More looming with Kumi Threads

I strung my loom with more Kumi Threads. This pattern is taking me into something totally different, for me. I am looming one row at a time so I can complete a pattern I created. This is something along the lines of a fillet crochet pattern. Keep with me as I will post as I progress, with this very new idea!

Kumi Warps...Loom weaving 11/0 Delicas!

Title: 'untitled' (2011)
Designer: Erin Simonetti
Techniques: 11/0 Delica Loomed using the Extended Pattern Format, Kumi Warp Threads, Appliqued with Metal Accents
Beads: 15/0 Japanese Glass Beads, 11/0 Delicas, Antique Bronze Metal Beads/Caps/Chains

As a follow up to what I have been sharing recently, I can now offer the completed cuff. I love the use of Kumi Threads for the warps and will continue to pursue this avenue. The warp management methods I offer make using any thread, for the warps, fair game. Even wire!



You can see in this photo the wonderful body and stiffness the Kumi Threads give the final cuff. Yet, it is still quite pliable and comfortable to wear.

Zipping up the cuff has begun!

I am using Antique Bronze findings for this cuff. The caps really add some additional interest to the design.


You'll notice I started zipping in the center of the cuff. This made it easier to center the entire zipping portion down the middle.

I'll also be adding some hand woven extensions, after completing the zip.

Zipping up two loom woven strips, for one cuff

Following up on my last post, I am waiting for some bead caps to arrive so I can zip up these two woven strips, using Kumi Thread, to create the finished width of the cuff. The cup of beads are ceramic beads I'll use for the zip.

Once the center is finalized and zipped, I can then finish the rows of weave above and below this section to create the entire length of the cuff. I have to wait and see how much space is needed to zip, before I know how many beads wide in a row to weave, for the finish.

I'll post again after my supplies arrive and I can finish.

Using thick Thread or Cord for the Warps

I may have touched on this idea before, but it is well worth sharing again. My loom is warped with cording, usually sold for Kumihimo. This would be good for use because it is already sold for jewelry and will wear well, when finished. Also, it comes in some gorgeous color ways.


Sometime very soon, I will be able to share my 'warp management techniques' in a book, so it will be clear how these thick threads can be used as the warps with no worry of running them back through the rows of beads. For now, I will enjoy sharing how this technique can add some drama to your looming, from the 'thread' aspect as opposed to the 'bead color selection'.


You will notice I am still using a white weft, mainly because of the 'color lined' beads I included. The halo of the 'color lined' green bead adds a great design style, especially when paired with opaques.

UPDATED PHOTO:

I'll share more pictures as I progress with this looming.

A Montage of the Same Pattern

My last post shared the Fringe Idea, as seen in a cuff above. There is so much more to this story. But for now, I just want to share a montage of three cuffs, all completed from the same pattern I graphed, but in different ways. This offers a concept that patterns are wonderful to follow, but they can also be changed to create something very different,
putting your own mark on the finished looming.

Fringed Edging: Bullion, Gimp or Braided?

Recently, I was inspired to look at fringes, added to my loomed edges, in a different light. Not all 'f-r-i-n-g-e' has to be close together, bunched up or contemplated to lay very close. As a matter of fact, fringes are also just as dramatic when the space 'in between' each length of beaded length,
is equally considered.


This sample of fringing I completed, on a latest looming, shows the dramatic effect that can be acquired by considering using larger beads and spacing them further apart. These white Swarovski Pearls range in size of 4mm to 10mm. I spaced each line of beads the distance apart to consider how the largest beads, at the bottom, will be effected. They do not touch, yet are so close.

This design of fringing reminds me of a wonderful Bullion Fringe surrounding a 1920's upholstered over stuffed chair or even thick Gimp and Braiding. Layers of beads, attached at the loomed edge, can really make a simple pattern become a piece of loomed art.

I passed beads across the edge four times to create this fringe. Each pass added a layer of beading to create the build.