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.

Fringed Edge, Loom Woven On Separate Layers

Still in process of finishing some ideas for the Christmas Tree Cuff, shown further down.

Because the tree extensions, in the pattern, hang over the edge of the weaving, I am not able to create a fringe to fall 'below' the tree, as well as on either side. Therefore, I decided to weave a thin strip, three beads wide, fringe it, then attach this to the back of the Christmas Tree Cuff. This way, the fringes will hang completely across the length of the finished cuff.


Looking at it, now that it is cut from the loom, I see possibilities of weaving something like this as a cuff, alone! I would, however, add an edging to the upper edge. Just a simple edging, but something to close the bead openings, as I do with all of my creations.

This feels wonderful wrapped around my wrist. I'll have to revisit this idea again, later!

Weaving with Large and Small Beads

Recently, some one emailed me a note asking if I am familiar with this style of bead weaving, 'large and small' beads on the same warp set up.



I have made many like this. The email made me decide to share this technique, as it can lead to many other design ideas!

The loom is warped to handle the wide width of the beads in the center, weaving across the top first to hold the cuff width, then only weave down one side.

Notice how the loom is warped. Many warps are wider apart then how they would be warpped if you were weaving small seed beads, one in between two warps. These warp widths are warped to handle 'more than one seed bead across' or 'in between two warps', even 'one large bead in between the same warps'.

Keeping the warp width bead count in mind, weave the first row, completely across the entire width of the cuff, to hold the spaces open for more weaving downwards.


The picture above depicts me weaving two seed bead in between two warps and one seed bead in the row, along the outside edge. The width of the warps in the center, not yet woven, were sized far enough apart to hand three seed beads across or one large bead in between two warps.

When I got to the desired length, I also wove across the base.


Then I started the other side, the same way, weaving just up the edges. Notice that I also used two beads per warps, giving a different look to the woven beads. No one says we have to weave just one bead per warp pair!!!


When both sides were done, I began to fill the center, as shown below. I ran the weft through two beads, not the entire row, to weave the larger, (4mm) size beads down the center. This allows more room inside the outer beads for me to finalize, with an edging.


The 4mm were equal to three of the 11/0. Again, just a bit of calculation, but not much. Since many options can be available to create a similar weaving, decide how many seed beads equal the large size bead width you are also weaving, before warping the loom.

Once the entire length of this cuff was woven, in this manner, I added the edging. I am not sharing this portion, for finishing the cuff, in this Blog post. You can use options I have shared in other posts, here in this Blog.

Usually I suggest warping the loom with a matching thread color, to the predominant bead color you are weaving. However, to make a creative statement, I used a black thread this time. Because the warps are not running between every single seed bead, the dark warp thread give off a wide stripe feeling. As a matter of fact, I am going to use some lime green or royal blue (with light color beads) to create another cuff using a loud color warp thread.

White weft threads are also a stable suggestion I give, but because you are turning the weft through rows of beads already woven, multiple times, it would be better to continue the weft in the same color you warped. Don't forget to consider how the weft becomes the 'bead color boss', as I shared in another Blog post! This knowledge may also help you decide the bead finishes you choose. Here I opted for 'opaque' bead finishes, to handle the black weft thread and not change the color of my beads.

Adding Hand Woven Accents!

I have completed the entire base, of this Christmas Tree Cuff. Here you can see I added three separate sections, creating the entire flow of the branches, along the bottom. This was not only the best way to complete this design, for the look of tree branches, but thinking further ahead...how the cuff will wrap around my wrist while being worn. Completing the design this way, the branches will sweep upwards on the ends, keeping the three front and center as opposed to totally wrapping around my wrist. I'll point this fact out again, when I share pictures of the completed cuff.



I started with the left lower portion, keeping the inside beaded section attached to the loom.


This addition what half hand woven and the rest completed directly on the edge of the looming. The tree will now have movement, as I mentioned in the first paragraph, in this post.



Let me share the stages that went into creating these beaded additions.

First, I hand wove a portion of the tree, based on a pattern I created, printing it in a loom and a brick stitch pattern. Working with both patterns, I drew a pencil around the sections I wanted to add as a 3D effect.



There is a long tail, of thread, at both ends of the off loom beading. One end is to attach the finished piece and the other will be used to continue the beading, along the loomed edge.



Once the beaded section was completed by hand, as far as I wanted it to hang over the loomed pattern, I turned the work to continue with my hand weaving. Once I finished the last bead, of the separate bead section, the loomed edge was used as the 'pick up thread' so I could continue with the penciled pattern. This also is the stage that it will now be attached to the looming.



When I reached the end of my pattern, for this particular section, I turned to run the weaving in the opposite direction. Exactly as is completed for any type of hand weaving.



I continue back and forth till my pattern is complete.



Each of the thread tails are then used to secure the top and portions of these beaded additions, to the looming.



The first picture, shown in this Blog Post, is sharing how I included three separate sections for the base of this tree. The center portion was a bit different, only in the fact I hand wove two sections, (left and right) before starting my attachment to the loomed edge.

I am working on each level of this tree, so it will be completely covered with layers of branches.