A Little Inspiration Goes A Long Way….

Posted on January 7, 2020 by artpodstudios

One of my recent overshot style weaving projects started with this tribal shield inspiration picture I found on Pinterest.

Because I was so drawn to the beautiful earthy nature of this shield, I knew I just had to weave a table runner using similar colors. I wondered if I could mimic the same feelings of texture in the personality of the shield. That became my artistic challenge, to bring the look and feeling of this piece to a handwoven table runner.

As I began to plan the structure of the piece I knew that using an overshot technique for my weaving would probably give me the visual texture that I desired.

The overshot technique in weaving is accomplished by using two different thickness of thread alternated in the weaving rows. The pattern row is made using the thicker of the two threads and usually skips over several threads to achieve the desired pattern that you are weaving. The thinner of the two threads is woven across the warp before and after each thicker pattern thread to “lock in” the pattern thread. The thinner threads are woven in tabby (weaving speak for plain weave).

I feel that using the overshot weaving technique helped me to capture the textual feeling I wanted for this runner. Here is how the project progressed and a list of the yarns that were used.

For the warp threads (threads going from the front to the back of the loom) and the tabby threads I used a dark brown cottolin yarn. Cottolin yarn is made from 60% cotton and 40% linen. The pattern thread used was an 8/4 cotton yarn. The 8/4 refers to the size of the yarn. The cotton yarn was about twice as thick as the cottolin yarn, thus the raised overall textural look and feel in the runner.

With the color pallet and types of yarn I chose and using the overshot technique, I felt like I was able to achieve the look that I wanted for this project. What do you think??

Half way through my weaving I decided I wanted to add a little something special to the piece that would bring the cultural influence in the tribal shield that inspired me to create this project to begin with. As I searched for that special something, I found a vendor on Etsy that imported fair trade beads from Africa. Handmade metal and hand-carved bone beads. I was pretty excited! Special handmade beads from another artist to compliment a handmade runner, just what the runner needed for that finishing touch. When the beads arrived I laid them out on the runner that I was almost finished weaving and knew it was definitely the perfect accent!

Once I was finished weaving I began the long and difficult task of adding the beads to the fringe of the runner.

Adding the beads to the finished runner was a long and tedious task but definitely worth the work, time and effort when I saw the finished project!! Once the beading was finished all that was left was to do the finishing wash and block drying and trimming off any overlapped threads in the weaving.

I love how the runner turned out! I feel it definitely has the look and feel of the inspiration photo. This runner would look beautiful with many types of dishes or pottery. Here is an example…..

Another picture of the finished runner….

After I finished this runner I decided to make this same style in a couple more colors. In a future post I will show some pictures of those finished runners too.

I actually had some beautiful brass and bone beads leftover from my weaving projects so I made those into some fun jewelry pieces . I’ll have some pictures of those in my next blog post.

So that’s about it for this post. Hope this article inspires you to make something beautiful! Until next time….

…I wish you Peace.

At The Loom – Purse Project

Posted on March 24, 2014 by artpodstudios

Last post I gave a hint about the next project I was starting to work on and the following is an update on how that project is going. I started out with this gorgeous hand dyed warp thread I got from Robinjedmundson on Etsy.

I decided it would be cool to make a purse using this colorful rayon warp by combining it with a cotton weft. For the weft I used a mercerized cotton flake yarn. I felt that this combination of fibers would give the cloth enough body to make a purse.

I warped up the loom with a combined twill pattern using a 15 dent reed. The loom was warped with 130 threads (this included the 2 float threads).

Because I had already done this pattern once with the same number of warp threads for another project …

I just tied the new warp onto the old warp and pulled the threads through the reed and through the heddles instead of having to thread all of them from scratch.

This process saves lots of time if you are making the same pattern several times but want to do different colors.

I wove using a mercerized cotton flake yarn in a dark teal color for the weft.

I really love the play of colors in this dyed warp combined with the dark teal weft.

Here is a close up picture of the interplay of colors in the pattern.

The Weaving progressed very nicely, and the fibers were a joy to work with.

The colors did not show up very well in this picture but this is the piece as it was being taken off the loom.

And this is the piece laid out before finishing.

Once I did the finishing wash, dry and cutting off of the spliced in weaving tails, the finished cloth measured about 7 inches wide, and 64 inches long. I cut the fringe on one end 4 inches long and at the other end I cut it 9 inches long.

The end of the cloth that has the shorter fringe will be the top flap of the purse, and the longer fringe will be at the bottom of the purse.

I decided to add some copper and beading embellishments to the shorter fringe that will be on the top front flap of the purse.

First I strung some beads and added them.

Then I flattened some pennies and textured one,

domed another and added more copper accents by twisting some copper wires and flattening them.

I am also considering adding these items……

Using this purple perle cotton, I thought I would add these beads by sewing the thread in and out of the fabric so that it shows through on top while tacking down the beads at the same time. I also though I would use some of these purple beads (right side of the picture) to add a few more strands of purple accents in 2 or 3 other places along the fringe.

I feel the purse is progressing nicely and I have several ideas already on how I want to piece it together. I don’t have very much of the warp thread left, but there is enough to add some into the inkle band that I am going to weave for the purse strap.

….So for now, it’s back to the loom….

Thanks for dropping in, hope this project inspires you to make something beautiful today!!

Until next time…..

….I wish you Peace

Knit One, Crochet Too!!

Posted on February 12, 2014 by artpodstudios

With all the cold and snow we have been getting this winter I have been crocheting some gifts for this Valentine’s Day. I really had not crocheted in several years, but with a quick review of the stitches, it all seemed to come back to me pretty quickly.

The following pics are some of the projects I just finished.

These are some of the fingerless gloves that I made recently.

I got the pattern from the bobwilson123 you tube page, under the title fingerless gloves tutorial.

I did change them a little bit by adding a double crochet border to the bottom of the glove and a scalloped border at the top of the glove.

This is a great pattern because the gloves are reversible.

As you can see in the above pic I have turned one of the gloves “wrong side out”. I love the look either way, and have already worn them both ways. As green is my fav color I couldn’t resist keeping the green pair for myself.

I also made several “Bob Marley” style slouch hats from a pattern I got on Etsy from the vendor Pixiebell. It was a very easy to follow pattern and I have already made about 4 hats. She uses the thick and quick yarn for the pattern, but because I wanted to make a set of gloves with matching hat for some of my gifts I just used the yarn that I made the gloves out of, but used double threads on the hook.

The picture above is from the Pixiebell Etsy page.

Another quick to make crochet project I made for some Valentine gifts were these

cute little mug cozy wraps, or as I call them, Mug Belly Warmers! I got the pattern for these and for the embellishments, the mustache and the flower, from the bobwilson123 website also. Here’s a close up pic…..