Making the Fringeless four selvedge warping class has been an adventure. A new online class always is. I totally love curriculum development. I like editing videos especially if I pick up some new skills for each class. But then the best part is when the class goes live and I see people's reactions to it (so far so good). This class was extra special for me because I got to work with Sarah Swett who is always inspiring and a fantastic teacher. Also, the fact that she regularly makes me laugh is a big plus. In fact there might be quite a bit of laughter in the actual class videos.
Many of you have made adorable looms for the class and are working on your jigs.* There are lots of great questions about everything from spinning for tapestry to how to use your Mirrix for four selvedge work. And the community has been great at talking through it all. I'm excited to see the first pieces coming off the looms. So if you're working on something, don't forget to post photos in the course!**
I've had some fun this week messing around with looms. I teach you how to make a simple copper pipe loom in a couple of my courses (Sarah covers other pipe looms and PVC looms in Fringeless). In one of the videos I had a loom I had glued with Gorilla glue. This is my new un-scientific experiment: to see whether the loom that was soldered or the one that was glued maintains its joints better when exposed to high changes in temperature and regular use. I have a camping trip coming up this month and it seems a good time to test one of them. Hot car, cold Colorado nights. The soldered looms have already had a lot of use without failure, so I'm going to try the glued one. I know you'll be riveted to your computers wondering how this turns out. Especially since if the glue fails, I'll just pull it apart and re-glue it.
Still. Science.
In the course video I showed the loom glued together but I hadn't cut the side pieces apart yet. I did that today, inserted the threaded rod, and I'm ready to warp it with my PVC jig.***
I wonder what Colorado wilderness-inspired things I'll come up with to weave on it?! (The pipes were cut top and bottom at 8 inches, sides at 14 inches and then cut in half again, and the height of the loom in the last photo is 21 inches with threaded rod.)
Loom constructed but with side pieces uncut.
Copper pipe loom waiting for the last joints to be glued.
Cutting the side pieces. This could be done if all 8 joints had already been glued also.
Final loom ready to be warped with my little PVC jig.
Below is the next little diary tapestry piece. It is called Redacted: Pride and it is for the month of June, which is Pride month after all. This is the second little piece like this I've done.**** The first is HERE. The third is on the loom and the handspun is on the spindle for the next color.
Rebecca Mezoff, Redacted: Pride, 2 x 2 inches, four selvedge tapestry technique
And sometimes it is time for something different. After all that work, I am taking a little time to do this fun beading weave along with Mirrix. I was a Mirrix weave along slacker in 2012 and decided now was the time to redeem myself. It is a wrap bracelet which is going to be adorable. I did bead weaving when I was a kid on a tiny loom--made beaded barrettes mostly. (It was the 1980s in "Indian Country" New Mexico, don't judge--I actually wore them in my super blonde and very long hair. I'm sure it totally made me look more like my Navajo classmates, who, it should be noted, never wore barrettes at all.) Since it was apparent that I had the equipment and most of the supplies because I never throw anything fiber-related away, a bead kit later and I was in business. I might have stopped at the Bead Cache for more 11/0 Delicas. They're small, no one will know.
*Magpie Woodworks is offering wooden jigs for sale. These are the hardest to make accurately without a drill press, so if you want to make wider pieces than you can do with a PVC jig, definitely check these out.
**If somehow you haven't heard about the four selvedge warping online class, you can find out more HERE. I produced the class which is taught by Sarah Swett. She is a master of this technique. Four selvedge warping allows you to make a tapestry that doesn't have any hems or fringe and is basically finished when you get it off the loom. The class opened this week and both Sarah and I have been thrilled by the enthusiasm of everyone participating.
***The astute among you will notice that I only glued 4 of the 8 joints originally. After they dried and I assembled the loom, I didn't like the play in the sides. So I cut the side pieces and then glued the other four corners. I could have glued all of the joints and then cut the sides also which is the way to make absolutely sure that the loom is square. However, there is enough play in the threaded rod that minor differences don't usually matter with this loom.
****For the Redacted: Pride piece, the weft is Weaver's Bazaar 18/2 and handspun natural black CVM fleece carded with yellow Corriedale. 8 epi, Brown Sheep wool warp, four selvedge technique (because you'll ask).