Proudly Out Woven by My Offspring

Son's Twill and M&O Sample

The last Saturday in March found my eldest son and I at a weaving class held at the Depreciation Lands Museum. I know, I know, you say, "Why don't you teach him yourself?" But the sad truth is I would never get around to it. Besides it has been awhile and I could use a refresher course. Just maybe it will inspire me to get more of my projects to the finish line too.

  My son has always been a natural at weaving, but the speed of which he caught on to the M&O patterns, the twill, and the double weave just blew his mom away. He was off and running (weaving,) and leaving me choking in his dust.

Mom's Twill Sample

Now, in my defense, the first loom I wove the M&O on had two separate warping mistakes. (I was glad I got that loom and not a newer weaver.) The instructor and I had to take time out to correct and minimize the mistakes.The second pattern was a twill weave. I was the only one on a table loom so the process of weaving goes much slower than on a floor loom with treadles. (Second excuse. lol)

Son's Double Weave Sample showing  weaving on upper
and lower cloth that was woven at the same time on the loom.

                                                                                                                                                By the time my son reached the double weave he had found his rhythm, sprouted wings, and was flying right along.

Son's Tubular Bag (No seams)
Double Woven

Outside  view of Son's Tubular Bag Sample

The funny part was that the instructors were so impressed they would tell me to come look at something he was doing or being taught. Can't even count the times I was totally lost as to where I was in my pattern when I returned to my loom, but what parent wouldn't want to stop and enjoy observing their "child prodigy" (Said tongue in cheek.)

Mom's Double Weave Sample Photo-bombed

     
   
       The instructors voted him their star pupil, and asked if he planned to go on to be a master weaver. He just smiled shyly and said "I doubt it."

Mom's Double Weave Sample showing  weaving on upper
and lower cloth

I would have enjoyed the day even if I didn't weave anything, because of the fellowship with the unique individuals weaving draws. However the magic of double weave has bitten me. I came home and pulled out my one and only book on it. Double weave has always amazed me because that is how they think Jesus's robe was woven. His robe had no seams, causing the soldiers to barter over it instead of dividing it. The quality and fineness of the bye gone eras of weaving is humbling.

Son's Double Weave Sample showing weaving twice the
 width of you warp.

I know that the instructors are already working on choosing three different weaving structures for next years class. Hopefully we will be able to attend. Will we see you there?

Mom's Tubular Bag (No seams) 
Double Woven

A Basket of Buttons

This project was born out of a need for a Vacation Bible School craft and a love for buttons. I truly wish I had pictures of button baskets that the children made that year at VBS, but someone else took the pictures of them. Somehow I never manage to get a copy of them. We had close to 150 children make a simplified version of this. Each one was as unique as the child that made it. My poor craft helpers spent hours helping sort, bag, and prepare over 50 pounds of buttons before the children every got them, and my dear father got roped into drilling the holes in the all the wooden bases. We had some good times of fellowship over those buttons, however many of them I fear thought that their leader was over ambitious, crazy, and total unrealistic of what the children were cable of doing. (They may have been right.) The kids on the other hand loved the challenge and thrived on my belief in them that they could do it.   

 

I have taught adults to make these too. It is always a fun class full of laughter and amazement as each individual basket takes on it’s own design. No two ever turn out the same.

 

This particular button basket was made specifically for my mother. I used copper wire instead of the floral wire used in the VBS baskets, and I also chose to use a nicer base.  A major part of the fun in making one of these baskets is in the choosing of the buttons. The possibilities seem endless. Using all white and older styles of buttons on my mother’s basket gave it more of a classic look.  Basically, she ended up with another pretty knickknack to dust instead of a woven basket with many possibilities of usefulness.

Unfinished and Unruly Basket Project

This project has a mind of its own, and is currently in the “unfinished” project pile. It was started years ago on my birthday weekend. At that time in my life I had young children and was feeling the need for some “Mom alone time.” I decided to give myself the an unusual birthday gift of allotting the whole weekend for a project. With a trip to the grocery store for a large supply of cereal and easy foods that the kids could fix for themselves done, I now had to pick what project to work on. I decided I wanted the freshness of a new project. A twine weaving project sounded like fun, and I had been given this gorgeous multi colored yarn recently. A small, twine basket would be a fun, relaxing, me-time project for the weekend. The family was told of my plans and the basket was started.  The farther I twined the more it didn’t look like the image I had in my mind’s eye. Upon turning the basket over I discovered it looked more like a turtle shell. It just would not listen to me. This was to be a fun project with no pressure so it you want to be a turtle shell I am done fidgeting, and fusing with you. You have my permission to be a turtle shell. (There I am still in control.) Of course the weekend ended before I could finish a twined turtle so the project was put up.

Upon getting the project back out about a year or so later, I got the wouldn’t it look cool disease and decided to add brass beads to the edges. Adding the beads was a lesson in patience, and a awkward mixing of skills since I had to use a crochet hook and pass the threads through the beads twice. The first pass being doable and the second pass being a “why did I think this was a good idea procedure.” I must admit to really liking the end result though. The designing of bottom of the turtle shell needed to seep in my mind for awhile so the project was put away for a later day.

Time passes and a lot of pictures of turtles have been examined. A few were even printed off. The strands were divided  and about five rows were twined on, starting the bottom of the shell. The thought of I will need to make a turtle for in the shell occurs and the search was on for a thin, brown yarn that would work.  A small skein of a rich, brown, silk blend was bought. Thoughts of the turtle project were interrupted by life, and put off because it is no longer an easy twined basket “we” (Obviously it has some say in the matter.) are designing. If ever finished it will probably either be my lifetime twined masterpiece or a why did I ever think that was possible glob of intertwined yarn. I have thought that if displayed right it kind of takes on a jelly fish look, however it whispers, “Turtle, I want to be and am a turtle. Please help others see me that way too.” So it sits unfinished on the shelf waiting rather impatiently for me to interrupt my life long enough to either finished it or mess it up completely.