For years, I have been looking for a specific style of weaving shuttle for my inkle looms.
The ones that I have been questing after are based on netting shuttles.
I have been weaving on my band and inkle looms with ‘the usual band loom’ style of shuttle, and they have been working just fine:
The top shuttle in the pic above,  is made by Harrisville, and comes with their Backstrap loom.
It’s a very pleasant shuttle… lightweight and sturdy.
The lower brass shuttle is one that my son in law made for me. I love it. It’s a hefty shuttle, great for beating in …read more

Right now, I am feeling very rattled and upset…. my dearest friend, who is as close to me as a sister, Terri, is very sick in hospital. So, if you can send her healing thoughts, a little love, light and positive energy, I would appreciate it enormously….. thank you….
One of the passions that Terri and I share is a deep love of weaving.
Over the years, looms and spinning wheels and other fiber tools have gone back and forth between our studios.
Recently, the mini inkle loom that I call, ‘The Emperor’s Invisible Loom’, came back home to me from Terri’s where …read more

Remember the story of the Emperor’s new clothes?
The cloth was invisible, right?
Well, I have been working with the Emperor’s new loom.
It’s invisible.
Okay…. the loom isn’t quite invisible,
but you can see through it.
It’s a tiny inkle loom that’s made of plexiglass.
It’s a fun little loom, but,
alas,  it does have some problems….
I really like this little loomie, so I have had to put on my thinking cap.
My thinking cap did it’s job very well, and, so, I am very pleased that I have been able to rescue the Emperor’s Invisible loom.
I  solved the dilemmas with a couple of  ‘outside the box’  solutions.
The …read more

My daughter, Chloë, has just posted the most heartmelting entry on her blog. (click the link below to see her pics)
She has written about what it has been like for her to do the sewing of the memorial textiles (called antependia) that we have co-created in memory of her Nana, my precious mother in law….. we both found it to be very stirring to put huge effort into creating a loving memorial to a marvelous woman who was central in our lives.
Here’s her entry: Chloë  and the memorial textiles
Here’s what I wrote about this process:
1] Starting the weaving 
2] a not …read more

I’ve been immersed in weaving bands that are going to be part of a memorial for a woman I adored- my late mother-in-law. She was an amazing and delightful woman who was a joy and one of the dearest friends and greatest influences in my life.

I’ve written about it before – memorial textiles 
For the last few days, I have been deeply immersed in finishing up the bands so my daughter can take them and stitch them to the ‘antependia’ (sacred textiles).
There’s nothing like knowing that if you don’t get your part of the project done, then the project doesn’t get …read more

 
Chloë wrote today about her part of the Memorial textiles that we are working on in celebration of the life of her grandmother/my beloved mother-in-law.
Chloë’s doing a fabulous job on them, and it’s a HUGE project, all driven by love.
Jim took some pics of me working on my part…. the weaving of the narrow bands that are trimming the banners and altar cloth and side table runners:

When I was first approached about weaving this memorial for my precious mum-in-law, I envisioned something much bigger.

I got WILDLY inspired and came up with a really exciting concept.  It’s a huge and exuberant …read more

Awhile back, I posted about being asked by the Memorial committee at our church if I’d be interested in weaving banners and runners in memory of my darling mother in law.
It’s taken awhile to get all the details sorted and everything approved, but now things are on fast forward.
Turns out what the committee wanted was to replace the worn out  navy blue velvet  with new velvet ones, to have me weave decorative edging.
Sewing velvet is one of my least favorite things on earth, so my wonderful daughter has taken on that part. (Bless her heart!)
She’s doing all the sewing by …read more

One of the great loom loves of my life is the inkle loom.
I have woven countless vests, bags, dolls, rugs,  and components of other garments and accessories on the inkle loom.

This is my two sided inkle loom that my husband built for me.  The two sided inkle looms are slower to warp, but are sturdier than some open sided inkle looms.
If you are going to buy  an inkle loom, make sure it is VERY sturdy. You’ll be putting a lot of pressure on the pegs of the loom, and if they give way, it can be infuriating.
Also, make sure that …read more