Tag: grand weaver

You Need a Tapestry Cartoon

Karen

I dabble in tapestry weaving–still in the insecure beginner stage. Tapestry weavers use a visual guide for weaving, called a cartoon, which is simply a drawing of the picture being woven. Placed directly under the weaving area, the cartoon shows the distinct lines to follow. It keeps everything in context with the overall design. Some people go through life without a meaningful guide, just hoping things turn out okay in the end.

Tapestry Miniature, one inch wide.
Miniature self-portrait tapestry, one inch wide, has a simple cartoon sketched on a sticky note. Abundance of embroidery floss (left over from cross-stitch days in the 1980’s) provides plenty of colors for shading.

Granted, my finished piece does not always end up looking like the cartoon. I am not trying to produce a masterpiece; but paying attention to what works and what doesn’t brings gradual improvement.

Life is an adventure, holding an unknown future. If you plunge forward, making up your own rules as you go, you risk ending up in an aimless mess. What if our master weaver has a cartoon designed for us, a map for our lives? I would rather choose that guided path rather than one with no direction. And when I miss the mark, he finds a way to fix it or weave around it. In the end, it becomes his masterpiece.

May the lines guiding your life tapestry be clearly drawn for you.

By design,
Karen

Weaving a Song

Karen

This three-treadle weave was not complicated to thread; and with only three treadles and one shuttle, it is simple to weave. The beads certainly give a festive look, but most of the fabric is woven without the added sparkle. This weave creates an interesting striped pattern, giving physical and visual texture to the fabric, even without beads. Singing adds that kind of interest and pleasant consistency to life, even during times that don’t *sparkle* with happiness.

16/1 linen three-treadle weave, with beads.
A zig-zag treadling pattern, using three treadles, results in fabric with a striped look. Woven-in beads embellish this linen fabric.

Singing is a sign of a joyful heart, and the only instrument you need is a voice. My dad was a great example of this. He couldn’t carry a tune in a basket, but that did not keep him from singing. The thread of joy was woven in him from the beginning to the end of his life–through good times and hard times.

An inner melody of joy gives strength and consistency to make it beyond the happy sparkle times in life. Singing is a natural response to the grand weaver’s personal attention. So, go ahead and sing! Don’t be embarrassed–your voice is the grand weaver’s delight!

May you sing through your day.

Joyfully,
Karen

Beginning with Broken Ends

Karen

I have 240 perfect warp ends, but my attention is not on the perfect ones, it’s on the broken ones. Two threads got crossed behind the reed, and that extra friction was more than these linen singles could handle, so they snapped. I will repair these ends, and then they will weave in just fine with the rest of the warp. But until then, the broken ends have my attention. Likewise, our master weaver gives attention to people in need.

Linen singles warp with broken ends
Two broken warp ends have been uncrossed, and then repositioned correctly through heddles and reed. Now they are awaiting repair (relatively simple, because this is near the very beginning of the warp).

When we feel defeated in life, we may think we have to pull ourselves together and fix the mess. The problem is, when we are at our lowest, we are not capable of fixing anything. And, don’t think for a minute that everyone else is perfect, either. We all have weak spots.

The good thing is, we have a master weaver who keeps watching for broken people, so he can lovingly weave them into place in his fabric. He gives his kind attention, especially when we are at our greatest need. In his time, and in his way, he repairs and restores, and we become woven into his beautiful cloth.

May you find the help you need, when you need it most.

With care,
Karen

The Windows Are Opening Now!

Karen

Windows fascinate me. I even have a Pinterest board, Houses and Windows, because I enjoy images of windows. The windows in this cloth capture me! The fun part was seeing it happen. When I cut the cloth from the loom, I could immediately see the windows begin to form as the threads started relaxing. After letting the cloth rest a few days, the windows appeared even more. But the WOW happened when I gently kneaded the fabric in warm water, and hung it to dry. Seeing these handwoven lace windows made me silly with childish excitement!

Swedish Lace, also known as Mosquito Lace, or kneaded lace blocks
Handwoven Swedish lace, also known as mosquito lace or kneaded block lace. The spaces have opened up dramatically in the “windows” after having been gently washed and dried. Ready now for pressing.

(Compare these open windows with this before picture, while the fabric was still on the loom.)

What if we are little houses, and our soul has windows? Shall I keep the curtains closed, so no one can see in? But then, I can’t see out, either.

When I think of our grand weaver, and how he is so close by, I imagine him looking out those windows with me. He is not distant, but near. He stays involved, pointing out things he sees. Making the common and ordinary into articles of wonder and beauty. Stiff pieces of thread with a vague shape become wide open windows where the refreshing breeze blows through.

May the view from your windows be delightful.

Enjoying the breeze,
Karen

Vintage Swedish Loom: Never Too Old

Karen

This old loom has been taken apart and put back together with all new horizontal pieces. Not a refurbishing, per se, but a new edition of a vintage model. My genius husband has refashioned an old 36-inch Glimåkra Ideal loom, down to 27 inches. It is still an old a vintage loom, but Swedish looms are built to last; and this little pieced-together handiwork will surely outlast me.

Glimakra Ideal with Swedish rag rug
First project on newly re-sized loom. Rag rug in progress, using cotton print fabrics. (Click picture to enlarge)

We humans have a lifespan, and at some point we start falling apart little by little. An ache here, a memory lapse there, and before you know it, we see the end of the warp coming over the back beam. How will we retain our value when we are all used up and worn out?

Our worth originates in the hands of the one who made us, not in our usefulness and ability. Our master weaver will never set us aside or abandon us when we finally become threadbare. In fact, he goes out of his way to notice those who are forgotten by everyone else. You will always be a special someone to your maker.

May you carry your years with elegance and grace.

Handwoven,
Karen