Saturday, August 30, 2014

Do I Really Need A New Craft Hobby?

No, No, And NO. There are not enough hours in the day as it is.

However...

you knew that was coming, didn't you?

When I popped into our local quilt shop a few weeks ago with a friend, I saw these:




And I was smitten. Carolyn, the store's owner, said there were classes being offered and before she even finished her sentence, I heard myself quip, "Sign me up!"

I immediately thought this would be a great use for scraps and strips and a good way to use some of that fabric stash. I never take classes because they require more trips to town, but sign up I did and last week I went into town 2 days in a row and before you could say. "What are you thinking?", I was seated before one of these:


This is a Schacht Rigid Heddle Loom called the Cricket.

I knew I wanted to use fall colors for my project so I dug into my stash and pulled fabrics that evoked the feel of autumn for me:


I was intimidated by the threading of the warp, but Lois patiently walked us through it. It was a bit tedious, but I'm thinking I was just anxious to begin weaving. My fingers hurt after tightening the warp threads umpteen times:


And then the fun began:


I found out not to worry about the pretty design on your fabric because its just going to get good and scrunched up and color is the only thing that matters.

My finished runner is 46" x 12" not counting the fringe and I love the rustic look of it.


My friend, C, took the class with me and she decided to make a Christmas version. She is a quilter, but does not have a stash - I tease her about it mercilessly. So, I pulled some fabrics from my bins and sent her pictures to see if they were what she had in mind. I was really looking forward to taking the class. Here's a snippit of our texting conversation:

Me: I want to make a Fall one and a Christmas one and a patriotic one and ... Oh, good gravy! I'm going to end up with a loom, aren't I?

C: I'm thinking you are!

I thought these table runners would make great gifts, but in the middle of the class, I told C that there had been a change in plans and I would be making coasters for Christmas instead. LOL. Those are cute too! NEXT Christmas they would get table runners. :)

I was the last one to finish, but I was using this wooden tool called a beater to draw the fabrics together even tighter, thus I was using more strips. And the fabric has the tendency to turn back on itself and show the wrong side, but that just adds to the rustic nature of the project. Still, I was rather picky about it misbehaving and I spent a lot of time trying to keep it turned the right way. If you used batiks you wouldn't have that problem.

The teacher, Lois Weaver, was wonderful, and she was patient with those of us who were perfectionists and liked to laugh and combine work with play. She weaves beautiful creations that you can peek at, here, on her FB page.

So even though they are forecasting 100°  for the next 5 days, I'm thinking it may be time to decorate for fall. Here's my runner on the buffet in the dining room:


I may or may not be saving my pennies.


Don't ask. :)

11 comments:

Pauline said...

Fantastic! Love your colors and the finished product. I need to use up some of my strips, but I'm not sure this would work for us. BTW: I've tried to change the no reply, hope it works.

carol fun said...

OK - I'm suspecting a conspiracy - one of my friends just got a Cricket loom and was raving about how fun it is and then you have to go and show me those gorgeous runners... arghhh... I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER HOBBY, I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER HOBBY, I DO NOT NEED ANOTHER HOBBY!

But I feel one coming on!

hugs -

Joanne Lendaro said...

hahaha!! I can soooo relate, resist, resist, resist!!!

Nancy said...

Great-looking runner!

I've been tempted a few times to learn how to weave. So far, I have managed to resist.

Kathy S. said...

Just GORGEOUS! I don't need another craft either, BUT I've been wanting to do that too and have been indecisive on which loom to get/try. Thanks for this post. I need to pin it for future reference. :) I think the loom would be the only investment. I have all the string from my grandma and Lord knows I have enough scraps!

M.E. Masterson said...

That is neat! I need another hobby like well anyhow... this looks like fun!

Dorian said...

Looking good Karin! You know what they say about learning, so keep it up ;) lol. P.S. I emailed you about an around the world blog hop, did you get it?

The Cozy Quilter said...

Hi. What a great table runner you have made! I'm sure it made a huge dent in your stash as well! :-) This looks like something I could do...

Gwynette in NW Arkansas said...

I love your fall runner and it looks great on your buffet. Do NOT talk about a new craft to me..... PLEASE!!!!! LOL!!!
I have my hands full with quilting and embroidery!!

You look like you really enjoyed the class and creation process!!!!

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

You can always just attribute it to stash reduction - a totally worthwhile cause! That is a beautiful table runner ;-)

Sarah said...

Lovely photo of you! I don't think I've seen you that close to the camera. Seriously, the teachers last name was Weaver??!! How awesome.

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