Woven Transparency Cactus
- By Karen
- June 30, 2017
- 16 Comments
I found a subject for my next transparency. It’s a prickly pear cactus in Texas hill country. Weaving this cactus is a fantastic experience! I started with a photograph, from which I made a cartoon. And I have an outline that shows where to place each color. It’s all based on the timeless beauty of colors in nature. I’m hopeful that when light shines through the final woven transparency we will see a likeness of the original cactus.
Prickly Pear Cactus in the front yard of our Texas hill country home.
Make a Cartoon
- Crop and enlarge the photo. (I use Acrobat Reader to enlarge and print in multiple pages, and then tape the pages together.)
- Outline the main lines of the picture.
- Turn the enlarged picture over and draw the traced lines on the back to have the reverse image. (This transparency is woven from the back.)
- Trace the line drawing onto a piece of buckram to use as the cartoon.
- Draw a vertical dashed line down the center of the buckram cartoon.
- Pin the cartoon under the weaving, lining up the center line on the cartoon with the center warp end. Move the pins, one at a time, before advancing the warp each time.
Color Selection
- Use the photograph to select yarn colors for the transparency. (I used the iPad to view the photo, and selected sixteen shades of 20/2 Mora wool.)
- Sort the yarn by hues. (I used my iPhone camera black-and-white setting to help in the sorting.) Sorting by hues helps me blend similar-hued colors, and shows me the contrasts that will help define the picture.
- Assign a number to each yarn color.
- Make the enlarged outline into a color-by-number sheet by designating a color or blend of colors for each section. (I taped this sheet to the wall beside my loom, to use as a color guide. The iPad photo also serves as a reference.)
Virtues are timeless. Virtues are like colors that blend together to weave a masterpiece. When we let the Grand Weaver lay in the weft, these are the colors that appear as light shines through His woven transparency: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. And when this occurs, it shows that we are made in His image.
May the next leg of your journey be a fantastic experience.
I’ll meet you back here on Tuesday, August 1st, 2017.
In the meantime, I hope you investigate claims of Jesus. Take time with people. Keep weaving. And the same for me.
Head over to Instagram to stay in touch with my daily journey.
Love,
Karen
16 Comments
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Breezy Easy Weaving
- By Karen
- June 27, 2017
- 6 Comments
Let’s take M’s and O’s beyond the ordinary. Treadling variations bring out interesting patterns. And a little bit of color in the right places makes a unique border stripe. What other designs will emerge on the remaining towels, I wonder?
Treadling variations produce an interesting pattern in this M’s and O’s fabric.
Border pattern uses one of my favorite techniques, the two-pick stripe, to draw a fine line. The center “ribbon” of the border pattern uses two shuttles to alternate the weft colors.
Some projects on the loom are complicated and tedious. This one isn’t. With primarily one shuttle and simple treadling, this is breezy easy weaving. The hard work was in the hours of preparation, dressing the loom. Threading and sleying 896 ends is no small achievement. But now, because of that work, it’s pure enjoyment to sit here and weave.
Ready for the next M’s and O’s design.
My sister came to visit, so, of course, she is persuaded to try her hand at weaving. Lookin’ good, Sis!
Forgiveness is hard work, too. It takes effort to put away bitterness and anger. But we must. It paves the way for unhindered kindness, which our world desperately needs. Forgiveness changes you. If you’ve been forgiven, you know that. A forgiven person becomes a forgiving person. And when we forgive, which is never easy, we are threading heddles and sleying the reed. Our efforts make way for the pure enjoyment of dispensing kindness. And we discover that the fabric of our life is being made into something beyond the ordinary.
May you be on the receiving end of forgiveness.
Love,
Karen
The Discovery Towels workshop in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, August 24-26, is filling up! If you’d like to join us, call Debbie (at the number below) right away. I would love to see you there!
Our weaving classes for May, June and July are filled ( but you can sign up on a waiting list!) and we still have a few…
Posted by Shoppes at Fleece 'N Flax on Wednesday, May 10, 2017
6 Comments
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Bruce says:
Kind words to live by….thank you.
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Pam C. says:
I needed that message. Thank you for following the Holy Spirit’s lead, for many see the need to forgive. Especially me.
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Pam, Thanks for letting me know how this touched you! This is a message I am “preaching” to myself. We’re all in this together.
Love,
Karen
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Hi, Karen,
Did I miss something? I haven’t received an “Warped for Good” for since this entry June 27 2017. I miss hearing from you.-
Hi Pam, Thanks for checking. I’ll be back soon! I have stepped out for the month of July. I will greet you again with a new post on Tuesday, August 1st!
Happy weaving!
Karen
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Quiet Friday: Handwoven Handbags
- By Karen
- June 23, 2017
- 10 Comments
Is there such a thing as too many handbags, pocketbooks, tote bags, and purses? Of course not. Naturally, my favorite handbags are made from handwoven fabric. Linings made from remnants, handwoven bands used for shoulder straps, hidden zippers, and, of course pockets–these are the details that other people will seldom notice. Yet these are the details that make me smile every time I use one of these bags.
Nineteen handwoven handbags. Various sizes, fibers, styles, and purposes. And colors. Lots of colors!
…You know that box of handwoven bits and pieces? Those weavings from the end of the warp, and the “scraps” from various projects? Hmm… looks like I might need to make another handbag or two.
Here is my collection of handwoven handbags, divided into a few categories. Plus, a short video just for the fun of it!
Wool, novelty chenille yarn, crochet cotton, and narrow fabric strips are used for weft in these bags. Buttons are from my grandma’s button jar. The small rag-weave pocketbook has a permanent home in my daily handbag. The fabric for these bags was woven on my Beka 32″ rigid heddle loom.
Linings are from remnants of other sewing projects. Bag handles were woven on my inkle loom.
Travel Finds
Trips to The Philippines yielded interesting woven goods by artisans there. The green stripe tote bag is woven from native plant material, and the teal and burgundy purse is a beautiful example of ikat weaving. The colorful weft-faced woven shoulder bag and the purple bag with lovely weft-float patterning came from travel to Chile.
Project Carriers
Large tote bag, woven with 1/4″ fabric strips for weft, carries my “show and tell” when I go to my weaving study group. It’s known as the “Mary Poppins Bag.” Rag-rug bag in the center has straps, woven on the band loom, that were woven into the bag. This bag carries my portable tapestry weaving. The rag rug bag on the right carries my one-and-only crochet project.
Special Use
Linen bag has beads woven into the fabric. It is lined with satin. Rag-weave purse is simply a flat piece folded in half, with lining and pockets added to the inside. The blue bag is wool, woven in a weft-cord technique. The fabric was partially fulled to produce the ribbed texture.
Lining for this bag is made from extra fabric after weaving cotton/linen fabric for cushions, and the pocket is a remnant from a two-block twill tencel scarf.
Daily Use Favorites
Representing some of my “firsts.” The brown and blue small shoulder bag is from one of my first cottolin towel projects. This is what I did when the last piece was too short to use for a towel. The green and turquoise clutch has remnants of my first ever handwoven towel, my first rosepath rag rug, and my first big rep weave project! The blue shoulder bag is the bag I use every day. It’s a remnant from the baby wrap I wove for my daughter’s first baby. It’s lined with a remnant from an Easter dress I made for her when she was a little girl.
May you carry your handiwork with you.
Happy weaving,
Karen
10 Comments
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Mary Kay Stahley says:
I would love to know where to get patterns to make a bag. Have yardage and really want to turn it into a purse
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Hi Mary Kay, I have found a few good commercial patterns for an assortment of bags.
I used McCall’s 3894 to make the large tote bag. (I did break several sewing machine needles when sewing the very thick corners.)
And I used Simplicity 2201 for the green and teal clutch. Other patterns that I have not used yet are Simplicity 9949 and Simplicity 2274. All of the patterns have multiples sizes and shapes of bags. There are probably some more good patterns out there now. I’ve had these for several years. I enjoy browsing the pattern books at the fabric store.For some of the bags, I folded and played with the fabric to make up a simple design.
For the shoulder bag that I currently use all the time, made from the baby wrap remnant, I purchased a bag at the store that I thought would work well with handwoven fabric. I took it home and ripped out all the seams to deconstruct it. Then I had the basic shapes, which I reconfigured to exactly what I wanted. I made a practice bag first out of denim before using the handwoven cloth to make the final bag.
I hope that gives you some ideas!
Karen
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D'Anne Craft says:
It was so much fun to see all your beautiful bags, Karen! Nineteen is certainly not enough!! Hope you keep making more and sharing them with us. You have a wonderful sense of color!
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Hi D’Anne, You are so sweet! When I make another bag, you’ll be the first to know!
Love,
Karen
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Cindy Bills says:
Hi, Karen,
You had the icon to share to Facebook, so I shared this post with my Rigid Heddle Adventure group. They’ve been talking a lot lately about creating bags. Thanks for the post!-
Hi Cindy, That’s wonderful! The rigid heddle loom is perfect for making fabric for bags because it’s so easy to use a variety of fibers in the warp and in the weft. It’s a fun adventure!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Karen
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Angela Roberts says:
Truly an inspiration, as always
Thank you Karen -
Kantilal Doobal says:
Please quote me a Magazine for which I wish to submit and an article dealing with woolen durrie weaving.
thanks-
Hi Kantilal, Thank you for asking.
I don’t know a magazine that has an article about woolen durrie weaving. “Väv” magazine sometimes has articles about different types of rug weaving, and “Handwoven” magazine sometimes has articles about rag rug weaving. The March/April 2017 issue of “Handwoven” has instructions for a “Swedish Rosepath Rag Rug” that I designed.
Karen
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Tapestry and Inlay Sampler
- By Karen
- June 20, 2017
- No Comments
It is satisfying to see this ambitious project take shape on the loom! When finished, this sampler of tapestry and inlay techniques will be a handy reference as well as a colorful hanging for the wall. It’s a much-anticipated project from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell!
Practicing parallelogram shapes.
Linen butterflies are used for the twill inlay. Turns are made below the warp.
I don’t always understand the instructions, in which case I struggle, doing the best I can. But the more I progress, the more I understand. I am finding out what works. The text, Swedish translated to English, about unfamiliar techniques is helpful, but I often wish I had the author looking over my shoulder to guide me.
Loom with a view. Time flies, even with slow weaving, at this Texas hill country loom.
Weaving from the front. Weft tails are taken to the back of the weaving.
Where do we get instructions for living? We may consider entering the kingdom of God for that. But Jesus also spoke of the kingdom of God entering us. Invite the King in. That’s when His ways become our ways. Instead of struggling through instructions, we find ourselves learning His will by doing what we know to do. Life is a sampler, with occasions to learn, to struggle, and to soar. Let’s weave our living sampler in the shadow of the Grand Weaver, Himself.
May your sampler show what you’ve learned.
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Little Experiments on the Loom
- By Karen
- June 16, 2017
- 4 Comments
This is my attempt to add a fascinating detail. I alternated white and brass-colored ends in the warp stripe. In a similar fashion, I alternated colors in the weft stripe, too. It’s an experiment. The short columns that emerge in the weft stripe are a result of this thread arrangement. The outcome looks promising. Wet finishing will reveal the final effects of this low-risk exploration.
M’s and O’s (Sålldräll) with a warp stripe and weft stripe that have alternating light and dark threads.
I like to do experiments on the loom. Little risks open up possibilities and ideas for future projects. Every learning experience is a step that leads to insight for future learning. And I have so much more to learn!
Weft stripe signals the beginning of the end border for this long table runner.
Short vertical columns take shape in the brass-colored weft stripe.
Step-by-step learning has some common ground with finding a good path for life. Walking the right path is like walking in the early morning. The dim light of dawn gradually increases and the pathway becomes more and more clear as the sun rises to the full light of day. Our Creator gave us a lighted path. The learning experiences from our experiments and explorations in life help us discover the path of the Lord, where the light beckons us. Walk in the light. It’s where we can see the next good step.
Happy weaving,
Karen
4 Comments
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Olivia Stewart says:
Not clear from photos or text exactly what you did. Could you share draft? Thank you
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Hi Olivia, Thank you for asking. I’m not able to share the draft, but I’ll see if I can explain what I did.
This warp is threaded as M’s and O’s, which is a four-shaft weave with two blocks. For the warp stripes, I threaded the narrow beige stripes all one color. But for the brass-colored stripes, for that block of the threading, I used the brass-colored thread and the white thread, alternating the two colors.
And then for the weft, again, the narrow beige stripe is all one color. And the brass-colored stripe uses two shuttles – brass, and white. By alternating the colors, I get the fascinating little vertical brass/white stripes in one block of the M’s and O’s, making it look more complex than it is.
Does that make sense? Let me know if that answers your question.
Thanks for your interest!
Karen
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Nancy C. says:
I also like to do a little experimentation on the loom, and always plan extra warp to give me that opportunity. It sounds like you did a little planning in advance with the warp stripe to allow playing with weft stripes as borders or accents. Very smart use of your time, and a great way to play!
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Hi Nancy, I’m a big fan of putting on extra warp for play and experimentation. You are correct, I did plan these stripes in advance. I even used weaving software to try to see how it would look. I think of the whole endeavor as an experiment, though, since I’ve never tried alternating colors like that with M’s and O’s. It’s exciting to finish working it out as I do the weaving!
Happy weaving!
Karen
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Copyright © 2019
This is going to be fabulous!
Good morning, Beth, I hope it will be! I know it will be fun to work on, in any case.
Thanks!
Karen
So exciting to see your transparency! That is my absolute favorite thing to weave, and yours is inspiring me to do another one too. What size linen and sett are you using?
Hi Lynette, You are responsible for inspiring me! I couldn’t stop thinking about your beautiful transparencies, and knew I wanted to make another attempt. It’s not hard for me to understand why this is your very favorite thing to weave. I may be following you in that! I can’t thank you enough for answering my questions behind the scenes!
This is 16/2 linen, 12 epi.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
You’ve put lots of planning time into this piece. Can’t wait to see the finished work!
Hi D’Anne, The planning for this has been a lot of fun. I was getting discouraged trying to find a good subject to weave, but when I found this pic that I took on our own property I got pretty excited about the whole thing! I can’t wait to show it to you when it’s finished!
Karen
This is so exciting Karen, I can’t wait to see it!! Have a wonderful vacation, I will be looking forward to august and this finished piece!
Liberty
Hi Liberty, Yes, it is exciting! Thank you. I will be eager to show the finished cactus, I’m sure!
Karen
Love this!
Wende, Thanks so much!
Karen,
Where in the hill country do you live? I so enjoy your blog- I like how you “weave” your faith in your posts!! Gifted weaver and writer?
Maria, We are a little north of Kerrville. We currently live in the Houston area, but this special place in Kerrville will become our permanent home when my husband retires. Your sweet thoughts are very touching. Let me know when you will be in Houston again, or in hill country. I’d love to meet up.
Happy weaving,
Karen
I am so glad I found your site! I love everything and have a lot to learn!
I love how you try to do every so nice and neat!
Carol
Hi Carol, It’s wonderful to have you here! We’re all learning, so this is a great place to learn together.
Welcome,
Karen
Great blog! Thanks for posting so much info.
Hi Patricia, Welcome! I’m glad you’re here, and that you’re finding information that suits your needs.
Happy weaving,
Karen