Let’s Play!

I love having extra inches left in a project! It represents time to simply try stuff! The pressure is off. There are no wrong answers. Just throw it in. And weave. Woohoo!!!

Here comes the rag shuttle!!

Up to this point, my focus had been on distributing the colors of the neckties in a pleasing fashion. Not too many reds or blues together. Sprinkle in the bright yellow tie sparingly, etc.

Now? Now I am left with the colors of the warp yarns and nothing else. In this case, I have blues and purples. So, I started off using a series of blues and teals. Nothing crazy. I threw this lovely metallic yarn into the mix that made it all sparkle just a bit!

Why Not?

Then, I started to get a little bolder! How about a green? It’s still in the family of cool colors. After that, I did some real stretching.

I found this fuzzy, variegated yarn in ALL the cool colors! Blue, turquoise, purple, green – it had it all! I’m not sure if it was a true eyelash yarn, but it was soft and fuzzy just like it. So, I incorporated it into the project. Bingo! So much fun! It created an intense block of color with an incredibly soft hand. You couldn’t really see the rest of the yarns in the shuttle, since the fuzz blocked it all out. But, talk about a fabulous overall effect!

Check out the fuzz!!

I only had one ball of this fuzzy phenom. So, it didn’t go very far. But I definitely need to give that some thought for future projects! Yum!

After the soft, fuzzy star of the show ran out, I added in a fine, handspun yarn with interesting slubs in different colors. (Slubs are thick spots in a typically thin thread or yarn.) They pop out of the fabric in random places, which is pretty exciting!

See the cool slubs?

All Good Things…

And then, suddenly, I was at the end of the warp. This project was a fabulous exercise for my creative side. As a weaver with a weaving business, there are plenty of occasions when I have fairly strict parameters I need to follow. I have to create “x” amount of inches, or match a specific color, or evenly sprinkle in these (2) neckties.

But every so often, the joy of simply listening to my gut is the perfect palette cleanser. To have no concern for anyone else’s expectations is an incredible gift. This bolt of fabric? Just what I needed!

The fabric’s free!

If you find yourself doing your art to other people’s specifications for too long, I highly recommend setting aside time to just do you! It will be time really well spent! Happy weaving, friends!

The whole bolt!

The post Beyond the Plans appeared first on Acton Creative.

Threading heddles!

Last we spoke, I was walking you through the planning of the project and setting up my loom. Quick refresher – green, green, green yarn everywhere! I ran out of the main color and substituted it with a white. And now, here we are! I finished dressing the loom and started the weaving process. (Insert photo here…)

Weavers, start your looms!

I designed the project to have enough yardage for (10) Hand Towels. But, I didn’t want to worry about having only one towel with blue, one towel with red, etc. My thought process was to change colors willy-nilly and cut the towels every 30-ish inches. So, each towel would have a variety of different colors. This took some of the pressure off me in the weaving process. It meant I wasn’t constantly measuring, which made it much more enjoyable!

All the colors can play!

First up, I had to decide on a pattern. Well, I currently have my floor loom set up such that the outside pedals will form a plain weave (over, under, over, under). The far left pedal lifts shafts 1 & 3, while the far right pedal lifts shafts 2 & 4. The middle pedals seem to be random. I don’t remember the last time I set them up for a specific project. But, I’m sure I crawled under the loom and adjusted the order of things at some point. (By the way, that requirement is in the weaver job description – “occasionally must crawl under the loom”. It’s in the fine print, but it’s there… Look closely…)

Love this pattern!

So when I sat down to start the green project, I played with the pattern a bit to determine which order I liked and if it would produce a good hand to the fabric. I wanted to avoid fabric that was too dense, since it will be used as a towel. I don’t know about you, but I want my towels to have a soft, squishy feel to them. That was the goal – to reproduce the soft, squishy feel that I like. I settled on my pattern of choice and off I went!

Double trouble!

I decided to work with (2) shuttles, which is always a bit more exciting! Each shuttle contained a different color. But, I made sure that the colors were related. Two variations of purple, for example. Then, to create subtler color changes, I made sure that only one shuttle changed colors at a time. For instance, if each shuttle had a variation of brown in it, I would choose to insert a blue in only one. Then, after weaving with one blue, one brown shuttle for awhile, I would eventually swap the brown for another blue. (This is easier to describe in a photo – too wordy on paper!)

Two is just more fun!

Ultimately, I like the mental challenge of keeping up with (2) shuttles. I think the results can be much more dimensional than just one shuttle. There were countless times when I had to stop and think about which shuttle had to be thrown next. But, it kept me focused, that’s for sure!

White insert – yay or nay?

In the last blog post, I made a big deal about having to substitute another color for the apple green yarn I ran out of. But, I have to say, I really love that little bit of relief in the fabric! As I was weaving, there were a number of times I stopped to evaluate how it looked. For me, I’m counting it as a success! But keep in mind, I don’t have to have everything symmetrical. I kinda enjoy a quirk or two in my fabric. How about you? Does the white stick out like a sore thumb, or do you enjoy the little deviation from the plan?

Hot off the loom!

After many hours of weaving, I finally came to the end and cut the project off the loom. I try to measure the fabric before it goes into the washer and dryer to improve my ability to accurately plan yardage in the future. But, there is always a bit of the unknown when dealing with various patterns. What I’ve learned is that depending on the type of pattern and specifically, how much the yarns are floating, the fabric will shrink differently. (If a yarn jumps over just 1 yarn, that’s a short float. If it jumps over 2-3? Longer float.) For example, if I were to weave fabric that was only plain weave, it might shrink 9-10%. This sounds like a lot. But, the pattern I incorporated in the green project had longer floats and therefore, it shrunk about 14%! Here were my exact numbers – Pre-wash/dry (10 yards 17″) and post-wash/dry (8 yards 35″).

Woven, washed, dried, ready!

When all was said and done, I ended up with enough fabric for only (9) Hand Towels. But the feel of the fabric? It’s just perfect – soft and squishy!! Totally worth it! I haven’t had the fabric sewn into the finished product yet. But, I’m very happy with the final results of the project! It was definitely worth all the hours!

Are you working on a never-ending project these days? How is it going? Happy Weaving, everyone!!

The post Green Fabric – the Conclusion appeared first on Acton Creative.

All the greens!

Now, if you don’t already know, weavers are typically planners. We go through an elaborate exercise to figure out the width and length of a project. For instance, I recently completed a project where the starting length was 18′ 7″. When the project came off the loom, it was 16′ 6-1/2″. Once it was washed, it was 14′ 7″. And that length will produce (6) Fingertip Towels (about 10-1/2″w x 22″l). While there are many, MANY factors that can/will tweak those numbers, a weaver still has to have a pretty good understanding of where to start in order to end up with the desired result. Planning is key.

So for the green project, the goal was to create fabric for a set of Hand Towels (finished size is about 16″w x 30″l each). Fortunately, I have done this exact project in the past and had a good sense of the numbers. I was feeling pretty confident about that part. But, I just wasn’t feeling particularly energized when it came to planning every one of the (240) yarns in the warp. So I thought, “I’ll wing it!”

Starting strong!

How exactly does one “wing” a weaving project? Good question! Here’s what I knew heading in to this –

• I knew I had lots of this pretty apple green color, and less of all the other greens.
• I knew I was going to warp (2) yarns at a time – one of the apple with something else.
• I knew I was going to change the “something else” every inch of the 20″ width.

Those are the parameters I began with. And it started brilliantly! It had this vibrant, grassy look to it and all the greens were playing well together on the warping board. Until, I realized that I was going to run out of apple green before I got to the end. Uh oh…

See the apple green as every other yarn?

Here is where the weaving gets exciting (keep in mind, it’s all relative). I’m about 3/4 of the way through the warp and I have to decide how to play this out. I’m too impatient to put the project on hold and order more of the necessary color. So, I need to use what I have on hand.

I’m temporarily transported back to when I was younger and doing piano recitals. I tended to wear my emotions all over my face (still do, most days!). So when I would mess something up, you could tell. My folks would remind me (over and over) that if I didn’t give any indication of the flub, no one else in the audience would ever know. My teacher, of course, would. But, nobody else would ever realize that it wasn’t part of the performance. And ultimately, nobody cared about missing a note or rushing a passage or forgetting a few bars. They were simply excited that you were brave enough to stand up there on stage and do anything!

And now, we insert something completely different! Just roll with it!

Keeping that in mind, I decided that if I had to deviate from the plan (or non-plan, as it were), I was going to go big and pretend nothing went awry! Instead of substituting another green into the pattern hoping no one would notice, I decided to go with white – bright and obvious. The white then took the place of most of the apple, with the other greens carrying on. It’s tricky to describe, so I’ll let the images speak for me.

So in a warp that would have been a field of greens, I now have a little white accent making an appearance. Honestly, I really like it! I think it is going to add a bit of interest once I start actually weaving the fabric. We’ll see. Who says weavers can’t be spontaneous? (Well, most weavers would probably say that, actually.)

The die is cast. We’ll see how the project ends!

Have you had a situation or a project where you had to wing it, lately? How did it go? I hope it helped you stay loose and trust yourself! You have great intuition, I’m sure of it! Keep up the good work, everyone! And happy weaving!!

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Blue Green Fabric at the beginning (a little tp acting as spacers)

I tend to use my table loom primarily for demonstrations at events. But, I set up the blue/green warp on the table loom with the intention of weaving it at home. This may seem like a silly detail to include, but when I’m doing a public demonstration I try to always be aware of the fact that I need to weave and talk at the same time. The weaving pattern then needs to be simple enough that I can do both! (Multi-tasking has never really been my strong suit…)

Can you see the two greens in the weft?

In this case, it was just me, sitting at home, in the basement, going to town! So, I decided I was going to fancy it up a bit. I was going to use not one shuttle, but two! (What?!!!) I decided to alternate shuttles – each one containing a different color of yarn. Turns out, keeping up with two shuttles still felt a little like patting my head and rubbing my belly at the same time. (I haven’t looked too closely yet, but I have no doubt there are a few spots where, let’s just say, I was patting both parts of my body – keeping with the analogy!) In the end, I love the effect it produced!

Here comes the shuttle!

I didn’t introduce any other colors besides the ones that were incorporated into the warp (blues, greens, tans). So while it isn’t a very daring piece of fabric, it sure is pretty! And there will be plenty of other times to push the envelope and be brilliant. This was the perfect project for an otherwise stressful time of year. It forced me to pay attention while working (taking my mind off the never-ending to-do list) and it produced a little bolt of fabric boasting a fabulous blend of colors that simply makes me happy. That’s a win by any account!

A bird’s eye view of the very end!

This bit of blue/green wonder is currently at the seamstress, being transformed into towels for folks to enjoy! I can’t wait to see them! Did you have a calming activity that helped you survive the holidays? Happy weaving, my friends!

Just yum…

The post Back on track appeared first on Acton Creative.

This one is “A”.

And this one is “B”.

Something I started a few years back was letting Acton Creative Facebook followers choose the combination of yarns to be used in an upcoming project. I historically pull together two groupings of four colors of cotton, and let the audience pick their favorite. (Please note that I’m always careful to select two options that I like, so it truly doesn’t matter which one wins.) The timing of the voting coincides with an event (art fair, trunk show, etc.) and the yarn is used for the demonstration project on my table loom.

I had the gang vote on some options earlier in November (the B’s won!) with the intention of using those colors at the Flame & Fiber trunk show in Aveline. However, life/the week/my schedule completely got away from me and I didn’t bring the table loom to Saturday’s party. So, I’m left with a beautiful foursome of colors just begging to be incorporated into a project!

Around & around we go!

That’s where we land today! I’ve decided to use the yarn to create more Fingertip Towels, which is something I can easily do on the table loom. Because of the many years I’ve dressed the table loom in exactly the same fiber, I have a formula in my head that makes the planning process fairly quick. I like to set the project (no matter how long) at 12 yarns per inch, and my Fingertip Towels take up 12 inches wide in the reed. Simple, right?

Project on the warping board

For this one, I thought I would purposely do a bit more of a striped warp than normal. Personally, I love stripes! But, I think you need to use them thoughtfully. Woven fabric can look very plaid-ish if you aren’t careful. So, I planned for 2-inch stripes in the warp with each color making a sneak appearance in the other’s stripes – a way to tie everything together. (It’s trickier to translate the innate design process from my head to paper that I thought! The images explain it better!)

It’s yarn soup! Ready to become some towels!

Full disclosure, I added two yarns from the original four colors just to round out the plan. (Dear Facebook followers, even though I added 2 new colors, I kept the same color palette so it still looks like the “B” version that won. I didn’t go completely off the rails – promise!) I got the project warped and off the warping board. My goal is to have enough fabric for at least 6 towels. That’s the goal, mind you. There’s always wiggle room for reality! I’ll keep you posted…

Keep on weaving, everyone!

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* Parents who generously let you live in the basement while building a business.

* A little brother who asks when you’re coming back to visit the second you leave.

* A sister who will harmonize with you while blasting a song in the car.

* Nephews, and pretty much everything about them!

* The waitresses & waiters at the local restaurant who bring me hot tea the moment I sit down.

* A lifelong friendship with a girl who I’ve known since the day she was born.

* A 15 year-old Daschund who shows me how to never give up on a daily basis.

* Yarn of any kind – especially in green!

* The process of weaving, which I am mystified and exhilarated by each & every day.

* An incredible friend who has supported & challenged me in a weekly conference call for years.

* A small town on Lake Michigan that’s exactly perfect for me in every way.

* An entire roster of amazing people who would help me mop up the basement at a moment’s notice.

* A part-time gig that allows me to pursue the dream of future years while managing the current days.

* A fabulous local library that feeds my reading addiction for anything with great characters and a happy ending.

* A relaxing weekend with three girls who are happy to just be together with no other expectations.

* All the supporters over the years who have purchased something from Acton Creative.

The list could go on and on, for sure! But these were front and center for this lovely Valentine’s Day 2018!

What makes your list this year?

Song of the Day – Aqualung, “Brighter Than Sunshine”

The post All the love appeared first on Acton Creative.

Here we are, in a sea of cream!

Moving right along!

We are coming down the final stretch for the project, which is great news! I’ve found over the years that sometimes shorter projects are better. So, I have it spaced such that about the time I’m ready for something new, the knots come around the bend! It’s wonderful when things work out that way!

Let’s dust in a little brown…

See the necktie making an appearance?

I love some of the warm, caramel colors in this section of the fabric! Reminds me of baked chocolate cookies – homemade, of course! (Mind you, not baked by me, but by my brilliant sister and Ma – who can completely rock some homemade cookies!)

In a caramel haze!

And what do we have here? The knots have stealthily worked their way up to the mid-section of the loom! I have no more space for weaving – meaning it’s time to pull out the scissors!

We’re at the knots! Woohoo!

Start snippin’!

I like to start in the middle of the project, cutting close to the knots in the back. Then, I shorten up the tails once I’ve made a knot at the fabric. Snip, knot and repeat until the fabric is free of the loom!

Working my way out from the middle.

Release the fabric!

Ahhhh… the fabric is almost completely off the loom! Next up, I’ll release the knots from the front and lay it out to see what we have! (I always forget how the project started by the time it’s done. So, it’ll be fun to check it out!) Talk to you soon…

The post Zen weaving… appeared first on Acton Creative.

Rag shuttle to the rescue!

A tunnel for the shuttle!

I started with really dark greens and now I am firmly in the apple green colors! There are very few greens that I don’t enjoy. Some of the really yellowish versions aren’t my favorite. But, they still trump peach most days!

Coming around the bend!

Mixing in a little necktie action!

All throughout the fabric, I am mixing in strips of neckties to add a little color, texture and recycled-ness! (Hmmm… not so graceful for a made-up word. But, it might catch on!)

Easing out of green, into the neutrals.

The tie provides a little splash of color!

With the strips of ties, instead of sewing or knotting the ends together, I simply layer the ends. I don’t want to add any additional bulk to the fabric. And, once the ties are trapped in the yarns, it will be very challenging to remove them!

Overhead view!

It’s coming together!

For this particular fabric, I am laying in the necktie strips over the yarn – which I’ve found makes it a little bulky in some instances. Next time, I may try something a little different to avoid that. I have to give it a little thought… weaving is a lot of problem solving, let me tell you!

Making fabric!

And the weaving continues! There is still a bit more to do before the fabric comes off the loom. But, I’m getting there! Have a good one and I’ll talk to you soon…

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No one’s surprised I’m using green here…

The rule of weaving – some are up, some are down!

Putting the rag shuttle to good use!

The end of a necktie trying to escape…

Love seeing the cones in the background!

Ah, progress!

The woven landscape…

This is going to make gorgeous handbags!

Time to forward the project!

Next up, there will be more weaving – yay!!! Probably a little less green, but definitely more weaving! Talk to you soon…

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TP in first!

The loom has been dressed (set-up) and is now ready to go! First up, I’ll put in a little toilet paper to act as a spacer. You only need a handful of rows to even everything out. I like TP because the perforation makes it easy to remove later and I use the cheap stuff so I’m not investing too much. I try to save my money for yarn – lots and lots of yarn!!!

About 5 rows should do it!

Bring in the weft!

I’m going to kick things off with some green yarn – my favorite go-to! The plan is to take the colors in the warp (yarns in the loom) and mimic them in the weft (yarns in the shuttle). Plus, I’m occasionally throwing in a few strips of recycled neckties for good measure!

Green is a great place to start!

Rolling the fabric forward!

When you set up a loom, you start with all yarn on the back, and end with all fabric on the front. Imagine with me – you are weaving along and run out of space. The shuttle no longer fits through the tunnel of yarns. At that point, you release the brakes and roll the project towards you – with my loom, it is about 6″. Lock it back down creating the appropriate tension, and weave a little more! Rinse and repeat! You know the project is completely done when you can’t forward it any further!

A little necktie action to give it interest!

Watching the magic happen…

I’m still playing with the idea of a combination fabric – part traditional materials, part recycled. So, this bolt is another attempt at finding the right balance between the two! You know what they say about practice… eventually you end up with some kick-ass fabric! (Maybe that phrase should go on a pillow somewhere in a counted cross stitch pattern!)

A little tail!

Aerial view!

I am weaving right along! Next up, more weaving! (I know you are shocked…) Stay tuned to see what happiness comes next!

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