I made this rug longer than I had planned. Midway, I decided to increase the number of repeats in the design. This means I don’t know exactly how long this rug will be, so there is a bit of suspense as I wait to see the outcome.
Rug is completed with woven hem, warp thread header, and scrap weft. A few warping slats are inserted as spacers before starting the final stretch. The warping slats highlight the graphic nature of the overall pattern in the rug.Spacing is needed between rugs so that I have adequate length to tie warp ends into knots. After knotting the ends, the hems of the rug will be folded under and hand-stitched.End of warp is on the back tie-on bar, seen just above the warp beam. This is enough warp left to get a nice small rug. I have ideas for designing on the fly that are getting me excited about finishing this off!
I have a bit of warp left. It’s a good way to use up some of my cut fabric strips. This is my chance to play around, designing on the fly. That’s an exciting way to end a satisfying set of spaced rep rag rugs. Leave room for unencumbered play. And when you can go no further, end the suspense and see what you’ve got!
When guests come through our front door, this stately 120cm Glimåkra Standard Countermarch loom is the first thing they see. Many folks have never seen a weaving loom. “That looks so complicated,” they say.
Welcome to my weaving studio, which doubles as our home.
The appeal of a Swedish countermarch loom is its simplicity. Pieces of wood, held together with a few wedges, form the frame for an efficient system of synchronized moving parts. “Step on a treadle and see what happens,” I tell them. When you move one part, something else moves, which then causes other parts to move. Now you can send a shuttle through an opening in the threads and weave cloth. “Wow! That’s amazing,” they say. I smile and think, “Yes, it is.” It may be complex, but it’s not complicated.
Glimåkra Standard has a prominent position in our home, with a view of our front yard from the loom bench.Spaced rep rag rug on the loom. This one will be a long runner.
The world looks complicated. What does God in heaven see when he looks on us? Does he see a complicated mess? God sees us through his eyes of love. We’ve all gone our own messy ways. He loved us anyway and gave his son Jesus to save us from our selfish ways. He appeals to us with this simplicity: say yes to Jesus and no to self. This one move sets things in motion and changes everything! God’s world may be complex, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.
All the rugs in the set are woven, and there is a little bit of warp left on the loom. Not enough for another rug. Now what? This is where the fun begins! I have some ideas to play out on the loom. End-of-Warp experiments yield fantastic results.
I arrange remaining weft fabric strips into piles of blue, green, red, and yellow/white. Double binding uses a sequence of dark and light wefts. So, I work through the color piles in order, starting with the blues for one pick, and then, going in reverse order, the yellows/whites for the next pick. The result is vertical columns of adjacent blocks that have the color order going in opposite directions, with the reds converging in the middle.
Cushion cover: Off the loom, I fold this attractive rag weave rectangle in half, short sides together, and machine-stitch the two long sides closed. The remaining open end has handwoven bands, from my ever-ready band stash, for tie closures. Voila! With a cushion inserted, I have a new seat cushion for driving the truck. It’s perfect!
Ink and watercolor sketch as part of my new sketchbook practice.
The Glimåkra Standard makes this project a weaver’s dream. The time-tested loom operates without a glitch, doing everything I direct it to do. These Swedish looms are magnificently designed.
Start of another rug. Multiple rows of stripes for the hem and border.Weft fabric strips in green, blue, and red.Pattern develops on the loom.Central motif of the pattern.Red stands out in the pattern.Advancing the warp makes me think of a setting sun. When the sun sets here, it is rising somewhere else.
The sun rises every day. And it sets. Who designed the magnificent operation of the rising and setting of the sun? It’s like the rhythmic opening of the shed for passage of the shuttle. At the Grand Weaver’s direction, the fabric of life advances with every new day. Trust in him.
How do you keep five floor looms busy? You sit at them, one loom at a time. Each loom has its own personality. Or, just maybe, the personality of the loom is more about how the loom makes me feel when I’m active with the loom to turn threads into cloth.
The 120cm Glimåkra Standard Vertical Countermarch is my Queen of Looms. Now:Spaced Rep rag rugs. Two more rugs on this warp. Next:Jämtlandsdräll (Crackle) rag rugs
The 100cm Glimåkra Ideal Horizontal Countermarch is my Workhorse of Looms. Now: Empty Next: Pictorial Tapestry (subject matter to be determined)
The 70cm Isenhower Little Horizontal Countermarch is my Princess of Looms. Now: Pictorial Tapestry sampler. Currently, “Figs and Coffee.” Next: unknown
The 120cm Glimåkra Standard Horizontal Countermarch with Myrehed Combination Drawloom Attachment is my Gentle Giant of Looms. Now: Being dressed for cottolin/linen napkins in 6-shaftbroken twill Next: unknown
The 70cm Glimåkra Julia Horizontal Countermarch is my Cinderella of Looms. Now: Two-block broken twill cottolin/linen placemats Next: Fabric for a stylish cape, using a vintage sewing pattern
Let’s take a look back to see how these looms showed their personalities in 2022!
