After my long summer break, this week I dressed the loom in some brightly coloured cotton stripes.
So enjoyed the rhythm of weaving again, and that lovely feeling when I cut fresh fabric off the loom.
This length will become a set of soft and gentle washcloths very soon. It’s good to be back.
Taking some lovely time off this month – to explore this beautiful island, sleep under the stars, walk, swim and spend time with family.
Back soon.
This rich, vibrant colour combination was inspired by my daughter who is now a young adult- who is passionate about social issues and dives right into whatever she does in life.
When I offered to weave her a scarf for the cold winter months at university, she immediately said ‘yes please-red please’
I loved weaving these variegated stripes of crimson, red, rust, hot pink, burgundy, teal, gold.
There were four slightly different scarves made from the same warp length. One went to my daughter, so now there are three left – one here, one at the Little Beehive Co-op and the another at the Wow gallery, Nelson. Made from soft natural fibres -merino, alpaca, silk and cotton – plus a little bit of man made yarn for some sparkle.
Here’s a quick little project tutorial so you can weave a super-sweet watermelon decoration.
I’m hanging them on the Christmas Tree this year (Yep, we have a summer Christmas here in lovely New Zealand)
1. Gather your supplies. You will need a Circle weaving loom, small amounts of thread in watermelon red, black, bright green, dark greed and white or very pale pink, some polyester fibre-fill stuffing, tapestry needle and scissors.
2, Set up your circle loom as per instructions and weave a bit of watermelon red. I used a slightly textured cotton viscose knitting yarn that was lying around. I also weave over and under two threads at a time for a little while in the start – this gives a slightly neater and flatter fabric.
3. After a while add one round of black thread but this time go under three threads and over one thread. This will create a few watermelon ‘pips’. Take the black thread to the back of the loom and let it dangle there there as you will need it again soon. Note: if you prefer you can skip steps 3 and four and just embroider a few ‘pips’ with black thread later by hand.
4. Change back to red and weave over and under each thread for another cm or so. Then Repeat steps 3 and four another two or three times. (Weave the black for one round under using an 3 under/1 over pattern and then red over and under for a cm or so.)
5. Weave red until you get very near the edge of the loom. Then weave a few rounds of white, followed by bright green and finally dark green. Finish when you get to the very edge of the loom and you can’t weave any more. Try not to pull too tight as you weave near the edge.
6. Take you weaving off the loom and tuck in any loose ends to the back of the work. Fold in half with the right side facing outwards. Using the dark green thread, begin to sew up a neat seam to join the two halves together. I like to use ‘whip stitch’.
7. Add a little poly-fil stuffing and continue to sew the watermelon closed. Knot securely and weave in your ends.
8 Tadaah! Your summery watermelon is complete. Now you can add a brooch back if you would like to wear it. Or a little loop tie near the top so you can hang it up somewhere. You can also make tiny ones using my smaller loom and then add some felt wool pom-poms and a tassel if you want to get fancy.
Looms are available from my little Etsy or Felt shops. Send me a note with your order if you would like me to put in some watermelon colour yarns in your parcel.
Wishing you a happy weaving day.
I was lucky enough to stay at Whanganui Inlet (Westhaven) on the West Coast of Golden Bay last week. Far away from anywhere, the stars were even more awe inspiring. I woke up a couple of times very early and the southern cross was slowly turning right before me.
We’ve had a few days of rain since we got back to Nelson – perfect for taking time to hand-stitch some sparkly handwoven fabrics. Bliss….
Spring has well and truly sprung here in Nelson. The kowhai trees are in full blossom and there is fresh growth everywhere.
This week I’ve been weaving some wash cloths in bright and fresh green colours. I love making these little cloths – and they make a useful gift.
Twill Textile Design will be moving on from this Railway Cottage studio at the end of the month.
It has been an amazing space to design, weave and teach for the last four years, but the lease has come to an end, so it’s time for a change.
The good news is that I shall still be working with Nester Prints from a new location – so watch this space – and you can always find us at the Little Beehive Co-op and on-line.
A huge ‘THANK YOU’ to all visitors, weaving students and the supportive community at Founders Heritage Park. x
ps. This large beaut computer-aided loom is now listed for sale on trademe. I shall miss my trusty work friend, but it’s time for me to downsize.
