Last week, my mom threw out the idea of me looking into weaving, but more specifically rag weaving. I don’t think I’ve spoken about how much fabric I have, but let’s say I probably am set for life. Containers in my room, under my bed, in unpacked boxes I brought back from Portland, racks in the basement, and a whole load in my Grandma’s basement (let’s say I have no idea how much she has but it’s more than the amount than I have). Yea, I’m set for life.
So my conclusion is that rag weaving is a good way to use my fabric, otherwise it’ll sit around long enough to burden my future grandchildren because I’m a hoarder and I don’t like to throw anything out.
I did some research looking around for a reasonably priced loom, or at least a beginner loom. I found this loom that was basically perfect for what I was looking for. I wanted big and adjustable, but I didn’t think I was ready to pay that much for a project that I didn’t know would work for me or not.
Then I came across some DIY looms using old frames and nails. I went to my local thrift store and browsed through their frames and found one that was big and exactly what I wanted. The thing is, the width was perfect but height was a little short. I wanted to make it adjustable still. I had my dad rework the frame and he did it well. But as soon as we hammered a few nails in, the wood cracked.
So, he went to the local hardware store, picked up supplies and built one from scratch for me.
My contribution was hammering the nails on the top and bottom of the loom, placing each nail one centimeter apart.
It’s huge, adjustable, stands up, and is easy to work with as a beginner loom.
I’ve been on a roll making rag weaves and been having fun mixing colors and strings. I have some ideas of what I would like to produce with the final products, but if you want to know why it’s been a little quiet around here, it’s because I’m been uh’weavin’ and I can’t stop won’t stop.
I’ve made quite a few so far and plan on having some finished rag weave products available at this event I have a table at next weekend. So I’ll be continuing non stop, as I would like to make sure I’m decently stocked with products at my table.
Moral of the story is that I’m getting the hang of rag weaving and I am really enjoying it. Although if I could be honest, my back starts hurting after long sitting sessions! The pain is worth it though, these things are cool.
★ Follow on Instagram @oddballera ✚ on Bloglovin' to keep up with this blog ★
