each strand of fringe was carefully separated one-by-one after leaving the alpaca/tencel throw in the washing machine a few minutes too long. Untangling took longer than tying the lattice fringe. *Hours and hours.*

4. Hand-stitched rolled hem on Swedish lace tablecloth. (I may use this as a curtain for my weaving studio window, hung on rings with clips, on a rod.) HERE are the long curtain panels that hang on windows in my home.

Hand-stitched rolled hem on handwoven Swedish lace cloth. — Swedish lace panel can be used as a tablecloth, or a curtain, or even a light, summery shawl. The hand-stitched rolled hem gives a delicate touch to this elegant piece.

Swedish lace, handwoven cloth. Karen Isenhower — Swedish lace is shown to its best advantage when light is allowed to shine through the cloth. The pressed rolled hem adds a classy touch.

5. Hemmed small sample piece to carry around with me when I have a cup of coffee. (I grab this re-usable “scrap” instead of a paper napkin or paper towel. It also doubles as a coaster wherever I happen to sit down.) The original M’s and O’s towels are HERE; and HERE you can see what I mean about carrying my coffee cup around with me.

Handwoven scrap is used as a napkin/coaster for cup of coffee. — Scrap of handwoven fabric, from a cottolin warp of handtowels, follows my favorite coffee cup around.

6. Replaced nylon cord on handwoven Roman shades with a cord I wove on my band loom. (The “temporary” nylon cord stayed more than a year. We now enjoy seeing this on our kitchen door every day, finally fully finished.) The only place I have a picture of the original nylon cord, and of the fabric on the loom for the Roman shades is in my Projects on Weavolution HERE. (I’m not sure if you can see it without logging in to the site.)

Handwoven on Glimakra band loom - pull cord for Roman shades. — Linen and cotton threads that match the handwoven Roman shades were used to weave the pull cord. Cord woven on Glimakra two-treadle band loom.

Handwoven Roman shades in two-block twill. Karen Isenhower — Handwoven Roman shades finally have a matching pull cord. When the shades are lowered at night, the two-block twill structure is seen covering the whole kitchen door window. Woven on 8-shaft Glimakra Standard loom.

Opening the handwoven Roman shades. Please come on in! — Opening the shades to start the day and welcome you. Please come in!

May you reduce your finishing pile (I know you have one).

Forever finishing,
Karen