WeaveZine: Articles Only

Down the Garden Path with Rosepath

Laura Fry — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:07:11 +0000

These fingertip towels are woven in plain weave with Rosepath borders. With a four-shaft loom and a little imagination, you can create all kinds of border designs. And with more than four shafts, the designs can be even more elaborate.
Read more >>

Halloween Dolls

Noreen Crone-Findlay — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:28:12 +0000

Halloween is a spooky time of year...

So why not make some cute little companions to keep you (or a little one) company on long, dark nights? Best of all, they won't even eat your candy! Read more >>

Weaving Words

Lillian Whipple — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:14:48 +0000

Once you're woven images it isn't difficult to weave letters.

In my previous article Designing for Summer and Winter and Taqueté, the warp was threaded in a point profile. For letters, the warp needs to be threaded in a straight profile. Read more >>

Beading on the Edge

Ruth MacGregor — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:44:17 +0000

It's no secret—I have a passion for weaving narrow bands on a small rigid heddle. But like most rigid-heddle weavers, I sometimes yearn to make my plain weave a little less "plain".

On a whim one rainy afternoon, I combined some beads with a selvedge technique borrowed from shaft-loom weaving, and presto: a fun and easy way to make a simple band, simply stunning! Read more >>

Backstrap Basics

Laverne Waddington — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 21:24:49 +0000

Basic, crude, primitive—these are all words that spring to mind when one thinks of the humble backstrap loom—a description that obscures the fact that some of history's most beautiful and complex textiles have been woven on this simple arrangement of sticks. Read more >>

Double-Heddle Bookmarks

Syne Mitchell — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:29:35 +0000

I love weaving bookmarks; they're small, make great gifts, and are a delightful palette for trying out new designs.

I wanted to weave bookmarks on a rigid-heddle loom, so my project would be portable. But the finest heddle I could find was 12 ends per inch, and I didn't want a bulky bookmark. What's a weaver to do? Read more >>

Flowing Curves: Network Drafted Twill

Bonnie Inouye — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:17:04 +0000

My previous curves article explained how to create smooth and flowing curves using the overshot weave structure. In this second installment, we look at designing curves in the treadling using network-drafted twills. Read more >>

Color Gamps

Michele Belson and Katzy Luhring — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:09:00 +0000

by Michele Belson and Katzy Luhring

One of the joys of weaving is how color interacts in the cloth. When weft crosses the warp, it changes the apparent color of the warp, sometimes quite dramatically.

This interaction is a result of the warp and weft alternating between being on top of the fabric and below it. This creates tiny dots and dashes of color that act like pixels on a computer screen, optically mixing in the viewer's eye to create a new color. The resulting color can either be delightful, or...not.

Enter the color gamp, a tool for test-driving color combinations and a weaver's best friend when planning beautiful, colorful, projects. Read more >>

Weaving Wire: Disco Bag

Inga Marie Carmel — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:05:01 +0000

"What are you doing, making window screens?" My visiting friend was eyeing my little Emilia rigid-heddle loom. I was weaving 22-gauge copper wire I had picked up at the hardware store. Read more >>

Spa Wash Cloth on a Rigid-Heddle Loom

Syne Mitchell — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:49:56 +0000

As I've said in earlier articles, I'm a sucker for interesting yarn. So I wasn't able to resist when I ran across two handspun yarns from Nepal.

One was hemp, and the other aloo (nettle.) Both were singles yarn, naturally colored, and with a rough, rustic, texture.

My plan was to weave spa-style organic, exfoliating wash cloths and give them as gifts with a bar of artisan soap. Hemp, being naturally antibacterial and moisture resistant, is perfect for bath linens, and aloo smells great and is good for buffing skin. Read more >>

Color: The "WOW!" Factor

Barbara Walker — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:27:31 +0000

Each time you sit at your loom, there's the desire and expectation that the end result be sensational—a piece you're proud to show off at the next guild meeting, or enter in a exhibit or fashion show.

Often, though, it looks great, but you're left with the nagging feeling that it needs something, some element that would automatically elicit a "WOW!"

What is that elusive something? Maybe it has to do with color. Perhaps a subtle nudge is needed, or even a jolt. Read more >>

Designing for Summer and Winter and Taqueté

Lillian Whipple — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 04:53:07 +0000

Designing your own weave drafts is fun and rewarding. It lets you express yourself creatively through the cloth. You can weave pictures, words, abstract designs…almost anything you can imagine! Read more >>

Flowing Curves: Overshot and Weaving as Overshot

Bonnie Inouye — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:42:04 +0000

Cloth is woven on a grid of vertical warps and horizontal wefts. But, with a bit of knowledge about designing weaving drafts, you can use these rectilinear elements to create smoothly flowing lines in your woven fabric. Read more >>

Mitered-Loop Keyhole Scarf

Noreen Crone-Findlay — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:21:37 +0000

The mitered loop is a technique I developed to work with the narrow bands of fabric that can be woven on small rigid-heddle looms.

This technique works well with any narrow length of fabric that has been woven on any size loom.

Creating a mitered loop is a bit like cloth origami. You fold and stitch a long, thin strip to create a textile that is twice as wide and half as long as the original band. Read more >>

How to Weave Glass

Sally Eyring — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:21:10 +0000

We all take things for granted, at least I do.

Nothing points this out more than trying to do something familiar in a new way, or with new materials.

Weaving is an art that assumes the materials used are flexible. Yarn and thread bend easily. People who weave baskets and cane chairs soften the fibers by soaking them. With enough force, metal can be bent and woven. But how does one weave something that is not flexible at all and, if stressed, will break?

Actually, it’s not difficult if you think about weaving in a different way. Read more >>

Basic Bobbin Lace: Two-Color Bracelet

Laura Fry — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:51:38 +0000

Bobbin lace is an off-loom weaving technique that uses a dense pillow, pins, and bobbins to create delicate laces. It was popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, especially in England and Europe.

Using bobbin lace techniques, you can create beautiful bands and appliqués to decorate your handwoven textiles. It's also a great way to use up thrums and odd bits of leftover yarn. Read more >>

How to Buy a Used Loom

Kathryn McMahon — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:23:07 +0000

What can you do if you're ready to buy your first loom, but can't afford the cost of brand-new?

You might consider buying a used loom.

Purchasing a used loom can be a positive experience if you know what to look for and what to avoid. Read more >>

Triangle or Rectangle?

Jana Trent — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:17:37 +0000

Should a shawl be shaped into a triangle or rectangle? That is the question.

The drapey diamond at the back of a triangle shawl is lovely for showing off a pattern. But the length of a rectangle stole is wonderful to wrap around in front, and you can knot or fling it over your shoulder for dramatic effect.

This shawl takes advantage of the modular nature of frame-loom weaving to create a V-shaped shawl which incorporates the best of both shapes! Read more >>

Weaving Software on the Cheap

Marg Coe — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:08:05 +0000

Readers of WeaveZine share some common denominators: we use computers and are interested in weaving. As the economy struggles, what better time to explore frugal ways to indulge both of these interests?

The intent of this article is not to review program features in detail, but to present a variety of intriguing weaving-related programs that are either free or available for a nominal fee. Read more >>

Getting Creative with your Weaving

Karen Stromberg — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:56:00 +0000

I first learned to weave by following directions. Magazines and books presented gorgeous projects that were fun to replicate...for a while.

Then I fell in love with color and that started me creating my own designs. Read more >>

Woven Shibori on a Rigid-Heddle Loom

Elizabeth Lee — Fri, 22 May 2009 20:03:06 +0000

Shibori is a traditional Japanese technique in which you stitch a cloth with a thread and then pull the thread tight to create a resist, similar to tie-dyeing.

Woven shibori (popularized by Catherine Ellis and Kay Faulkner) adds the thread into the cloth as it is woven, eliminating the need for stitching. Although woven shibori is typically created on a loom with four or more shafts, you can—with a bit of ingenuity—weave shibori on a rigid-heddle loom. Read more >>

Outstanding Moral Fiber: Weaving with Un-Knitted Cashmere

Bonnie Tarses — Fri, 15 May 2009 05:22:06 +0000

The concept of recycling anything and everything has become popular recently, but the tradition of un-weaving cloth to reuse the yarn dates back to the beginning of textiles.

In the past, weavers in Ghana un-wove the silk from Indian saris to create special Kente cloth. In Guatemala, I have seen Read more >>

Potholder Loom: Basics and Beyond

Syne Mitchell — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:28:27 +0000

For many of us, our first experience with weaving is with the humble potholder loom. But after you've woven that first potholder and mastered the basics, what's next?

The good news is, you can use this simple loom to explore a variety of color effects. Read more >>

Clasped Weft Weaving with Conductive Thread and LEDs

Lynne Bruning — Fri, 01 May 2009 08:51:51 +0000

Lots is happening in the world of eTextiles!

Electronically enhanced textiles have moved beyond scientific studies (such as wearable computers and chemical-sensing textiles), beyond adaptive uses and assistive clothing, and into the realm of high fashion and art. Read more >>

Woven Lace: Huck on a Twill Threading

Laura Fry — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:31:07 +0000

You don't need a lot of shafts to weave beautiful and unique cloth. For example, huck lace is a popular structure that can easily be woven on four shafts.

Having more shafts, however, gives you additional options, such as the ability to combine different weave structures and weave off a long warp in a variety of ways. Read more >>