Tag Archive | weavette

Finally finsihed!

The Tri top is done. I wove four 12″ squares and sewed them in pairs. Folded in the sleeve openings a couple times and fitted the sleeves in until they looked right. Pinned them in place and tried it on, adjusting until I had the look I needed.

Then I top stitched the sleeves in place.

After that I turned it inside out and cut the excess fabric and zigzaged the seam.

Here it is.

I tried to take my picture in it but the do-it-yourself-setting on my camera has quit doing it. All I get is a fuzzy one so will have to wait until Himself and do the photography with his big mulit-talented camera. But here’s the fuzzy view, for what it’s worth.

I think it turned out, in the end, okay if a less than flattering design for me. The color is nice and the texture of this soft cotton is very nice.

And, by the way, the beans are coming up! Hope things are springing up where you are!

Assembling

Apr27

Got the top pinned together and am sewing up the shoulders and sides. Fit is pretty good, near as I can tell but… same ole same ole… It needs sleeves. No, I need sleeves. I think this would be cute as a sleeveless top on someone with firm young arms. Mine need sleeves. Not sure how I’m going to go about that but will be working on it. Here it is so far.

The front I assembled using a slip stitch in the darker yarn. The back is just an overhand stitch in the same yarn. I decided that if I was going to be wearing a target, it should be on the front and not the center of my back! More later!

Almost done

Apr13

Okay, got it together, tried it on. It fits! so I wove a bunch of 2×6’s to add a little to the length, my calculations telling me I did not have enough to make it 4×6. But it may take awhile to get this strip added as I am trying to make it look like I had planned this all along so am attaching it with a kind of lacy looking stitch. I hope. I added the slide stitch pattern to the front neck and also to this bottom trim to give it a bit of interest. I don’t remember if I said but the neckline I had planned proved to be too low for my taste so I added another 6×6 there, as you can see.

A bit of a remodel

Apr10

Things are changing. It was supposed to look like this:

And then it looked more like this:

And now I’ve rearranged it again.

I’m pretty sure I have enough yarn to do it this way since it looks like I have to stick to what I have. It’ll be shorter so not a tunic but I think it’ll be long enough and if not I may use the scarlet or the cream and work a border. These things evolve. That’s one of the lessons, I guess. It could evolve yet again as I am not sure this one is going to work, either. I could get by without the ‘sleeves’ but I am really trying not to. I need 5 more squares, if I can squeeze it out of these last 1 3/4 skeins. Hang on, I’m getting there!

Yet another excuse…

Apr9

I am making progress here but slowly. Shop work and you know it’s gardening season, too, so other things are calling but I am getting it assembled. I’ve given up on finding more of this yarn so it looks like it may have to be sleeveless after all. I guess I can live with that. 4-9

And the other squares I was weaving have run into a hitch. But as I have not yet decided what I want them to be , I guess it’s not an urgent problem, huh? The difficulties of life just keep coming, don’t they?! Ah well, it would be nice if this was the worse we had to deal with, wouldn’t it? I’ll try to show you a bit more progress tomorrow.

Meantime, I hope your projects are moving along! Wishing you warm and sunny!

Ready to assemble… maybe…

Mar31

I have all the squares woven for the tunic but…! I am still trying to figure a way to add sleeves. I really like it all brown but I also really need sleeves. I had intended to beg for yarn but I don’t want to wait. It’s hell when you can’t get everything you want Right Now! Still fretting over what to do but it is good to go, if I decided to do it. Robin has been a good boy today, too, staying on his kitty blanket and off my project.

It’s still trying to snow. Temp has been slowing dropping all day. It’s (nearly) April fur heaven’s sake!

Recounting

Mar28

Decided to lay it out and see how it was coming. Took some new measurements, too. I didn’t flunk out of math in high school but my Pop, who was a surveyor back in the Olden Days before calculators and computers, had been known to wonder how he managed to sire such math dunderheads! lol

Okay, but I don’t think my initial guesstimate was too far off. I scooted the cat over and laid them out on the bed. Laid the pattern out over them and came up with a couple modifications. Not entirely happy with it yet, but I still have more squares to weave so time to mull it over.

I think I may yet rearrange the upper bodice. I’ll have to see how it fits once I get most of it assembled. One thing I have learned during this design it myself era is never weave ends in until you are Absolutely Sure it’s right. It is really difficult to find ends if you have to frog once you’re done a proper job of weaving them in!

Okay– back to weaving while it’s still raining and too wet for gardening.

Still weaving…

Mar27

But meantime I thought I’d chat a bit about ideas. I have a picture file on my computer under Weaving Clothing called Ideas. When I see a picture of a garment- sewn, knitted, whatever- that I think I could possibly make with the looms, I save it in this file. Of course, there are many more ideas than I’ll ever have time to make so I thought I’d share a few “Inspired by” here to give you an idea.

Here’s a couple for you with the big shawl looms. I’m pretty sure this first dress could be done but it’s a bit difficult to sketch here. I’m going to have to get out the paper towels and work in the round for this one. But I’d love it if some of you put your minds to it and came up with a plan! The second one, the shawl with sleeves, or whatever that might be called, is easier. I have thought about making that one for my daughter who likes drapey things. Trouble is, as always, the time to do it. The sleeves could be knitted in, of course, but also woven with the smaller squares or triangles. I made some prelim sketches just to keep the idea in my head. You never know…

And there are lots for the smaller looms. This one would be pretty easy. If it’s your project, I have to thank you for the inspiration, I don’t remember where I saw it. It was Multi woven, the 4″ I believe, but if you have a big dog it could also be done with the 6 inch or one of the Quilt Weaver squares.

If you’re looking forward to summer and have the ‘figger’ for it, here’s a pretty simple top for hot weather. Your teen could wear this. The woven blocks should be a fairly tight and modest fabric but would still be lighter and more comfortable than this crocheted version probably would be. Something like a soft cotton or one of the bamboo, silky yarns might be good.

Just something to think about while I am weaving for this tunic. Make your own file, & teach yourself to think in squares and triangles while looking at clothing. Get out your stash of already woven squares and spread them out and get inspired!

SweetHeart

Mar26

A weaver in Oregon sent me these little SweetHearts she made using our loom. She felted them and then added a beaded edging to them. I forgot to ask what yarn Kathy used, but I’m guessing it was a fine yarn as the hearts are light and thin, delicate and so pretty! She says she gave some a pin back to make wearable valentines. Great idea!