Weaving

Spring Table Runner Free Rigid Heddle Project!

Winter is fast approaching us here in Australia, but for those in the Northern Hemisphere, you are looking forward to the mildness and beauty of Spring. It’s a wonderful time to be freshening up household linens and table decor with new hand wovens!

*This post contains affiliate links

The Spring Table Runner project was initially run as a weave along, but can of course be undertaken at any time. I chose light and pastel colours to give that spring feel and also embroidered a delicate spray of flowers on either end of the runner to really make it feel like Spring.

The table runner is woven with lovely thick and soft cotton for easy care. The design is worked by using colour in the warp and weft, plus some simple pick up for additional interest.

You can download the free, printable PDF for the Spring Table Runner right here-

Spring-Table-RunnerPDFDownload

What you will need to complete this project:

*A rigid heddle loom, 20″ or wider

*A 7.5 dent reed/heddle

* 2 x stick shuttles, at least as long as the width of your project

*A pick up stick, longer than the width of your project

*A double ended reed and heddle hook or a separate threading hook and reed hook

I know that many of you do not have access to the same yarns that I do. Let’s have a look at some suitable yarns you could use to complete this project:

For the 10 ply/ worsted/aran weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 10 ply

Lily Sugar n Cream cotton

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton

Knit Picks Dishie Worsted cotton

Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton

For the 8 ply/ light worsted/dk weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8ply

Cestari Old Dominion 100% cotton

Maurice Brassard 8/8 cotton

Yarnsub.com is also an excellent resource for finding a variety of yarns with similar characteristics to what I used. It is a simple site to use, but if you’re unsure, here is an example:

On the homepage, enter into the search box the yarn than you wish to substitute. Here I’ve entered “Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply cotton”.

Hit “enter” on your keyboard or click on the little spy glass. Choose the correct yarn from the list below. In this case, I will click the top yarn.

When you see this page, start scrolling down for all of the listed possible matches or near matches. This particular search gave 50 results!! You will see after each suggested yarn there is a percentage match – that will tell you how well the suggested substitute matches your original search. It’s brilliant!

You can of course substitute colours depending on availability and individual tastes. One of my favourite runners that I’ve seen is this one, woven by Juliet.

A very different colour scheme is used here, but still feels very Spring like and is absolutely beautiful!

The entire playlist of videos for the class can be found here-

The video series plus PDF can also be viewed at my Online Weaving School, if you prefer.

I really hope that this Spring Table Runner brings a little freshness to your table and joy into your home!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them under this post, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Fear of the loom!

by Kelly 3 Comments

I am sometimes surprised by the fear that can exist in newer weavers (and often not so new weavers as well). The fear that you will get stuck and not know what to do, the fear that the project won’t turn out the way it’s supposed to, the fear that you are not smart enough to learn how to use your loom, the fear that you will waste yarn if you make a mistake… I could go on.

I know people who have abandoned a new loom into a corner, a spare room or (dare I speak it?) a dusty garage. The fear is too great to make a start and they feel they have failed before even beginning.

I say that I am surprised, but I really shouldn’t be. All it takes is a few moments of thinking back to when I was a new weaver. I was so excited by this beautiful piece of equipment, but silently terrified! What a privilege, but what a responsibility!

Is that fear still with me? No, although I do sometimes feel an apprehension when trying something new with very expensive yarn!

So, how to rid yourself of the fear? It’s actually very simple. You arm yourself with the knowledge you need and you practice! Read books, find resources, take courses, find weavers, join groups and network. And practice! Start simple and work your way up. Think of how an athlete trains. That is you, at your loom. Training, practicing, learning from mistakes and building knowledge.

If you do this, the magic will start to happen. That magic is CONFIDENCE! And with confidence, the sky is the limit.

If you are at that frozen with fear stage with your loom, perhaps you need some extra resources to help you out.

My Youtube channel has a plethora of videos to help you get started in weaving.

My Online Weaving School is a great place for learning and gaining confidence.

My Facebook Group is a friendly and welcoming place for weavers of all levels.

I hope this post will inspire you to go out there and weave beautiful things!

New Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course

by Kelly 5 Comments

I am so excited to bring you the news that this course is now available! The Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course is my biggest class yet, with almost 4.5 hours of video instruction plus printable PDFs.

I designed this course for new floor loom weavers, or those who simply want to “make friends” with their loom and gain confidence weaving.

The topic list is huge, but includes loom anatomy, calculations, reading drafts, warping, dressing the loom, the mechanics of weaving, and much more!

The course is project based so participants will end up with a beautiful 3 shaft double cowl scarf.

I hope to make follow up classes to take students through 4 and 8 shaft projects in the near future.

If you’re interested in this course, visit my Online Weaving School, where you can watch a preview for the class. It is available as a single purchase, or, if you are a subscriber, this course is included in your subscription, simply login to view.

Happy Weaving!

DIY natural hand softener

by Kelly 3 Comments

Do you ever have problems with dry hands that become rough?

Gardeners are very familiar with this issue, but it can also happen if you frequently use soap for hand washing or are often in a heated environment.

If you work with your hands, dry skin can be frustrating – you will have threads catching on rough skin and if it gets bad enough it may become painful to use and wash your hands – not nice!

*This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

So today I am sharing with you an old embroiderer’s trick to smooth and silky hands in no time, using natural ingredients that most of you should have in your pantry. And, it really works!

2 tablespoons white, granulated sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

Yep, that’s it!

If you want to really treat yourself, you could add a drop or two of essential oil. I use oils from Eco Modern Essentials and my personal favourites to use are lavender, peppermint or rose.

Mush the two ingredients together in a bowl until it comes together. Now, with both hands, rub the mixture all over the fronts and backs of your hands. There is not set time for the rubbing, but if you do it too long it may over exfoliate and start to hurt – less is probably more!

Wash your hands in warm water (you may need just a little soap or wipe on a paper towel or similar to help dissolve the excess oil). Pat your hands dry with a nice soft towel.

Follow up with a moisturiser if you wish, though I don’t find it necessary. Enjoy your soft and silky hands!

P.S. This towel is the underside of one of my hand woven Lux Hand Towels, the pattern is available in my Etsy shop.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Weaving for Christmas

by Kelly 3 Comments

My favourite time of the year is coming and what better way to celebrate the festivities than by weaving for family, friends and your home!

I have quite a few free video tutorials to get those creative juices flowing:

Reindeer on a rigid heddle loom

Handwoven No Sew Christmas Hearts

Gift boxes on a rigid heddle loom

Winter Trees

Snowmen on a rigid heddle loom

I also have some festive classes available at my Online Weaving School:

Exploring branoe

Christmas Table Runner

Christmas Bunting

I hope these inspire you to add some beautiful hand woven

Christmas cheer to your home or someone else’s!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

🎄 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Overshot uh-oh!

by Kelly 1 Comment

I tried overshot on 4 shafts for the first time. I put on a massive 8/2 cotton warp (my first mistake – too wide, too long!) thinking I would have a couple of table runners or plenty of baby blankets by the time I was done.

The threading was somewhat complicated, but I got through that and started weaving.

I don’t know, maybe I just don’t enjoy weaving overshot or maybe it’s a bit of inexperience, but this project became a struggle.

Some threading errors became apparent and then the breaking warp threads started. My progress was slow, very slow!

The errors stick out like a sore thumb, but I still wanted to share these photos, firstly to share the disappointments and imperfections, but also in appreciation of the pattern, which is actually pretty cool. The above piece was woven with black bamboo for the pattern and white bamboo for the tabby.

The back of the same piece.

This was my favourite piece, I used a hand dyed, variegated tencel for the pattern and a mercerised cotton for the tabby.

The back of the same piece.

And this piece I quite like also. I used a thicker hand dyed cotton (8ply) for the pattern and a white bamboo for the tabby.

So, what did I learn from this humbling experience? That I’m not as good as I thought I was? Definitely. That my slow progress on the floor loom is starting to frustrate me? Uh huh. That I want to do something about it? Yes!

I’m not giving up, I’ll keep trying and I think that, for now, that is the best I can do.

Weaving Suppliers List

by Kelly 28 Comments

Looking for weaving suppliers in your location? This weaving suppliers list isn’t exhaustive, but it’s designed to give new and seasoned weavers a solid starting point for finding yarn, looms, tools, and other essential weaving supplies.

Thank you to the members of my Facebook weaving community who generously shared their recommendations. If you know of other weaving suppliers – especially in countries not currently listed here, please add them in the comments ⬇️ so this resource can continue to grow 😊

Suppliers in Australia:

Petlins Spinning and Weaving Supplies, NSW, Ashford dealer, huge range of supplies.

BB Yarns Supply, QLD, Weaving threads and online correspondence courses.

The Thread Collective – (Affiliate link) Online supplier of threads and looms. Louet and Ashford dealer.

Crafty Frog, Canberra, ACT, Ashford dealer, looms, yarns, accessories, instore classes.

Glenora Weaving and Wool, NSW, yarns, accessories, magazines and books.

The Shepherd’s Choice, NSW

Bendigo Woollen Mills, VIC, Australian wool and cotton yarns

Woolganics, NSW, Australian organic wool.

Aunt Jenny, Fibre arts supplies, weaving supplies, looms, Ashford dealer

Pickers Ridge, (Affiliate link) – Australian hand crafted boat shuttles and belt shuttles. Family owned, sustainably sourced wood only.

The Wool Shop, Tassie

Luxe Handweaving, NSW

Liz Green Arts, Bairnsdale, Victoria

Studio Yarn, Sunshine Coast

Suppliers in New Zealand:

Ashford Handicrafts, New Zealand, large range of looms, weaving accessories, yarns and supplies.

Wheels and whorls, Ashford dealer, huge range of looms, yarns and supplies

Suppliers in Canada:

Jane Stafford, Louet looms, spinning wheels, yarns, workshops

Penelope Fibre Arts, large range of looms, weaving supplies, yarns

Maurice Brassard, Quebec, huge range of weaving yarns

Katt’s Sew Crafty, Ontario

Gather Textiles, Alberta

Tisse Et File

MD Tissage, Quebec

Captain Yarn, Quebec

Sisterhood Fibers, Nova Scotia

The Violet Unicorn, Nova Scotia

Irene Textile, Montreal
Camilla Valley Farm, Ontario, Leclerc looms, weaving yarns and supplies

Jo’s Yarn garden, Alberta

Homespun Haven

The Fibre Garden

Suppliers in USA:

My Amazon Shop

Eugene Textile Center, Oregon

The Woolery, Kentucky, huge range of everything weaving related! (Affiliate link)

WEBS, Massachusetts, Huge range also.

Revolution Fibers Looms, weaving yarns, craft kits, wheels, fibre supplies

Ability Weavers

Cotton Clouds

Yarn Barn, Kansas, lots of yarn options Looms, weaving yarns, craft kits, wheels, fibre supplies

Eowyn de Weaver

Fiber Ops Ranch

Lone Star Loom Room

Great Northern Weaving

Paradise Fibres, Washington, huge range of yarns, looms and fibre art supplies

Melissa’s Yarn Barn

Little Hawk Yarns

Twin Birch and Teasel

Bountiful Weaving, large and little looms, yarns

Weavers Weft

Junction Fibre Mill

Fibre Creek, AZ, range of looms and yarns

Gilmore Looms, looms

Weald and Wool, hand made peg, triangle, tapestry looms and tools

Halcyon Yarn, looms, yarns, everything!

The Spinnery Store, PA

Luvin’ Ewe, Minnesota – small rigid heddle, backstrap, tapestry, and cards. Working with a local carver to get some amazing inkle style looms.

The Websters, Oregon

Tempe Yarn and Fiber

Lofty Fiber, weaving, knitting, spinning, yarn and classes

Red Stone Glen, PA

R & M Yarns, Tenessee

Suppliers in UK:
George Weil, looms, yarns, tapestry looms

Fibre Hut, Ashford dealer

Adelaide Walker

Wingham Woolwork, Wentworth, Ashford and Kromski stockist, looms, supplies, yarns

Colourmart, Online weaving yarn supplies

Frank Herring and Sons, Dorset, Ashford and Leclerc looms, yarns, supplies

Freya Jones, Buckingham (such a gorgeous looking store!)

Weft Blown, Ashford dealer, large selection of looms, weaving supplies, yarns and fibre art supplies.

Wonky Weaver , Located in Wales. Wide range of looms including Glimakra, Schacht and Louet. Spinning, dyeing and fibre arts supplies.

The Handweavers Studio and Gallery, London

Wool For Ewe, Aberdeen

Mary Bobbin, Fraserburgh

Sealy Macwheely, Scotland

Weaving Yarn

Suppliers in South Africa:

Woolcraft

The Yarn Tree

Suppliers in Germany:

Knitart

Heikes-Handgewebtes

Suppliers in Spain:

https://tejoloquehilo.es/es/ – Weaving supplies, Ashford dealer, fibres for dyeing and spinning. This site is only available in Spanish or Catalan but can easily be translated with Google Chrome.

https://www.textilesnaturales.com/ – Ashford supplier but also sell Louet table and floor looms. Their website is in English and Spanish.

Suppliers in France:

https://www.artifilum.com/ – Ashford supplier, they also sell Glimakra, Toika and Leclerc looms. Their website is in French and English.

L’atelier de Micky

Suppliers in The Netherlands:

Wools of Nations – Excellent range of natural knitting yarns

Mirrix (EU distributor)

Suppliers in Sweden (special thanks to Mari for this list):

Suppliers in Finland (special thanks to Mari for this list):

Suppliers in Singapore:

Craft Atelier

Suppliers in Japan:

Mariya Handicrafts

Craft Hitsujiza

La mer

Suppliers in the Republic of Korea:

Studio Atcoat

FINE

Suppliers in Switzerland:

ZSAG – Yarn supplier

Suppliers in Czech Republic:

Dobro Děj

Can you really weave that on a rigid heddle loom?!

by Kelly Leave a Comment

I hear that a lot. And most of the time, the answer is yes!

Take my newest pattern release as an example. Did you know I have 2 patterns in my Etsy shop now? Yes, I’ve been a busy little bee.

My new project is entitled “Happy Fibonnaci Kitchen Towels”. “Happy” because of the happy colours and “Fibonacci” because I based the design on the Italian mathematician’s sequence. These are a perfect example of using the rigid heddle loom to obtain the WOW factor.

With the right arrangement of colours and a pick up stick you can weave a towel that looks like it’s hot off a multi shaft loom.

I hope you find the time to weave some beautiful towels for your kitchen or to give as a special gift.

Double heddle weaving

by Kelly 1 Comment

Recently on my Weaving Lessons channel, we explored some of the possibilities of weaving with two heddles on a rigid heddle loom. It’s these sort of techniques that really open up the imagination of what can be achieved on this humble loom. We covered sett, patterning, twill, double layer and tube weaving. Fascinating stuff!

I love to polish off a series with a project or two, to enable students to see the new techniques in action and apply them practically.

I’m not telling what the project is (yet), but if this warp is anything to go by, it’s going to be a beauty! This pure new wool is “Bloom” from Bendigo Woollen Mills and is just a delight to look at, a beautiful intricacy of colours.

I’ll be back once the videos for this project are posted, stay tuned!

Cutting handwoven cloth, one method

by Kelly 3 Comments

*This post contains affiliate links

Cutting a length of cloth of the loom is so exciting! But then what? If you’re not leaving a fringe you have to finish the fabric somehow, and if you’re cutting into it you may be afraid of unravelling. This is a great, easy method to use for either finishing to hem or if you need to cut into the fabric.

Firstly, once off the loom, the fabric needs to be wet finished and dried before you consider cutting.

When you’ve determined your cutting line (whether it’s at the end of the fabric or somewhere else) cut a length of light, fusible interfacing the length of the cut and about 2 inches in width. It must be the fusible type or this won’t work. Iron it so that your cutting line is roughly in the middle (so you have half of the interfacing on either side of the cut line). For me, the cut line was where the end of the woven fabric met the beginning of the fringe. Cover with a pressing cloth and iron until fused.

The underside of the fabric now looks like this, nothing is really visible from the front side.

Using your cutting line as a guide, serge right across. Can you see where the fringe begins and woven cloth ends? That was my guideline for serging. If you don’t have a serger, a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine will suffice, but the serger definitely does a superior job. Janome is a reliable brand if you are in the market for a serger.

Now you have a neat serged edge. The threads are completely secure and haven’t moved in the serging process due to the interfacing fixed in place. From this point you can go on to use your fabric according to your plans or begin to hem.

To finish the fabric with a hem, I fold over the serged edge once and iron down flat.

Then a second fold to enclose the serged edge and interfacing, press with the iron once again and pin in place if you wish.

Sewing the hem can be done by machine or hand. I used my machine with a straight stitch, close to the folded edge at the back. My machine is a very simple and straightforward Janome, although mine is an older model you can see something similar here.

Voila! Easy peasy and all secure, no loose or displaced threads and the interfacing gives extra support when hemming!

I have a Youtube video covering this topic for your further research.