Quiet Friday: Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs and More

The sample piece, a long rug and a short rug with string yarn, and a short rag rug. I look on these results with fondness. A challenge and a joy to weave! The two string yarn rugs will have bound hems when I get a chance to do that. I have world map fabric for the hems. The sample piece and the rag rug piece are destined to become cute bags. I have all the supplies–band loom-woven strap, and yarn to make a band loom-woven strap, lining material, and a handwoven remnant to use as inside pockets. Now, all I need is time. And we all have as much as we need of that.

Dressing the Loom

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with Fabric Strips for Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with Stringyarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with Fabric Strips for Weft

Making a rag rug bag. Strap woven on band loom. Karen Isenhower

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft, make bound hems.

Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs with String yarn Weft, making bound hems.

Making cute bag from sample piece of 8-shaft block twill weave.

In case you needed a smile today!
In case you needed a smile today. Our dear Lucia Annabella.

May you have all the time you need.

All the best to you, my dear friends,
Karen

22 thoughts on “Quiet Friday: Eight-Shaft Block Twill Rugs and More

    1. Hi Julia,
      As any grandmother would, I have to agree with you about Lucia Annabella. I love your mother’s words of wisdom. It would be well for all of us to remember that. Thank you for your kind words!

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  1. We all have time for what is important. I can choose what to put first in my life. You have placed God first and it shows in every other aspect of your life.

    1. Barbara, Good point! We have a choice in what to put first. If we put the most important things first, the rest falls into place.

      Love you sis,
      Karen

  2. Karen,
    I’m hoping you can help me, again, by giving me an idea of how much string garn it might take for a lovely rug such as the pink one shown here. Thanks in advance for your help–especially as you have other things on your mind.

    1. Hi Denise, It’s no trouble at all! I can tell you how much string yarn I used in total– for the sample, long rug, and short rug, and I’ll let you do the math for the length of rug you want to make. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Lengths: Sample 17cm, Long rug 115.5cm, Short rug 42.5cm
      Midi string yarn 500m/kilo; 250g/125m per tube (#124 Dusty Coral from Vavstuga.com)
      Total yarn used: 4 tubes, with about 2-3m leftover

      I hope that helps!
      Happy Weaving,
      Karen

  3. From one grandma to another…
    Although everything you make is just beautiful, little Lucia Annabella shines even brighter ๐Ÿ™‚

    Love, Elisabeth

  4. Pictures speak a thousand words! I really enjoy seeing your weaving process and all the lovely items you make, and the beautiful grandbaby.

    As you are a weaver that gets good use from your Glimakra, may I ask where you rest your feet when not pressing a treadle? I’m almost ready to bring one into my home and while I’ve sat at one I haven’t woven more than a pass or two on it. I have a Norwood Jack loom and just slide my feet to the base of the treadle when switching. Of course, a Standard is set up differently. Thanks for your advice and any tips you may have for my Glimakra contemplation.

    1. Angie, First, thank you for your very sweet words. That means a lot to me!

      Glimakra? You said the magic word. ๐Ÿ™‚ I am extremely happy with my 2 Glimakra looms, Ideal and Standard. It is all I have woven on, so I don’t have anything to compare them to.
      The Standard has a foot rest directly under the breast beam. It’s in the perfect spot for resting your feet when not pressing a treadle.

      Here are some resources I highly recommend for Glimakra loom weavers:

      Learning to Warp Your Loom, by Joanne Hall, GlimakraUSA.com
      Tying Up the Countermarch Loom, by Joanne Hall, GlimakraUSA.com
      The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell, GlimakraUSA.com or Vavstuga.com
      Dress Your Loom the Vavstuga Way: A Benchside Photo Guide, Vavstuga.com
      Dress Your Loom the Swedish Way DVD, Becky Ashenden, GlimakraUSA.com or Vavstuga.com
      Vavstuga Basics class at Vavstuga

      Please let me know if you have any more questions as you get going with your Glimakra Standard. I predict that you will love it!!

      Very happy weaving,
      Karen

  5. Your photos including all of your finishing ideas are very helpful! Would you tell me what part of the world you are in? Just curious–since you use meters, etc.!! Grand babies are beautiful everywhere–even when they grow up.

    1. Hi, Na, I’m an oddball from Texas. Houston, Texas. I like to use metric for weaving — makes the calculations simpler. Also, I primarily use Swedish drafts, so I have gotten used to using metric measurements from the Swedish weaving books I have.

      Yes, grandbabies any age are the best everywhere in the world.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  6. Thank you, Karen, for all the clear pictures and inspiration. Now I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be pictures (or even a video) of the process of binding a rug with fabric. I wonder how you reinforce the rug before sewing the binding on, and how long a cloth binding would last on a rug. It is not a quilt, after all. Every one of your posts teaches me things and leads me to ask questions I had not anticipated. The mark of a true teacher! Looking forward to seeing the finished products (on Etsy?). Greetings from France, Gerda

    1. Hi, Gerda, You have great questions! I can answer some of them by referring you to previous posts. But first, I want to say that’s a terrific idea to do a video tutorial of making a bound hem on a rug! Thanks for the suggestion. I think I will do that.

      (Click on the links)
      How to bind a rug with fabric: How I Make a Bound Hem
      How to reinforce the rug before sewing the binding on: Tools Day: Rag Rug Finishing Video
      How long a cloth binding lasts on a rug: I made this rug a few years ago that sits in our front hallway and is walked on every day. Blue Twill Rag Rug

      I don’t know if the items will show up on Etsy, but I will try to remember to show the pieces here when they are finished.

      Happy weaving from Houston to France,
      Karen

      1. Thanks Karen for taking the time to give real answers and even to index your previous posts for me. Please remember, we do not actually deserve that much of your time! But I am gratefully reading the posts and learning. Hopefully absorbing enough to avoid crucial mistakes. Thanks again!

  7. I also have a glimaka and love it. I’m just starting to dive into rug making. Where can I find this draft?

    1. Hi Diana, You can find this draft in The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell, Bathroom Mats on p.146. I think you will enjoy this project!

      Happy Weaving,
      Karen

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