Dark Wefts

I liked the dark plum weft so much, that I decided to do a bunch of towels in dark plum!  I might do a bunch more, and then maybe switch to some blue.  I like how easy these towels are, and yet they have a lot of personality because of all the colors in the warp!

Colors

 Since I have 20 colors in the warp, I figured there are a lot of colors to choose from for the weft!

And I want each towel to have several colors... 

I also want this to be somewhat brainless (like the last weave) and I don't have to have to measure them as I go!

So I am just weaving... 

 ... and weaving... 

... aaaaaand weaving!

And it feels so good not to have to think too hard about them!

And I can still include everything in the "everything bite" towels!

PS.  I love the texture in this picture:

Pattern

I have decided to use the zen towels pattern for this set of the everything bite towels, also found on page 165 of The Handweaver's Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon.  I really like this weave!  It's so simple, it has a great texture, and it looks really neat!  I also like how the colors interact with the floats in this weave.

So far, I love this weave!

Love is...

... weaving art!

 

 

OK, and for all of you who want a non-photoshop picture, here is one for you:

Although the photo-shopped images ARE pretty darn cool... and so much more fun to make!

Expression is everything

 

I love how these towels are so happy and colorful!  I also love how the warp is so straight, and organized.  That is something that I really like about weaving!  I love how organized it all feels and looks!

Ready for threading!

 

The "Everything Bite" towels

One day, I had this random idea to mix everything together and make some towels.  I set out all the colors, and at first I wasn't too impressed with it, but I just wanted something with everything in it!  But now that I have the warp all measured out, I like all these colors mixed together.

 I am naming them my "everything bite" towels, because it's a bite of everything!  When I make something yummy for Brian to eat, usually he has to have a bite of it that includes "everything" in it, and he calls it his "everything bite", so that is where the name stems from!  Furthermore, I feel that we are at a point in our lives right now where we need to make some major decisions before we progress forward, and as I consider everything we have in mind, I am taking my very own "everything bite" of our situation!  I think things are headed in the right direction, but we can do better and there is more to come for us!  So in celebration of all the good things that are right at our fingertips...

Now introducing the "everything bite" towels!

 

 This warp has 21 different colors in it!

 

They're going to be so fun and exciting! 

 

Recycled Bike Parts Clock

Remember those gears that came off my bike??

My dad helped me with my master plan of turning them into a clock!!

It ended up being a fun day working in his garage shop!

 

We cut a piece of walnut to be about 8"x11" and sanded out all the machine marks.

Then we routed the edges.

We laid out the design so it's a-symmetrical and unpredictable to the eye!

And my dad made a hole in the back so the clock part could fit into it.  This is at the testing stage, but he got it nearly flush with the back!

 There are lines on all 4-sides and no numbers on the clock so whenever one feels like rotating the clock (like hanging it "upside-down"), they can!

We added a few nuts as spacers so that the gears would pop off the board a little bit and look 3D.

 

And the final project...  It's sooooo awesome!!!!  This is now one of my favorite pieces!!!

 

It's fun to remember the 8,000+ miles these gears and I have gone together, which included trips to Thumb Butte, Flagstaff, Utah, and 8 years of biking all around Prescott!  

I guess they were just ready to retire as decor mounted on walnut...

Greeting Cards Tutorial

 Fray-less Handwoven Greeting Cards Tutorial

By Amanda Cutler

 

I love handmade cards any time of the year!  The idea for this card was the answer to a cheaper way to make handwoven greeting cards, but also address the problem of fraying edges of freshly cut handwoven fabric.  In the store, the already made widow cards are very expensive, although they do offer a nice presentation for handwoven fabric.  Wanting to make my own, the thought of unsightly raw edges being left behind scared me off.  These cards use a self-adhesive packaging label to both cover up the raw edges and hold the sample in place.  This is a great way to use up a collection of small scraps at the end of a warp!  Make these for all your friends this Easter or this spring!

Supplies:

Martha Stewart Crafts Punch All Over the Page 1.5” decorative Flourish Square Design

50 Blank envelopes and notecards 4”x5.5”

Shipping labels 2”x4”

Handwoven fabric scraps that measure approx. 2”x2”

Rotary cutter, mat, ruler or Scissors

 

 Instructions:

Cut handwoven samples to measure 1-5/8 inches square, which is slightly bigger than the widow but smaller than the self-adhesive label.  Use scissors or a rotary cutter, mat, and ruler.













Punch cards with the decorative square.  Line it up to center, snap the magnets together, and punch with both hands.














Cut label in half.








  Center handwoven fabric in the widow cutout.








Affix the label to cover up all the raw edges.  Lightly press edges into place.











Send to all of your friends so they can enjoy your handwoven fabric, too!

I hope you have just as much fun making these as I did!!!

A dream come true!

The inkle strap wove up pretty quickly!  And I'm glad because the weather is so perfect for some rides!

 

 I made it a little too long, so I had to go back and take about 6" off.  I also experimented with burning the ends.  Because it's nylon, it just melted together and made a nice, stiff end.

 

 I threaded it through the pedal cage, and it looks like it will work!

  And it's so fancy, too!  I won't really know if it works until I ride with it, but I predict it will be lovely!

 

It was really cool to fix my bike with weaving!  I love to bike, but I also love to weave!  Two passions coming together in one!  It's like a dream come true!!!

Now as of this moment in time, ALL my looms sit empty... I hope that not a bad omen!

bike fix

The part of my bike that I need to fix with weaving is the foot strap.  It ripped all the way through!  I saw it coming, so I had some time to plan, but I still wasn't ready when it finally happened! 

At least I can still use this hardware.  I will have to sew the strap together where this one is bolted, but I think it will all work out ok.

I have about 1/2" width, and I wanted something flashy and neat such as stripes because I love stripes!

 

This neon pink is so flashy that it's hard to get the colors just right on here!

So far, I like it and I think it's going to work out just fine!  I might just fix one side because that's all that wore through right now.  I want to see how it wears before I do the other side... and why fix something that's not broken?  Oh yeah, because I can fix it with some weaving!  Actually, not only can I fix it, but I can IMPROVE it with some weaving!!