 Project Overview
Fabric strip weft produces lively results in this sturdy mat with beaded
fringe. Two colors of rags are alternately woven for the entire length of
this mat. Beads strung on stout thread are inserted to form a beaded fringe
at either end.
Finished Size: 10" x 15".Materials
Warp yarn: 8/4 cotton carpet warp at 1680 yd/lb, in peach, used double. 110
yards.
Weft yarn: 1/2" cotton fabric strips used two together. 1/2 yard of 45"-wide
fabric needed of both orange and print fabric. For hems at either end, peach
cotton carpet warp, used double. 10 yards.
56 dark green opaque #5 straight bugle beads
28 6/0 transparent chartreuse round rocaille or seed beads
56 11/0 transparent
orange rocaille or seed beads
Needle and thread.
Equipment
Schacht School Loom with 6-ends-per-inch spacing
2 - 3 12" stick shuttles
2 pick-up sticks
Warping
Use two ends of cotton carpet warp as one. Measure 60 doubled ends
(total ends: 120), 10" wide.
Warp ends per inch (e.p.i.): 6 doubled ends per inch.
Weft picks per inch (p.p.i.): 6 doubled picks per inch. In hem area: 12
doubled picks in 1/2".
Warping: Use two ends together and wind the warp until 10" wide. See notes
below for creating a taut warp.
Weaving
Begin by leaving a weft tail 5" longer than the warp
width. Weave 12 picks of doubled carpet warp for the hem. Before beginning
the body of the mat, hemstitch across the beginning of the weaving to secure
the ends. Insert the beaded fringe. Weave the body of the mat for 15" by
alternating doubled solid orange fabric weft strips with doubled printed
fabric weft strips. Finish by inserting beads into the warp, weaving 12
picks of doubled cotton carpet warp for hem, and securing with hemstitching.
Finishing
Cut the weaving from the loom and trim the hemstitched fringe to
3/8". Fold under the hem, poke the fringe and knots under and hand stitch
with matching thread. Steam press the hem on wrong side with a lot of
pressure. Avoid pressing the beaded fringe.
Tips and Tricks
How to get a taut warp on a frame loom
After winding on all of the warp threads on the School Loom, secure the
working end and then go back to the beginning and pull up the first warp
end, then the next, transferring the slack from the first warp to the next,
working all the way over to the other edge. Take out the slack and then
repeat until the warp is quite taut.
Stringing beads for weaving
A stiff thread is a must. Use either nylon thread, fine monofilament fishing
line or stout sewing thread. If your thread is too limp to easily thread
your beads, you can stiffen it with a tiny amount of glue or nail polish. I
have found that fine-gauge wire is too stiff for use in this project.
Working in a small shallow bowl is helpful in containing the beads and
picking them up on your string. Be sure to tie a knot in the end of your
string large enough to prevent the beads from sliding off. For this mat I
strung the beads like this:
| 1. |
1 bugle |
| 2. |
1 orange, 1 chartreuse, 1 orange, 2 bugles, repeated 13 times |
| 3. |
1 orange, 1 chartreuse, 1 orange, 1
bugle |
Inserting
beads
If inserting the beads into the weft, place the stringed beads into the shed
and arrange the beads where you want them between warp ends. When inserting
beads to form a fringe, as I did for this mat, do not place the stringed
beads into the shed, but rather lace the bead string under the appropriate
warp end, working from one side to the other. For this mat, on an open shed,
I laced under every other warp thread (every 4th thread on a closed shed)
allowing enough slack in the thread to allow the beads to lie flat.
Cutting rags
Cutting fabric strips. To cut fabric strips you'll need a rotary cutter, a
gridded self-healing cutting mat and a lined, clear straight edge. Determine
your fabric length and, using both the mat grid and the straight edge grid,
cut your rags to the desired width. To speed cutting, fold the fabric as
many times as the fabric thickness allows to get a good, clean cut.
Joining rags
Try to make joins as small and unobtrusive as possible. The quickest method
I've found is to use a glue stick. Because the glue area stiffens the fabric
where the glue is applied, use as small an amount as possible.
Alternatively, use a small dot of fabric glue at every join. I use the
smallest amount possible.
|
Christmas
Sectional warp beams have pegs dividing the beam into
1” or 2” sections, permitting the warp to be wound on one section at a
time. The warp is wound on from cones or spools on a rack. From the rack
the threads go through a yardage counter and tension box, which puts the
threads under tension and spreads them to the proper width. This method of
warping eliminates measuring the warp before beaming and the need for
paper or sticks between layers. Sectional beaming saves time when you have
very long, wide or bulky warps, or warps with repeating sequences of yarn
types or colors.
A double back beam is a
second back beam that can be added to your Schacht loom at any time. This
beam is positioned behind the first beam and has its own friction brake
and brake release. A second beam is useful when you want to have warp
threads under different tensions for weave structures such as warp pile
and Bedford cord, or when you have a supplementary warp. Predrilled holes
in the loom make for easy assembly.
Baby Wolf and Mighty Wolf
raddles come with special mounting brackets for the Wolf diagonal beams,
as well as clamps for square beams. Raddles which mount directly to the
loom sides are available for the Cranbrook Loom.
