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Wednesday, July 18, 2018

One More Weave :: Small Scale

After trying my first weaving project (Fabric Weaving) I was pretty much hooked!  Not in an obsessive way, more in a curious way.  I'm excited to try new ideas and see what I can come up with.  

With my first project under my belt, and the desire to use as much of my 'undesirable' stash as I could, I had some scraps that needed to go away.  But go away in a good way!  So I thought I'd put them to good use in a small wall hanging using 1/4" bias strips.  


MINI WEAVE WALL HANGING
11 1/4" x 11 1/4"
Sometimes a simple thank you isn't enough when someone goes out of their way to do something nice for you.  This quilt will be sent off to its new home and I hope that it will surprise and delight the new owner.  The only thing better than surprising someone is being the one who is surprise...don't you think?!



To make the 1/4" strips I started with 1/2" strips and ran them through my bias maker tool.  I can't imagine making so many strips without that tool!  I'm sure I would never have tried weaving if I didn't have it!



This is only my second time weaving, but there are a couple things that I've learned along the way.  Since I have only tried using prints, I've learned that you need to group more rows of the same fabric together in order to see a distinctive pattern.  And have them go vertical and horizontal.  Darker fabrics will obviously stand out more.

Another issue I came across, and this might be more for humid parts of the country, after making the bias strips I found if you let them sit around for a couple days they start to loose the crispness of the press.  I had to run the iron over many of the strips before I could weave them through.  

The good news is I learned a way to prevent that.  After I had a layer of strips ironed, I would lay them on a board and then place another board over them and repeat. And to make sure they stayed crisp I added a little weight to the top.  I used foam board and heavy cardboard for mine.  Whenever I was ready to weave, they would be ready to go!



I don't really think something this small needs to be quilted, but quilt it I did!  I think I mainly did it so that there was texture and a design on the back.  That's kind of weird when I think about it!  Simple straight lines was the answer...again!



A combination of Aurifil pink, yellow and orange thread was randomly used.  As you can see, the lines created a grid and with that...texture!

Finishing it off with a pretty pink binding, my second woven project was in the bag!  I can't wait for wefty weave #3!  I really want to try it with solids, but I'm trying to use my print stash...what's a girl to do?!

Have I nudged you even closer to trying the Wefty Needle for weaving yet?  Maybe my next project will tip the tables for you!


LINKING:


20 comments:

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    1. I had one more idea I had to try and it was another fun finish!

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  2. Love the brightness of this wall hanging and your rug! It certainly is a lot of work but well worth it in the end. I used to weave strips together when I was a kid but haven't thought about doing it with those tiny, tiny strips. Good idea about the boards and weights to keep the fabric crisp. The recipient is a lucky person! Nadine Willis N. California

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    1. It was a bit of work, but I’m always looking for something new and some project or another that I can do in the evenings. Weighting down the strips after making the bias tape is a must in our humid weather!

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  3. I think adding the quilting detail is fantastic and I really like how it helps the weaving read through to the backing. Great tip for using more than one weave of a print when working on such a small scale.

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  4. I am feeling inspired now!! I have a lot of smaller scraps that I think would work for a mug rug. thanks for the tips and inspiration

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  5. Another great finish! So cute. I can't believe those are undesirable fabrics!!

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    1. Some of the fabric I used has been sitting around for well over five years! And since I’m not a big ‘print’ girl…they had to go!

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  6. I love this! would starching the strips help?

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    1. I do use starch on my strips. Depending on the fabric some stay flat, but the humidity still messes with a lot of them!

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  7. I am intrigued by the process. Those are tiny pieces. Once again, well done. I'm sure the recipient will be pleased.

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  8. Wow is all I can say! I just made a fair ribbon with a weave on it but mine were strips of raw edge fusible pieces of fabric that I wove and then just glued. I bow to you on this!!! :)

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  9. Very fun! What a great way to use up some of those left over strips. You used some great colors, very summery, like a sorbet.

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  10. Very pretty. Your work does indeed delight me even if I am jealous (just slightly) of the new owner :-) Of course, I have the customized quilt bearing my name. It delights me every time I see it and I see it often since it is in my studio :-)

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  11. The recipient will indeed by surprised and so delighted. I love seeing what all you are weaving-keep it coming:)

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  12. Hi Jayne, I've been following your weaving adventure. I really like your quilts. I've actually done some weaving with fabric. A very long time ago it was on a real loom and in the last couple of years they have been part of art quilts. They were not, however, folder over. That's the part I'm not sure I want to do. I actually have to make one for the Starry Bright Sky QAL this month, so I guess I'll be giving it a try. Thanks for linking up to TGIFF!

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  13. It's really pretty Jayne and interesting to read about the specifics of the craft.

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  14. Thanks for sharing your tips with us. This little project is so cute!

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  15. Really neat. Love the colors, too.

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  16. Hi, Jayne, I just found your fabric weaving blogs again. I saw them when you originally posted them and then got involved with something else. So I am re-interested. I am curious about the board you used. I was thinking of using a piece of foam core but then if I iron it when I finish weaving I think the foam core will melt. That would be a disaster! What's your suggestion? Thanks so much for your detailed instructions! I love reading all your blogs!

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