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.

Last we chatted, I set the scene for the latest project. Some friends of ours (the J Family) provided me with a bag of donated neckties for me to do with whatever I wanted. In this case, I decided to use the collection of ties as is and create a fun, multi-colored fabric with no set plans for a finished product. So here I am, moving right along, and just weaving for the joy of it!

Ready!

The loom is all dressed. I’m ready to start weaving! Thankfully, Karyn (my trusty Tie-Wrangler) has already broken down each tie and cut them into strips so they are ready for the loom. This is not the most glamorous process, I assure you. But, I am blessed with an incredible friend who doesn’t mind knocking it out while she’s watching tv.

And off I go!

When planning the weft (the weft refers to yarns/items not under tension, usually in a shuttle) in a project like this, I always include 2 elements – whatever I’m using as recycled materials and some back-up yarns. In this case, the recycled materials are the lovely mix of neckties from the J Family. I don’t sew each strip of necktie together because I like the flexibility of choosing on the spot what comes next. (And also because of my very strong avoidance of anything sewing-related.)

Do you see the back-up yarns in there?

All About Back-Up Yarns

As for the back-up weft yarns, while they aren’t required and I can create the fabric without them, I do have a good reason. In my head, I always envision a worse case scenario (with all my products, truthfully) – someone gets a hankerin’ to pick out the strips of neckties and then it all falls apart.

Now, it would be tough because they are all tightly smashed together! But, it could be done with some serious persistence. So, I would rather not leave that to chance. And if all that stands between a bolt of recycled fabric and my worry-free sleep is a few yarns? I’m definitely including them! I always have a weft yarn or two that will sit underneath the neckties, providing structure and some extra color. And voila! Sleeping like a babe!

Oh, Canada!

I opted to stick with the blue/purple theme for the back-up yarns, which will reinforce the colors of the warp yarns. Because I am using neckties, which come in a variety of fibers, I’m not worried about the types of yarns. Cotton, wool, silk, tencel – doesn’t matter. This lovely is not designed to be washed, anyways. So that takes a load off!

Here I am, weaving away, and I gotta tell you, I’m loving it! There is so much personality in the fabric – just like the folks who donated the materials! The colors are vivid and fun and I’m very happy with my decision to roll with whatever was in the bag!

I love the tails that pop through!

I Cannot Tell a Lie

To provide full disclosure, I did single out one necktie and I opted not to use it. Here’s why – the top was a vivid red, but it was only printed on one side with the back being completely white. And of course, the white side kept rolling over so it was face up in the fabric.

I’m not a fan of too much white in a project. White is crazy powerful and can completely change the mood of a fabric. As if that wasn’t enough reason, this particular gem was also sticking to everything – as in “static electricity” sticking. I’m guessing it was some kind of synthetic fabric that wasn’t particularly soft. Anyways, after a few tries, I decided it wasn’t critical that it be included. And now you know all the project’s deep, dark secrets! (You know, those weavers have such salacious secrets! Ha!)

I can already tell that I will run out of neckties before I run out of warp. So, I’ll need to give some thought to what comes next! One of my favorite kinds of adventures! In the meantime, I’ll be here moving right along. Happy weaving, everyone!!

Upside down Santa tie!

The post Moving Right Along appeared first on Acton Creative.

In this case, I decided on a red/blue mix for the warp yarns (yarns running through the loom). They will provide a very cheerful platform for the unique variety of ties – hopefully without looking too patriotic! 

Then once I clear the number of inches needed for the custom bit, I’m off and running with my own portion! I’ve become a bit of a spontaneous weaver, which surprises no one more than me! I’ve gotten in the habit of carefully planning the beginning of a project and when it comes time to weave, letting the wind blow me wherever it pleases! And so far, it has served me really well! 

For my portion of the fabric, I’ve been working with black & gray ties, keeping the colors simple. Then little by little, I am tweaking the weft yarns (yarns in the shuttle) underneath them. I gotta say, it’s coming together well up to this point! There’s still a lot of inches to go and there’s no telling how it will play out! But, I’m happy to share my progress to date! 

(I’m having technical issues with my captions, but the top 3 are the custom portion & the bottom ones are my portion. The string is what I used to measure the correct number of inches and the shuttle image is a reminder of what not to do – that is, overstuff the shuttle!) 

What are you working on this week? 

The post What's weavin' appeared first on Acton Creative.

Step 1 – There’s usually pouting like a 6 year old when things originally go off the rails. 

Step 2 – While still pouting & being generally ornery, there is a period of reviewing where I went wrong in the project. This is the shoulda-woulda-coulda stage. 

Step 3 – Pretending it’s not there (which takes skill, since there’s a 36″ floor loom in the way every time I enter the basement)! 

Step 4 – Actually looking at it again with fresh eyes, thinking outside the box, asking “what if”?

Step 5 – Working on a solution – any solution! Giving it my best answer at the time to finish it up. 

Now in the past, it has taken me anywhere from 4 hours to 6 months to get from original pissiness to completed fabric. In this instance, I used the holidays as my excuse to let it all stew. 

But this is the week to wrap it up! Here are a few details so you get the picture. I have a necktie project on the loom where I have simple cotton for the warp yarns (running through the loom) and strips of recycled neckties as the weft (going the other direction). Kind of a rag rug technique, if you will. It takes awhile to prep the ties & I prepped a TON! The project is all oranges & yellows – beautiful! 

Until I get to the end of my plan & I still have probably an entire yard of warp left on the loom! And to make matters worse, I’ve ended with a peachy color! This may not sound like a big deal to you. And in the universe of real problems, it isn’t. But, I don’t have other peach-colored ties to continue with. AND, I kind of seriously dislike the color – just adding insult to injury! 

So here I am. Staring at a project I have to finish before I can do new, fun things. Deciding how to gracefully move from peach (ugh!) to yellow (because those are the color ties I have left). Then, an idea started to form – blue! Blue will be the bridge. 

Now, finally, I have a plan of attack. Weave blue ties intermittently with the peach I have left, gradually work in blue & yellow ties, then only yellow. Whew! It was a close one! It may not be a perfect solution, but it’s good enough to finish it! And most days, that’ll work! 

Thank you for commiserating with me! How do you get yourself out of these situations? I’m always up for suggestions! 

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