SEEING RED

I have a large plastic storage box full of yarns in all shades from orange through red and burgundy as well as some variegated multi-coloured ones.

 

I started to think about patterns I could weave using these colours and thought of my granddaughter Kirsty and her amazing red hair.

 

I've drawn and painted her many times since she was born 23 years ago so it wasn't hard to find some suitable examples to use as inspiration.

 

This is the latest drawing which I used for her embroidered portrait for my centenary quilt wall hanging.

 

I worked out the design using a selection of the yarns and you can see the test sample at the top of this picture then I started to weave the two pieces I needed to make a bag.

 

I made a page in my weaving notebook with the design of the bag, a swatch of the chosen colours and the fake suede I planned to use for the base, sides and shoulder strap of the bag.

 

I used the different yarns randomly, mixing thick with thin, shiny with bobbly and adding a tiny bit of bright orange to make everything pop.

 

When the weaving was finished, I had two pieces, one measuring 16 x 22 cms and the other 35 x 22, both of which I reinforced with iron-on interfacing and then facing out with shiny red satin.  I kept the fringe free on the top end of the larger piece so that it could be the edge of the front.  I also added a pocket on the inside just the right size for a mobile phone.  I found a large bead to use for the fastening on a necklace bought in in Egypt many years ago and hardly ever worn.

 

I cut the suede into a long piece 8 x 150 cms which I joined with a flat seam then stitched to each piece of the bag so that the larger piece of weaving formed the flap.  I turned in the sides so make the strap narrower over the shoulder. 

 The bag will be a birthday gift for Kirsty in May so please don't tell her if you know her!

 

 

WEAVING NOTEBOOK

 

My weaving adventure has begun and after making the seaside picture I soon realised I needed some instruction on the correct way to weave and make items with my production so I ordered a book called Inventive Weaving on a little loom by Syne Mitchell.

 

The book is full of useful tips and instructions for lots of different patterns as well as the basics for beginners like me. I don't have a rigid heddle loom as shown in the book (yet) but I can adapt most of the projects for my table loom.  I am unable to make scarves but pictures, bags and other small items are possible.

 

One of the ideas I found in the book was weaving with fabric strips which is definitely on my list of things to try but first I thought I could use the same method for paper.

 

My bookbinding tutor had given me all the offcuts from her hand painted binding papers and as they are in long narrow strips they are ideal for this project.  You can see the stash at the top of the post as it was when I sorted out the colours.

 

I made a selection of co-ordinating colours and folded them all the same width then set up the loom with a red cotton yarn for the warp and the maximum width and started weaving with a plain band at the start.  I followed instructions from the book and used the loose end of the weft to hem the edge to prevent the weaving coming unravelled when I take it off the loom.

 

I continued weaving as long as possible then added another plain band to finish off the piece, hemmed the top edge and cut it off the loom.  I decided on the width of the book in relation to the paper I wanted to use to fill it so I had to cut 10 centimetres from the side of the weaving.

 

I cut a piece of red organza larger than the cover and machined it to the inside of the weaving allowing a small fold at the spine to stitch the book pages onto.  I stitched between each line of paper in order to join the lining to the outside and give the cover some support and flexibility. Then I attached a length of red ribbon to use as a tie up.

 

The finishing touch was to get out my coloured pencils and make a title page on a woven theme.

I've already started the book with the story of how I discovered this new craft and written up my first 2 projects.

 

 

I made two 10 x 10cm cards out of the offcuts left over from the book cover and made one of them into a thank you card for Anne Vion, the bookbinder who gave me the paper in the first place and she was delighted to see what her waste papers had become.

My head is already full of new ideas for projects, especially things to make as family birthday presents.