Tag: sew

New Wash Cloths Out of Handwoven Remnant

Karen

My looms are all occupied, so it will be a while before I can weave some new wash cloths. In the meantime, I am making “new” wash cloths to replace the ones that we have used so much that we’ve worn holes in them. The pictures tell the rest of the story.

Linen wash cloths have been well loved and well used. Evidently, it is past time to make replacements. These will go in my remnants box and one day I’ll find a use for the parts that haven’t frayed.
Cotton warp, linen weft. This two-block twill was one of the first projects I ever wove on my beloved Glimåkra Standard first floor loom. I designed this fabric to make a Roman shade for our previous home. Parts of it are faded, but it is still beautiful, useable fabric. Perfect for a set of “new” washcloths.
For simplicity, I am using another washcloth to measure the size to cut for the “new” washcloths.
Cutting to size, taking into account seams on all four sides.
I probably should have pressed before cutting, but I didn’t think of it until now. The long narrow woven band was used for the pull cord on the Roman shades in our previous home. Perfect to pair with these washcloths for the hanging tabs.
First step for the mitered corners is to fold in the corner twice, and pin into place.
Second step for the mitered corners is to fold in the side hems twice and use quilters clips to hold in place.
Approximately 4 inches for each hanging tab. I zigzag the ends and then cut them apart.
Then I plan where the hanging tabs will go, testing how the cloth will hang.
Clip the hanging tabs into place.
Stitch the seams. At the mitered corner, I would like to have about four hands as I remove clips and hold things in place while I walk the presser foot around the corner. Whew!
Nearly perfect! Nobody needs to know these are secondhand Roman-shade wash cloths.
The new wash cloths are right at home between the other handwoven goods hanging on the bathroom wall.

Happy Weaving!

Karen

Why I Always Put on Extra Warp

Karen

I always put on more warp than I need for a project. That end of the warp is where I play, experiment, and try out crazy ideas, not to mention try to use up the thread from as many quills as possible. Or, for rag rugs, I try to use up as much of the weft fabric strips as I can. I have containers for those odd pieces (remnants). That is where I look when I want to make something.

Rag rug “scrap” became a seat cushion last year for me to use in the car.
Two cut-to-fit kneeling pads go in the cushion cover. I added handwoven bands for ties. The ties don’t stay tied, and they aren’t really needed. I let them hang as if they are chunky fringe.

The seat cushion I made for myself last year works great. Now I want to make a seat cushion for me to use in the other car. Time to get out that container of “scraps.”

I find four potential “scraps” to use for another cushion cover. The rag rug pieces aren’t quite big enough, but would work if I added some fabric to them. The colorful magenta and stripes piece would work as a top, with some other fabric for the bottom.
Blue striped eight-shaft twill in 8/2 cotton is just right! This is fabric I wove a few years ago for chair covers for my mother-in-law. It has a good weight to it, with quite a bit of give. And the blues are very pretty!
I am folding the piece in half lengthwise. This fabric has a pretty strong bias pull, so it makes sense to pin the seam before sewing.
Walking foot on my sewing machine makes all the difference, especially with this bias-strong fabric. The walking foot helps keep the two layers of fabric together, instead of the top layer stretching ahead of the bottom layer.
Two simple seams, and I’m finished with sewing! I am leaving the end open so it is super easy to add or subtract the fillers for the cushion. No ties this time.
Press the seams open.
Press the seams from the right side. Nothing matches at the seams because this long piece was made with intentionally irregular stripes.
Two kneeling pads are cut to fit. They will go inside the cushion cover. This gives me a good firm cushion to elevate my sitting position in the car. There is enough room in the cusion cover that I can add a little more height, or I can remove one of the kneeling pads for a lower sitting position.
Two kneeling pads go in.
Ready to Go!

Less than thirty minutes for this project, from selecting the fabric to inserting the pads. That’s exactly why I always put on extra warp! You never know when you will need an odd piece of handwoven something…

Happy Weaving, Karen

Handwoven Placemats on the Table!

Karen

Twelve green placemats are on the dining room table. Green 22/2 cottolin warp and 8/1 tow linen weft in four colors done in a two-block broken twill, woven on the Julia with eight shafts. I am deeply satisfied with the results. Now, all I need to do is to invite everyone over for a big family meal!

End of warp. Cutting off process begins.
Fabric unrolls from the cloth beam. Warping slats go every which way onto the treadles.
When I first unroll the cloth from a project that has been on the loom for a while, it is almost always “Love at first sight.” Then, I begin to question myself and wonder if the whole thing is a big mistake. The final stage is the most realistic and I am deeply satisfied with the results (usually).
Into the washing machine. The placemats have been cut apart, edges secured with the serger, and serger tails threaded back in. I carefully monitor the washing machine and remove the cloth before it hits a full spin cycle. Then, into the dryer it goes, just until damp, and then I press them till dry. This is a long time at the ironing board.
Twelve placemats ready to go! Machine hemmed and pressed.
The four linen weft colors give the placemats a softly graded look. Each one has the same two-block pattern, but each one is different because of the variance of the weft colors. Blue, green, teal, black.
Setting the table in the dining room.
Let’s eat!

I am lining things up to start my next big project that will grace our home. I’ll let you know as soon as I start winding the warp!

May you finish what you’ve started, no matter how long it takes.

Happy Weaving,

Karen

New Handwoven Band Is Just Right

Karen

I have an ample stash of handwoven bands. Still, I am making a new handwoven band that is “just right” for the strap on a simple shoulder bag I am making from a rag rug remnant. I pull several near-empty tubes of 12/6 cotton rug warp from the shelves to wind a five-meter warp. I enjoy finding bits of rug warp that can work together—all left over from various rag rug projects.

Using 12/6 cotton rug warp to thread the heddles on the Glimåkra two-treadle band loom.

I warp the band loom and start weaving. Ah, what a pleasure to make a specific strap for a specific bag! And all of it from what I have on hand. It’s a picture of the way love takes odds and ends like you and me, and finds a way to make us fit together.

Band for handbag strap is about 4.2cm wide. The warp is long enough for a handbag strap, plus a few meters extra. 🙂
Blue 12/6 cotton weft makes the selvedges look good, since it is the same blue as the outer threads on both sides of the band.
Band-loom weaving is rhythmic and relaxing. Some unevenness in the warp is evidenced by the slight curve at the fell line. I’m not worried. It will straighten itself out as I keep weaving.

It’s like preparing a simple meal for family. You figure out what you have, you scrape together what you can, and you spend time in the kitchen to put it all together. It’s not fancy, nor is it perfect. But it’s good. Love, after all, is the primary ingredient for a good family meal. Love is the primary ingredient for a lot of good things, isn’t it?

May your family meals be really good.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Revive those Handwoven Scraps

Karen

Handwoven remnants (aka scraps) do not get thrown away. Every scrap is good for something. Some scraps are so unusual it takes an extra dose of creativity to find a use for them.

Simple rectangular handbag made from weft-cord handwoven fabric. The cording produces ridges. Ruffled gathers form in between the rows of ridges. 6/2 Tuna wool for warp and plain weave weft. I used a bulky single-ply wool for the cording.

This remnant of blue wool fabric is something I wove a few years ago during my Big Book of Weaving adventure. This structure uses a weft-cord technique, which creates interesting ridges in the fabric. The original project is a simple handbag. The remaining fabric has been buried in a box of remnants. Until now.

Handwoven remnants from previous projects are used for the lining and pocket in the handbag.

I had a great idea to make a bench cushion for my Julia loom from this unusual remnant. Guess what? All those ridges are not so comfortable to sit on (fortunately, I tested it first). My next idea, though, is a success! The blue bumpy scrap makes a nice lumbar pillow, adding special comfort to the rocking chair that belonged to my great grandmother.

Remnant is folded over and hand-stitched, leaving an opening in the center for a muslin pillow insert that I made to fit. The weft-cord weaving produces natural loops at the selvedges, which I am using to my advantage here. Three buttons from my button box are used for closure in conjunction with the selvedge loops.
Buttons to the back, the wide and narrow pillow works beautifully for lumbar support in my great grandmother’s rocking chair.

May you find uses for all your fabric scraps.

Your friend,
Karen