Tag: strength

Tighter-than-Tight Warp

Karen

This Glimåkra Ideal is a super sturdy little loom. I call it the “Baby Loom,” but it’s not a baby in strength. She can handle anything I put on her. The warp is so tight on this rag rug that I have to release the front ratchet and loosen the warp a bit before I can even budge the ratchet on the back beam to release it.

Rag rug reaches the cloth beam.
Spaced rep rag rug reaches the cloth beam.

I like having a super-tight warp for rag rugs. It means I can get firm selvedges. And, I can put the momentum of the hanging beater to its best advantage, thoroughly packing in the weft. Best of all, I know this tight warp gives me a foundation for good strong rugs.

Tight selvedges on this rag rug.
Tight warp makes it possible to keep tight selvedges. At the selvedge, fabric strip is turned twice, and then pulled to snugly wrap around the outer warp ends.
Spaced rep rag rugs. Designing on the loom is fun!
Designing on the loom is fun with the thick (fabric) and thin (warp thread) wefts. I make notes on paper so I can repeat the designs across the length of the rug.

I want my trust in the Lord to be so tight that nothing can move it out of place. To be that certain, that focused. The Lord looks for people who trust him completely. He searches high and low for those whose hearts are completely his. He gives them his strong support—unwavering strength of support. Ratchet up the warp. We can trust the Grand Weaver and his loom.

May your warp be tighter than tight.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Keep Threading Those Heddles

Karen

It will be worth it. 896 threads through these heddles, and then two ends per dent in the reed. This is the necessary dressing of the loom. I do it nine minutes, thirty-five minutes, and twenty-two minutes at a time. I do not accomplish it in one sitting. After accumulating almost five hours of threading, I’m ready to sley the reed.

Threading heddles.
Colored threads are 16/2 cotton, thicker than the 24/2 unbleached cotton threads.
Threading Heddles
Checking for threading errors before tying the group of ends into a loose slip knot.

It is easy to lose concentration when there are so many ends. The M’s and O’s threading has just enough variation in it to make me wonder if I did keep it all in the correct sequence. We will find out. The threading, correct or not, is always revealed as the fabric is woven.

Texsolv heddles of four shafts. Glimåkra Ideal.
Texsolv heddles on four shafts, threaded. Glimåkra Ideal.
Sley the reed. Glimåkra Ideal.
Two ends per dent are sleyed in this 22.5-dent-per-inch reed.

What is faith? Faith is putting your trust in something you have good reason to think is true. Stand firm, immovable, in your trust in the Lord. You put threads in the heddles because you have good reason to think these threads will become fabric. Don’t quit. Keep coming back to it. Be strong in faith. And do it from a framework of love. Your framework is always revealed in the cloth of your life.

May you stay strong.

Happy threading,
Karen

Two Short Rugs Finish the Warp

Karen

Two short rugs finish off this warp. One has a treadling sequence that produces a delightfully different pattern; and the other one has fabric strips for weft, making it a rag rug. I am scheduled for back surgery this week, so I have been working hard (a few minutes at a time) to get this project off the loom. I know I am facing some new limitations in the coming weeks.

Stringyarn weft for 8-shaft block twill rug.
New treadling sequence. Stringyarn weft makes a well-defined pattern.
Rag rug in an 8-shaft block twill. Karen Isenhower
Fabric strips, cut 2cm (3/4″) wide, are used for the weft. The intriguing pattern in the weave structure is more subtle with print fabric than with the stringyarn weft.
Time for cutting off! 8-shaft block twill rugs.
Time for cutting off!

Pain and weakness heighten our understanding of what truly matters. Faith, family, friends. The Lord, Himself, is a safe place for those who come to him for shelter. When we are feeble, he directs our hearts to a place of strength. He invites us into the protective shelter of his mighty and loving presence. You’ll find me resting there. And don’t be surprised to see a portable loom in my hands before too long.

May your heart be at rest.

Yours,
Karen

PS I have prepared and scheduled my Quiet Friday post in advance so you won’t have to miss the unrolling of these eight-shaft block twill rugs!

What Rag Rugs Should Be

Karen

My goal for every rag rug I weave is to make a pleasant footpath that lasts through many, many seasons of wear. What makes an exceptional rag rug? Quality of workmanship and design. Tightly-packed weft, snug selvedges, and high quality materials produce a strong rug. And, great design includes an interplay of weave structure, color, detail elements, and functionality.

Tightly-packed weft in a double binding rag rug.
Tightly-packed weft in a double binding rag rug gives no hint of the opposite colors that show on the reverse side.
Double binding rag rug on the loom.
Double binding uses a two-block threading that determines where color changes can occur in the weft pattern.
Double binding rag rug being woven with two ski shuttles.
Two ski shuttles are used for weaving the two layers of a double binding rag rug. Consistent tight selvedges contribute to a long-lasting rug.

Strength is like a quality handcrafted rug that handles daily foot traffic. And joy is like the artist’s design, the colorful pattern, that is woven into the rug. Strength and joy go hand in hand. We see this in creation. And in our Creator, who gives of himself to those who come near. Be refreshed with strength and joy.

May you be refreshed.

With you,
Karen

Bright Blue Batik Rag Rug

Karen

I had planned on a dark brown hem, but when I wove my sample, the brown print by itself didn’t “say” anything. I considered a blue hem. The blue batik is beautiful, but by itself is too “loud.” By alternating the bright blue and the dark brown I get the results I want for the plain weave hem of this double binding rag rug.

Beginning of rag rug using beautiful blue batik fabric.
Header at the beginning of the rag rug is woven with warp yarn. The white prints on the dark brown fabric strips happen to line up with each other, giving an ikat-like effect in the weft.

The blue batik fabric plays a major part in this rug. When I start the double binding, you will see the blue in all its splendor. The hem is a border, though. The hem is an introduction and closing to the body of the rug, like a greeting and farewell of a conversation. The quiet brown enhances the bright blue by giving it the subtlety it needs for the hem.

Wisdom is strong and beautiful like this bright blue batik. And quietness, like the dark brown print, compliments the wisdom. Silence is wisdom’s friend. Restraint in speaking gives you the advantage of knowing someone else’s view. Staying cool-headed helps you to understand another person’s position. It’s in the quietness that wisdom has the most to say.

May your silence give meaning to your words.

Quietly,
Karen