Not tied down…

We are in the middle of some serious weaving fun, let me tell you! “Barrel-of-monkeys” kind of fun! (Does that complete give away my age?)

I am using lots and lots of cut up neckties instead of just yarn. I love the reuse, reduce, recycle idea! (Sadly, I’m not as vigilant in all aspects of my life. But, this is my little contribution!) What I’ve discovered is the world doesn’t really wear neckties anymore. Translation – lots of inexpensive materials for me to choose from!

I like to use the big rag shuttle to move the ties across the warp yarns and then, alternate with the cotton yarn in the boat shuttle. So, I typically have 2 shuttles jockeying for position at any given time!

Folks have asked if I sew the ends of the ties together. If you knew me better, you’d chuckle at that visual – maybe even belly laugh! I tend to get violent when forced to get near a sewing machine. It’s REALLY unattractive…

I like to overlap the ends and call it a day! As tightly as I weave, you would have to go to a lot of trouble to pull those out! Believe me when I say that if I had to sew, this lovely little project wouldn’t be happening! (A huge round of applause to all the seamstresses out there! You are amazing and I would be lost without you!)

There are always little bits and snippets that don’t get caught in the weaving. They simply get trimmed when the fabric rolls off the loom.

I started with grayish-blue ties and am now morphing into ties with a bit of brown! The earthy colors make me all tingly!

I chose a darker blue cotton for the browns, instead of sticking with the light blue. Just personal taste, really. Kind of like cooking – it needed a dash of something else!

We have a philosophy in our family that where 1 picture is good, 20 are better! So, when you glance at the next two photos taken from underneath the weaving surface, you should appreciate the fact that I didn’t subject you to 18 others! (Even though I love them!)

For this project, I have specific sized handbags I am designing for. So, I’m keeping close track of how many inches I’ve woven. Little safety pins are my friends…

There will be lots more happiness to come! Talk to you soon…