Tag Archive | Quilt Weavers

Some progress.

I am redoing the diamond skirt for the 3rd.. or maybe 4th time. meantime the Shawl In A Ball skein is woven and I laid it out over my knitted vest which fits pretty well.

One thing for sure, there is no vest in a ball for me here. I’ll need to buy another one. There’s a few leftover from laying out the front. I’m still not sure about the color progression. I laid the tan ones down there for the button band. Well, I expect there’ll be changes on this one as well. What do you think? This is all the colors. It’s just the organization that is the problem.

So I guess I’ll go back to weaving on the skirt while I think about it.

The Diamond Skirt project.

Aug20

Well, I am getting this thing together but I have to admit it is not turning out quite like I pictured in my mind. I pinned it on Madelyn this morning just to check what was happening as it is difficult to tell what I have when it is wadded up in my lap. Even keeping in mind that it has not been blocked I’m not sure the assembly is working smoothly. I may have to redo some of these seams. But the biggy to my mind is the total shape. I had pictured a petal skirt, like one a friend was wearing the other day. I know that on Maddy, it just hangs and does not have the kind of swirly effect it has when you are moving, but I’m not sure it is working. Also it seems to me to be either too long or not long enough. I did a composite sketch showing it shortened. With the diamonds in the same arrangement, the short skirt forms gentle pleats. I would love some feedback, especially from those of you who actually wear skirts.

Making headway!

Aug9

Just to show I am working on it! Got a lot done last evening as the Giants game went Waaaay over time. But they won!

New projects

Aug7

I have three going just now, but the lace has been put at the bottom of the list and will be there probably though September. Can’t decode on a pattern that will work for what I have in mind.

The Shawl In A Ball yarn on the 4” is still a WIP but only getting occasional attention this week.

But I have moved my planned project up to top of the list and it is getting woven a lot faster than I thought it would be. I’d like to get it done before OFFF if I can. And just as a little added interest, to myself if no one else, I am timing it. The Tiny diamonds are taking me 7 minutes each, the 7” take 20 minutes and I wove the 14” in 55 minutes. So I have this far: 35×7+ 4hr 9min. 10×20=3hr. 33min. Plus 1×55+55min. So I have 9 hours and 62 minutes of weaving time in this so far, if my math is correct. As this weaving is done while listening to the Giants baseball games and there is one of those most days/evenings, I might get this woven in about 7-8 more hours or 2 1/2 games.

Go Giants!

Okay, here it is for better or worse.

Jul9

Here it is in pictures.

This one on the right above requires a bit of explanation. I thought I’d try cutting first and stitching later. Bad idea Even trying to be oh so careful it ended up ruffled. I did mange to fix it but did the other side correctly and you can see the difference. Now you’ve had that lesson with no pain of your own! lol

I started Crocheting around the sleeve and after a couple inches decided that that was not good so ripped and found some bias tape which I stitched on instead to make nice neat hems.

Then I found this lace collar among my ‘stuff’. I soaked it into the left-over morning coffee. What do you think? keep or lose? By the way, the color difference is just lighting.

Sometimes it just doesn’t work.

Jul8

Got the Tumbling Block version of the Diamond top woven and assembled at last, after much ripping and re doing—don’t ask!— and find that it just doesn’t work. The shoulders are too sloped and the whole neckline is just too wide. I dug out a sewing pattern and as soon as I get over my disappointment and frustration it looks like this one is going to be a cut and sew project. I am not going to waste this good yarn. So check back now and then. Meantime, the only way I have come up with to enlarge the diamond top is by using the 3.5″ squares to make a side gusset.

Hope you are having better luck with your projects! Here is one I got from a new weaver in Idaho who was making it work! Jane’s first project!

Happy Weaving!

Some stuff.

Jul2

I am going to post the basic instructions for the Diamond Top here. If you want a pdf you must email me and I’ll send it along. It has been very popular but you must keep in mind that this is not a one size fits all. This one was made to fit Madelyn, who is quite thin. I am working on the sizing problem and will post as I came up with options. meantime if you make adjustments to fit yourself I do hope you will share them here for the rest of us.

Above is a chart of the Diamond Top. Assemble rows vertically first then horizontally. This makes the least seams and also helps the diamonds line up nicely. The dotted lines on the front are the shoulders. Assemble front and back, fold on dotted line, and stitch in place. It works, however strange it may seem here. Then sew up the side seams

I worked a row of single crochet and then a row of reverse single crochet (crab stitch) around the neckline to stabilize it a bit. If you find it needs this and you don’t crochet (you really should learn, it’s very useful) you can sew on a bit of lace or trim for the same purpose.

The measurements are of my top for Madelyn. Yours may vary with your weaving style and the yarn you use.

One more thing, in case any of you need looms, I have posted a few misc discounted looms for sale on Ravelry Looms To Go sale thread, The detail are there.

Another one for Madelyn!

Jun4

My just finished project is a dress for Madelyn. I think this one fits under the description of Boho that I googled this morning. I used the 10 1/2” QW square for the top as it has wider spacing and worked better for this slightly fuzzy mohair. The skirt is woven on the 12” Multi Loom. I worked a border for the bottom row of the skirt but the rest of the dress is plain weave. There is elastic hand stitched at the waist and the top is tied with a ribbon. That could have had elastic as well, but I haven’t done that yet. It could also use the ribbon for some little spaghetti type straps if they were wanted. The construction is as simple as it can be– all squares- two rows for the top and two for the skirt. Madelyn is quite thin but you can re-size simply by adding more squares.

Skirt square woven on the 12″ Multi.

Stitching the skirt panels together using a mattress stitch.

The dress laid out flat is pretty much a tube. I folded down a casing at the top for the ribbon.

And here it is on her. It looks a lot like some of the summer styles I saw for young people on my last shopping expedition. It would not take long to make for your teen or twenty something. Or yourself if this is your style! Easy to re-size, as I mentioned.

Is it May already?!!

May10

Well, as you probably suspect, I have finished none of the projects I’ve shown here, lots of excuses, no real reasons. Just didn’t get around to it in most cases. But a couple weeks ago there was a county wide yard sale, one of those semi-annual things up here where you go from door to door, and town to town. We never left Coffee Creek but I bought a new “doll”. This one is taller than me but I immediately set about weaving her some clothing. Here is Madelyn wearing her new pencil skirt and Diamond Block top.

The skirt is woven using the 6″ square Mutli loom. It’s lined as well to help it hold its shape even tho Maddie doesn’t sit, I thought that a good idea. The top is made up of 7″ Quilt Weaver Diamonds. This photo shows it not quite finished but you can see the diamonds better. I worked a row of sc and a row of reverse sc around the neckline to draw it up just a bit. Maddie is very thin so almost as hard to fit as I am, being rather wide. I used some stash yarn to weave this set. One of the ideas I’ve had– you know the ones that lurk in the back of your mind and only come out in those middle of the night waking periods– is to weave an evening dress. I have absolutely no use for this kind of garment but I’m thinking that Madelyn may yet end up with one!

Meantime, I think a couple more practical items are in line. I am trying to work up some ideas for a clothing weaving class. It just seems to me that since we have all these looms we should do more with them than the occasional couch pillow or baby blanket. The little easy dust collector items are cute but really, how many can you use? But clothing is something we all need all the time and can be both practical and pretty! Anyway, that’s my idea.

And speaking of practical, it’s also gardening season and here’s my first go at growing broccoli. How ’bout that!

Hope you are having a green & growing spring while still getting in some weaving time!

March already

Mar25

Well, it’s been a awhile since I’ve posted. Sorry about that, but it’s been the season of the Doldrums. Not fully winter with all its beauty and not fully spring with all it’s beauty. That in-between stage with lots of mud and rain and mud and warmish today and back to freezing tomorrow… you know.

And then we had that slide a few weeks ago that cut us off from town. So today, since they have the higher route plowed and open (it’s usually closed for the winter) we decided to go to Redding. The view from the top almost makes the trip worthwhile. We truly live in a beautiful country. I only hope we can keep it that way. Between SP & the pot growers clear cutting and spraying defoliant.

It was a sea of fog in the valley, but the ‘sea’ looks very different from above. Looking back west toward Billy’s Peak and home. That’s the last peak there on the right. We live at the foot of it.

Looking east we can see that Mt Shasta has a nice white covering, too. Elevation for Billy Peak is 7275′, while Shasta is 14,180′ which will explain the difference in the depth of the white part.

But in town I got some new yarn, which Jane Grogan (Teacher from Wisconsin) pointed me to. It might be interesting, at least. It’s a Red Heart yarn called “Scrubby” and is supposed to make face washers and pot scrubbers. I have a hard time imagining one for both uses! lol My face gets dirty, but not, I hope as dirty as my pots and pans! Well, I will weave up a couple today and give them the Test and let you know what I think about this. I think Red Heart is taking this opportunity to turn it’s reputation for scratchy acrylics into a virtue!

The sun is out this morning and the primroses, daffodils and forsythia are blooming. The weeping willow is leafing out and the buds on the peach are getting fa,. signs that spring may arrive after all! Hope you are getting those good signs where you live as well!

Hazel Rose

My Life in the Country