My Studio and and the New Video Camera

Transferring all my PC stuff to my iMac.  I am now 100% iMac run (well except for that tiny bit of my hard drive devoted to windows so I can run my PC Quickbooks).  In the process, I ran into a bunch of photos.  This is me in my studio.  A couple of years old, so I should probably break down and take a new one.  Except that it's been raining and raining and I am just not inspired to take pictures.  

Great news.  I also broke down and bought a new video camera.  My old one requires tape and a fire wire which my iMac refuses.  The new camera cost a fraction of what that old one cost so I thought it was time to enter the world of tiny digital video cameras with memory cards.

Why did I want to buy this camera?  Because we have decided that we need to make a bunch of U-tube videos and post them to this site.  For example, that ipod case I am making is currently stalled so I can make a video of my weaving it.  We tried to use the camera on the iMac and although it was taking great pictures the angle was awful.

Camera should arrive Wednesday and we will get to work on this new goal.

Oh, have you noticed that the site has undergone a transformation?  The front "cover" was a lot of fun to do.  It will change regularly.  The content pages have also changed to be very simple and straight forward.  The changing content will mostly happen in this blog and with the U-tube videos.  

Check back often.

Also, email me with your questions:  mirrixlooms@comast.net.   I will use them as inspiration for videos.  

So between the blog and the videos, we should be getting a lot of great information out to you. I am very excited.

Two nights and one day in Vermont

We got two days off (well, really one and a half).  We spent two nights in Stowe Vermont.  Nice camp ground, sweet little shelter, no bugs.  This is all good.  And I had my beadwork with me.  So I said to Rick (husband, on right) let's not hike Mansfield because something a little smaller would be better.  Okay, he says. So, we hiked Spruce Mountain instead.  Five and a half hours later we were done.  I mean done.  Mansfield would have taken five hours.  It's steeper but a lot shorter.  But I should know my husband by now.  I should know that there is no such thing as a short hike.  Oh, and then he wanted to take a little paddle in the canoe (that would have been an hour long paddle full speed). Gotta leave some wake behind. But the sky had the good sense to fall in rain drops, so we nixed the canoe moment and headed home.  I did make an off-loom piece which I will post if I get the inspiration.  I left mr Mirrix home.  Sometimes you just have to leave even your Mirrix behind.

New Bead Patterns

This donkey lives on an island in Greece. My daughter photographed him and I turned him into a bead pattern. It is now available in the store along with another new pattern, Venice.
Enjoy!

Beaded Purse

Back to weaving something big on the Mirrix

For a variety of reasons, including the fact that I have not woven something large with beads on the Mirrix for quite some time, yesterday I decided to weave our "ipod" kit. I love this piece. I've woven two already, but gave them both away. I decided that my blackberry needs a new, beautiful house (this purse fits most cellphnes, ipods, you name it). Also, I needed to warp the loom for a larger piece, remind myself that I love this loom and why so I can communicate this information to my customers. So I am going to take you on this journey, which had some snags in the beginning, which I will share. In fact, I will share all the good and all the bad (mostly it will be good).

This is the pattern. The kit itself comes with a multiple page version of this pattern. The piece itself is ten inches long and about three inches wide. It gets folded to have a flap. A rope made from rayon is included with kit but you can also bead your own strap since there are extra beads added for this purpose.


I warped the loom. I am good at this having had a bit of practice! Put the heddles on with no problem. Put in the first row of beads, which was really, really easy because I was using the bottom spring kit. Started using the shedding device. Wove about five rows. Everything was working great and I was patting myself on the back for not having made an error attaching the heddles. Went over to a friend's house for dinner. Returned for some more beading fun. And then I realized that I had forgotten to put heddles on one set of warps.


Spent the next twenty minutes trying to fix this problem. Fortunately, the mistake was only about eight warps in. Still, I had to unweave what I had woven, remove all heddles in the way to get on new ones, replace all those heddles. After that, I stopped for the evening because the light was lousy and I was in one heck of an annoyed mood.


But this is good because I was feeling exactly what one of our customers feel when things don't just go swimmingly well. When everything is set up right, it does go swimmingly well and we forget all our troubles in bead land. But when we make a mistake and have to fix it suddenly all those thin threads seem like the enemy and the loom could easily be converted into a weapon or a football.


Woke up this morning with a new attitude and before I even had my morning espresso I wove a few rows. No mistakes in heddle placement. Everything was right in bead weaving land. A not so great close up below but you can see the progress. Those rows took maybe ten minutes to weave and they just fell in place. What I love about the shedding device when weaving wider pieces is there is really only one mistake to make: forgetting to rotate the shedding device. You can tell you've done that when you get some funky side warps. They aren't caught by weft thread. You see it pretty quickly. I did that once this morning but it was the last row I was weaving so it took only a moment to fix. The great thing is that you don't have to remove beads to fix it. Just pull them back through the shed (that's the space between the raised and lower threads). And even though when on the loom it looks like there are slight gaps between the rows, once removed from the loom the warp will shrink back to size and pull everything in nicely. There will be no gaps.

I am going to keep taking photos and keep you updated on my progress with this piece. Will take photos of every aspect including finishing (my least favorite part).

My Tapestries

Walking around the house and taking pictures of some of the tapestries/beadwork I have hanging on the walls.

These were part of a series called "Progression." Until recently, they lived in different places. I suddenly decided they needed to live above the fireplace. The ceiling above these tapestries is 22 feet high (I did not build this stupid house . . . who the heck needs a ceiling that peaks at 22 feet?) so they do fill in space that needs to be filled. The pieces themselves are approximately a foot and a half wide and four and a half feet long.

This is called "Window Rock." Based on a photo of the Window Rock in Arizona that I took years ago. I was still playing with the concept of using geometrical shapes to create a picture.

To the right we have a nameless tapestry, or at least I don't remember its name. In hangs in the kitchen above a built-in desk. It brings a little color to a dark spot.

This is a beaded tapestry sewn to a wool tapestry attached to silk stretched on a wooden frame. It's about fire.

Beaded bracelet instructions: Square bead checkerboard bracelet kit

You will be able to but the kit for this bracelet in a day or two. I've made all the kits, just need to get it into our shopping cart. But meanwhile, I am uploading the pattern to this blog for those of you who would like to put together your own kit.


Instructions for Making a Checkerboard Square Bead Bracelet using the Mirrix Loom

Materials Included for making one bracelet:
Matte Patina Iris
Matte Metallic Khaki Iris
Metallic Gold Iris
Two swarovski pearlized crystals
Six grams of Japanese seed beads: Matte Metallic Kahaki Iris
One bobbin of C-lon beading thread
Hand-dyed silk yarn for finishing

Necessary tools not included in the kit:

A Mirrix Loom with or without a shedding device
A piece of cloth for holding beads; a beading needle, a blunt edge needle

Warping your Mirrix Loom:

Warp Coil size: 18 dents (a 14 or 16 dent coil will also work)
Number of warps: 13
Number of rows for 6 ¾ inch bracelet: 99

You can use any of the Mirrix Looms to create this lovely bracelet. This piece can be woven with or without the shedding device. It’s your choice. Try Both!

These instructions are for a bracelet 6 ¼ inches in diameter when on your wrist. Increase or decrease by three rows to add or subtract a quarter inch from the size of your bracelet. Make sure that there are sixrows after the button hole.

You will want to reduce your loom’s height to minimize the amount of warp you will use. If you have a larger Mirrix Loom, this can be accomplished by using the extra warping bar. Use the 18 dent coil for this project if possible. The 14 or 16 dent coils will also be adequate. You will need to have 13 warp threads.

We have included a bead pattern to demonstrate the placement of colors. This pattern does not reflect the actual colors included in this kit. Do follow the placement of color in the pattern.

To Begin Weaving:

Place three piles of the different colored cylinder beads on a cloth in front of your loom.

Cut a length of C-lon thread about a yard long. Tie the end of this thread to the bottom of the left threaded rod on your loom using a slip knot so that you can easily release it and weave it back into your piece later. Beginning with the first row, pick up three blue/green beads, three gold beads, three blue/green beads and three gold beads. Weave these beads. Repeat this pattern for two more rows. The next row will comprise three green beads, three gold beads, three green beads and three gold beads. Repeat for two rows. The next row will comprise three gold beads, three blue/green beads, three gold beads, three blue/green beads. Continue this pattern of for 93 rows for a 6 ¾ inch bracelet. As I mentioned before, add or subtract three bead rows to add or subtract a quarter of an inch to your bracelet. Some adjustment can be accomplished by the placement of your peyote button.


For the next section, keep the new color and replace the old color for nine rows. At row 94, you will need to create a button hole. Continue weaving with your current thread, but only go to column six (please see white line in enclosed pattern). Weave this section of only six columns for six rows. Start a new thread to weave the five columns on the other side of the bracelet. Weave that side for six rows. End one of the threads and continue weaving a straight row of checkerboard for six rows.

Next you need to weave in a header and a footer with the silk thread. Cut the thread in half. Thread a blunt nose tapestry needle. You will be weaving a half inch of this silk on either end of the bracelet. Using the needle, go under and over every other thread (or pairs of threads, if you have used the shedding device), then reverse direction and go under the threads you went over and over the threads you went under. After you have woven a half inch, sew both ends of the silk thread into the woven part so it does not ravel. When you’ve finished weaving your header and footer, loosen the tension on your loom and slip out the warping bar. Lay your piece flat and trim the ends so that you have at least four inches left to work with. Tie overhand knots with warp pairs. When you’ve tied all the knots, trim the warp as close as you can without allowing the knots to be undone. Fold the header (or footer) at the seam where the header and beads meet. Turn the knots under so that they are buried. Carefully sew this header down so that you knots are buried and it looks neat. Do the same with the footer. This will be the back of your bracelet. You want to make this hem as sturdy and neat as possible. Make sure that you avoid covering the button hole.

In order to add a picot edge to the sides of the bracelet, string a workable length of C-lon (a yard) and sew it through the beads at one end of the bracelet in order to firmly attach it. You will pass your needle through the last bead at the edge of the bracelet, pick up three 11/0 seed beads and then pass back through the next edge bead. Pass your needle through the next bead so that you are once again working on the edge of the bracelet. String three more seed bead and pass back through next bead. Continue this way until you have come to the end of the bracelet. If you have left over C-lon, work your way back to the other side of the bracelet and repeat this procedure until you’ve reached the far end. If you have only a short length of C-lon, string a new piece and firmly attach to bracelet. This edging is very attractive as well as reinforcing your bracelet and disguising the warp threads on the side of the bracelet.

The “button” will be created using peyote stitch:

Using cylinder bead color of your choice to make a flat peyote piece that you will sew into a cylinder. Firmly attach the pearls to either end of the tube.

String ten 11/0 seed beads. Make the piece 8 rows wide. Zip the first and last rows together to form a tube. Sew the tail back into the bead work. Use the left over thread to sew to the sixth bead in one of the rows. You will be sewing this button onto the bracelet at a point that creates the best fit for you. String up three 11/0 seed beads, sew onto bracelet, thread three cylinder beads, sew back through button.

Wear and enjoy!

Or, if this is a gift: put it in the included gift bag and give it away!

New Checkerboard Square Bead Bracelet

It's almost eleven p.m. and I've finally finished and perfected the latest kit. Wow. This bracelet just feels so good on my wrist. I love it. I've been having images of it floating through my head for weeks now. Finally decided what beads to buy. And it all worked. Nice to have that happen. I love the way these tiny (1.8 mm by 1.8 mm) square beads weave. They line up beautifully. And once I took the piece off the loom it was totally flat and kind of snake like.
I need natural sunlight to photograph this piece and I also need to write the intructions, make a paper pattern. I have packaged all the beads for the first two kits. It comes in a lovely little fabric bag. The price is $30. Will make one bracelet with a few beads left over.
Ah, but I have Session tomorrow (that second non-paying job as a State Rep. I have) all day and have to testify in front of the Senate the next day (which means I have to write my speech tomorrow night) so I guess I won't be finishing this project until Friday or Saturday. Meanwhile, I can just play it in my head.
Why the photo to the right? Because this is the first blog entry without a photo so I thought I would throw in the one from Mother's Day with my kids.

You'll just have to wait to see the bracelet.

www.mirrixbeadwork.com

The Mirrix Studio website is finally up and running.  Still have some jewelry to upload, but that will always be the case.  So check it out:  www.mirrixbeadwork.com

Thanks for looking!

New Beaded Bracelet Kit

I have been fascinated lately with those fairly new 1.8 x 1.8 mm Cube Beads. I kept returning to the Caravan Bead site to look at the pictures of these beads and trying to imagine what it would be like to weave with them and how they would differ from Delicas. I have always loved square beads. I was very happy when the size 3 x 3 mm cube bead was created because the original 4 x 4 mm was just a little too big for my liking. But these little guys seem so perfect I just couldn't resist them.

I had this idea that I could use the basic idea of the checkerboard bracelet and translate it into the tiny cube beads. I finally ordered three bags of beads the other day with the intention of creating a new bracelet kit. I ordered, a is my way, the most expensive beads including: Matte Met Khaki Iris, Matte Met Blue Green Iris and Met Gold Iris. The combination is surprising. Very calm, delicate. I love weaving these beads. They line up beautifully and reflect light evenly. It's a grey day and my photo really does not at all do the colors justice.

I will be done with this bracelet soon and then will write the instructions for the kit, package the kit and upload it to the Mirrix Store. The kit will contain the three colors of tiny cube beads and c-lon thread to create one bracelet . It will cost $30. Or if you want to do it on your own, just follow the general instructions for weaving the Checkerboard bracelet (in this blog) and buy your own 1.8 x 1.8 cube beads.

Tapestry Warp

I am often asked what kind of warp one should use for tapestry. I will try to provide a fairly broad answer to this question with the beginner tapestry weaver in mind. The sett for the yarns I will be recommending can range from 4 epi to 12 epi. I am very ignorant when it comes to warp used for small format tapestry, so you are on your own there.

Warp Options:

Inexpensive cotton carpet warp

Seine Twine

Linen

Wool

When I began weaving tapestry I used Maysville cotton carpet warp. It's cheap and comes in a variety of colors. When I became more serious about weaving tapestry, I gave up the cheap product and replaced it was the other three options on the above list. It finally struck me that the integrity of my tapestry would have a direct corollary to the quality of the warp. I also realized that since tapestry is a very hands-on technique and you are constantly rubbing your hands against the warp, the nicer the warp, the nicer the experience. That being said, if you don't want to initially invest a lot in your materials, buy some Maysville cotton carpet warp. Search the web. It's available in a variety of places.

Seine Twine is the best of cotton warps. It was originally used for making fishing nets. It comes in two different weights: 12/6 (which is 2 ply) and 12/9 (which is 3 ply). I think you are better off just sticking with the 12/6 since it is so strong you really won't have much need for the three ply, thicker version. Seine Twine, like any cotton, has some elasticity. Therefore, unlike linen, minor inconsistencies in warp tension (ie., you answered the phone in the middle of warping your Mirrix Loom and messed up on the tension a little bit when you returned to warping) will not be as readily noticed.

Linen. Ah Linen! I would recommend Fine Irish Linen in 8/2 Wetspun Tow Yarn. Linen has almost no elasticity. It is, in my humble opinion, almost impossible to warp most tapestry looms with it since most tapestry looms require that you tie each individual warp. Getting even tension is, well, nearly impossible. Getting even tension with linen on a Mirrix is really easy because it's a continuous warp. Just don't answer the telephone in the middle of warping. Any inconsistency will be noticed. So why use linen? It is beautiful and rich. It provides a certain body to your tapestry not possible with any other warp. You can always tell when a tapestry has been woven on a linen warp. It just has a certain richness to it. That being said, it is harder to weave on a linen warp than on a cotton or wool warp because it is not elastic. It won't move out of the way when you insert your weft. Your fingers might not be very happy after a long day of weaving on linen. But try it at least once. Maybe I should consider selling it from this site?

Wool warp is my favorite. It is quite elastic (more than cotton) but more importantly, since I mainly use wool weft, I find using a wool warp makes more sense. Apparently, the Navajos used wool warp for their rugs because when the wool warp and wool weft rub against each other it provides less wear on the rug than if the warp were cotton. Wool on wool is a good thing. I like it because I find the wool warp and weft bond together much more than cotton or linen warp and wool weft. Keep in mind that wool is covered with scales (which when felted tangle up together making it impossible to untangle) and those scales like to hug each other. So the wool weft hugs the wool warp and I believe creates a more stable tapestry. The weft will not slide down the wool warp as much as if the warp were linen or cotton. We do sell the wool weft on this site and I highly recommend it both for beginner and advanced weavers especially if you are using wool weft. Look for a future blog on what to use for weft.

Looking Back

Looking Back
I haven't woven (or should I say, finished) a tapestry in a very long time. Inspired by a customer who just ordered the 38 inch weave to embark on tapestry (and bead weaving) after having in her past woven fabric, I decided I needed to look at some of my past tapestry images. So I picked ones that are nolonger with me. You don't think you are going to miss these pieces when you sell them. You think: wow someone gave me money for that and it's going to hang on their wall. Isn't that great! But I miss them. The one to the right is called "Fragments. It was woven on a linen warp which was wonderful. The piece came off so rich and stiff and complete. loom it was like drinking a really expensive wine after only drinking cheap stuff for years. Tapestry weaving became magical and not nearly as difficult (this experience must have greatly contributed to creating the Mirrix so that others would have that great tapestry weaving experience without having to buy a huge and expensive floor loom).

These pieces are not shown in order of their creation. This piece was also not woven on the Mirirx. It lives in a home in Wisconsin. Sold from a show I did there. Interestingly enough, the folks who bought it had me turn it sideways for them to hang (I had to change the bar on the back that I use to hang my tapestries . . . something for a future discussion). I wove a series of tapestries in this style. The diamond pattern was fun to weave and allowed for some surprising progressions.

One of my first tapestries. It reminds me of scribbling. I wove a few others in this style. I believe this one was the best attempt. Again, it doesn't live with me anymore. It's a landscape. See that little sun uptop?

Our pond in Wisconsin (where I lived for four years and where I founded Mirrix. This was done on a Mirrix Loom. I gave this to my loom company partner at the time right before we headed back to New Hampshire to live. He is no longer my loom company partner but I suspect he still owns this tapestry.

Cape Bretton to the right. I based this on a photo I had taken on a trip to Cape Bretton. I wanted to symbolize images. Wanted to see if it was possible. Apparently, it is.

I have other images I will share at a later date.

Color Impressions

Color Impressions (originally published in Spin-Off Magazine)

I began weaving tapestry with commercially dyed and spun yarn. In order to make the yarns ”sing” I combined various weights and types of yarns together using the method known to tapestry weavers as weft blending. Eventually, I learned how to dye these yarns, giving me even more control over the final product. Still, a certain inner glow was missing from my tapestries.

I wasn’t able to define what was absent until a student showed up to my class with a tapestry woven from her own color-blended, handspun yarns. I was astounded by the muted, watercolor-like glow that emanated from her first tapestry. I had always said I would never learn to spin. In that moment I knew the choice was not mine to make.

The next day I was the owner of a spinning wheel and a couple of pounds of Merino roving from a friend’s sheep. In the first week I learned two things: how to spin a yarn that was acceptable and why all fleeces are not the same. I knew I wasn’t spinning the right fleece for tapestry weaving but I had no idea what type of fleece was right. I asked a lot of questions before I understood which fleeces are appropriate for tapestry, how those fleeces should be prepared, and how to blend the dyed fibers for spinning. Since becoming a bonafied spinner I have discovered that the journey from fleece to yarn is as integral to the tapestries as the weaving itself.

I have decided that certain long wools work best for my tapestries. I prefer Cotswold, but also enjoy Wendslydale and Lincoln. I usually blend these wools with mohair and sometimes little bits of Angelina fiber, which is a totally synthetic fiber that comes in a variety of colors and reflects light in a great imitation of nature. I both comb and drum card my fiber, depending on how well I want to blend the colors since there is a minimum of two colors of fleece in every yarn I spin. I use combs when I want each fiber color to be equally blended throughout the yarn creating a more uniform color appearance and the illusion of a solid color. The drum carder is useful when one wants a more uneven distribution of color and a more variegated looking yarn.

The best method for becoming comfortable with color blending is to practice with small amounts of colored fleece just using hand combs or cards or even you fingers. Start with closely related colors and then throw in a color from the other side of the color wheel. Because the fiber colors do not bleed together like paint, your chances of coming out with mud are non-existent. Gradually add colors, being mindful simply of whether or not the results look good. You can often correct a bad color choice by adding a neutralizing color from the other side of the color wheel. Break out of your familiar color traps by combining three colors that you think will look hideous together. You will find that often the results are better than anything you could have planned. The goal is to experiment with tiny quantities of fiber until you have created a bunch of sample blends. Spin it all up and see what worked and what did not. The final test is weaving this yarn because even an apparently ugly yarn can work beautifully in small quantities in a tapestry. The gift is that as a spinner you can mix your own paints, exerting complete control over the colors in your weaving.

Tricks are great for becoming comfortable working with color, but learning how to see the colors that exist all around us is imperative. Nature is the single best source for this knowledge. Not only does nature provide a perfect assortment of color combinations, but she also showers these colors with an ever changing light show. Matisse used to paint the same scene again and again as the light changed. The colors in each of the paintings from a series are radically different from one another. The experiment is easy to do. Find a patch of nature that appeals to you and watch it for an extended period of time and at different times. Randomly choose to really look at color combinations in nature. Why does that bright red flower look great against the kelly green spring grass? I was always told that yellow greens and blue greens don’t go well together and yet nature is a riot of such green combinations.

I recently received feedback from a student during the last class of a tapestry and bead weaving workshop. She had just returned from a trip to the Bahamas. She was determined to look at the colors of nature while on this trip to inspire the final project for the class. She choose the moment of sunset to watch the colors change above and across the water. She watched it intently every day for a week. When she showed me her final weaving I was stunned. The little flecks of orange and red and yellow and green exploding in a literal sea of blue shading into a lighter blue brought me right to that beach at sunset. There was no sun in her piece. There was just the magic of color that the sun shakes off into the sky and water right before it leaves. It’s a magic all of us are capable of both seeing and recreating.

No Warps to Weave in Bracelet

The beads were attached to the top bar by threading the required number of beads, and then wrapping around that thread and the bar in between each bead so that the strung beads are attached to the top warp bar. Do this for the bottom warpar. Thread warp through a top bead, a bottom bead, top bead, etc. until you have the required number of warps. Begin weaving just above first row of beads on bottom warp bar.

This is the finished piece. In order to remove it, jst cut the thread that is wrapped around the two warp bars. Your will hve two warp ends to weave back in. Notice that you have to place the two warp bars exactly the distance you want the length of your piece to be.

Bead Looms

I was just playing around here and at other bead sites (the guests are all gone, the kitchen floor scrubbed . . . on hands and knees and boy is that wooden floor a whole lot of shades lighter now that I've removed the ground-in dirt!, the dreaded tax stuff sitting in a threatening pile, the sun bright and waiting for me to take my daily walk to make sure the mountain is still standing properly, etc.) looking at looms. It was mentioned on the Bead Creator blog that there are "lots and lots of manufactured looms out there", which is indeed true, so I wanted to get a sense for what the looms are, what makes each one different, pricing of looms, etc. What I found: there is a standard model for many bead looms and most are made of wood of varying degrees of strength, beauty, value and a few are made of light metal like the ones most of us had when we were kids. Those looms: 1) allow you to put on one plane of warp or have roller beams so that you can advance the warp; 2) have the warp attached at either end to a single nail or more; 3) provide a spring at either end through which the warp is spread out evenly. Additional features may include: 1) the ability to adjust the size of the loom to accommodate different length weavings; 2) a stand as part of the loom or an additional stand to put the loom in an upright position. And then there are the plastic looms which are more like forms about which you can wrap your warp. There are also "heddle looms" but I can't find any that still exist. These operate like actual weaving cloth weaving looms and were originally used by Native Americans.And then there is the Mirrix Loom (okay, so you knew I was going land at exactly this spot): The Mirrix Loom is NOT a bead loom (well, it wasn't at first but it is now). It is a tapestry loom. Its closest relative would be the "heddle looms". It functions in a similar, but not identical, fashion. (Let me digress slightly here. I want to mention that all those cool beaded purses from the 30s and 40s were in fact made on regular cloth weaving looms. If you look at t hose purses closely you will see a line of thread between every line of beads. That provided stability because two beads lay between every warp thread. The Mirrix was designed to avoid the two bead/one warp/two bead method so that there could be a bead/warp/bead/warp hence eliminating the need for that extra thread between rows of beads.) The only difference between weaving tapestry on a Mirrix and weaving beads is that when you weave beads you put two warps in every dent (the space in the spring) so that when you raise one set of those threads in order to literally weave your beads (Place them between the raised and lowered sets of warps) you end up with a warp/bead/warp/bead, etc. Otherwise, if you just had one warp thread in each dent, you would end up with a warp/bead/bead/warp. Hard to visualize unless you are sitting in front of a Mirrix. So, having designed this lovely tapestry loom to suit all MY tapestry needs (and that is exactly why I invented the Mirrix, not originally to sell it) and finally gone into business with it, it was pointed out to me by some bead folks, namely Ms. Jane from Jane's Fiber and Beads, that this would make a fabulous bead loom. It would be overkill, of course, because the requirements of tapestry (strength of loom) far out way the requirements of bead weaving. But overkill is good because overkill means the equipment will not fail you and will last forever. (Note here that wooden looms of lower quality wood or particle board will degrade over time but metal will most likely not.) I learned how to weave beads. I didn't particularly want to, mind you. I was perfectly happy with fiber and dyeing and spinning and all that very cool stuff. Who needed beads? Plus, I couldn't dye them and I didn't think there could possibly be enough colors to suit my needs. Wrong, but who knew that then.We discovered that you can simply use the Mirrix to weave beads in the standard way: putting a row of beads on thread and placing those beads behind and in between the warps that are on the loom and then sewing through the tops of the beads to attach them to the warp OR you could use the shedding device and actually weave the beads.So what makes the Mirrix different from other looms: 1) it's amazingly strong and will stand up to any beading moment you want to throw at it; 2) it's very adjustable and accommodates two planes of warp (versus looms that only allow you to weave on the front or looms with roller beams which aren't so great because as you release and roll up the warp you often mess up the tension); 3) it is vertical ; 4) it provides two methods for weaving beads (except for the two smallest ones, which do not include the shedding device); 5) it does not use the nail method for warping which in fact I find very difficult to accomplish; rather it uses a continuous warp which provides consistent tension; 6) it has available lots of spring options for use with any size bead; 7) it's made of some really serious metal.The Mirrix Loom is a serious bead (or tapestry) loom which is nothing like the other many, many bead looms out there. But it also can be for a beginner. It's just a great loom. And since I am its Mom, I think I am bragging! HAVE A GREAT NEW YEAR! Claudia

Some Finishing Techniques

Finished bracelet with button closure.

Today, I was talking to one of our recent Mirrix customers about finishing a bracelet. She took notes, but was afraid they might not make a lot of sense at a later date. I promised her I would write a blog detailing how to finish the warp ends of a bracelet and how to create a button closure that will allow the ends of the bracelet to overlap around your wrist and not leave space between the two ends. I am stealing these directions directly from The Checkerboard Bracelet kit.

Before removing your bracelet you need to weave in a header and a footer with thread. THis thread can be the same thread you used for the warp. I prefer to use a slightly heavier silk thread (which is included in the Checkerboard bracelet kit). Cut a length of thread about a yard long. Thread a blunt nose tapestry needle. You will be weaving a half inch of this thread on either end of the bracelet. Using the needle, go under and over every other thread (or pairs of threads, if you have used the shedding device), then reverse direction and go under the threads you went over and over the threads you went under. After you have woven a half inch, sew both ends of the silk thread into the woven part so it does not ravel. When you’ve finished weaving your header and footer, loosen the tension on your loom and slip out the warping bar. Lay your piece flat and trim the ends so that you have at least four inches left to work with. Tie overhand knots with warp pairs. When you’ve tied all the knots, trim the warp as close as you can without allowing the knots to be undone. Fold the header (or footer) at the seam where the header and beads meet. Turn the knots under so that they are buried. Carefully sew this header down so that you knots are buried and it looks neat. Do the same with the footer. This will be the back of your bracelet. You want to make this hem as sturdy and neat as possible. Make sure that you avoid covering the button hole.

Ialso like to add a picot edge to the sides of the bracelet. In order to do this, string a workable length of warp thread (a yard) and sew it through the beads at one end of the bracelet in order to firmly attach it. You will pass your needle through the last bead at the edge of the bracelet, pick up three seed beads and then pass back through the next edge bead. Pass your needle through the next bead so that you are once again working on the edge of the bracelet. String three more seed bead and pass back through next bead. Continue this way until you have come to the end of the bracelet. If you have left over thread, work your way back to the other side of the bracelet and repeat this procedure until you’ve reached the far end. If you have only a short length of warp thread, string a new piece and firmly attach to bracelet. This edging is very attractive as well as reinforcing your bracelet and disguising the warp threads on the side of the bracelet.

Making a Button Hole and a Button

At about row 102, you will need to create a button hole. Continue weaving with your current thread, but only go to the middle of the piece. Weave this half section for eight rows. Start a new thread to weave the columns on the other side of the bracelet. Weave that side for eight rows. End one of the threads and continue weaving a straight row of beads for four or five rows. Weave two rows of a solid color.

The “button” will be created using peyote stitch:

Using cylinder bead color of your choice to make a flat peyote piece that you will sew into a cylinder.

String 12 cylinder beads. Make the piece 10 rows wide. Zip the first and last rows together to form a tube. Sew the tail back into the bead work. Use the left over thread to sew to the sixth bead in one of the rows. You will be sewing this button onto the bracelet at a point that creates the best fit for you. String up three cylinder beads, sew onto bracelet, thread three cylinder beads, sew back through button.

This bracelet will hug your wrist and feel great.

Checkerboard Bracelet

This was so much fun to weave. It can be done in a variety of colors, but the idea is that you balance glossy and matt finishes and shade new square colors progressively. I used cylinder beads. The kit is now available and includes everything you need to make two of these bracelets. Keep one and give one away.

The Day After Thanksgiving

The day after Thanksgiving . . . cold and overcast and feeling like snow is on its way. . . ah, it is here, light dusting on the pasture and making the woods around it look kind of white. I imagine there are people trying to act like this is just another day after Thanksgiving Day, but I find that hard to believe. To me it feels totally different, not necessarily a bad thing. It feels like people are really going to have to think carefully about how and why they spend their money. Since Americans have been on a spending splurg for way too long, buying stuff that I am not sure they needed, and buying lots of stuff wrapped in plastic, and two of everything, it seems time for us to settle down into a different way of being. As we carefully evaluate what we buy and why we buy it, I hope we evolve into a culture that remembers how to conserve, reuse and fix. To that end, I hope we never stop creating, never stop making things. Seems those two concepts are very similiar: making and fixing, creating and preserving.
Those of us who are "makers of things" have a whole lot in common with one another. We see the object in a pile of beads or a ball of yarn or a chunk of stone. We see past and through our materials to the spirit that dwells within. It's a lovely way of being.
Those of you who know me, know that I live a second life as a politician. I am serving my third term as State Representative. Have no fear though, I always leave home armed with not just my Blackberry, but also my pouch full of beading, knitting and crocheting supplies. The contents of my briefcase are no less than fascinating: a file folder full of legislation, a State House calendar so I know what the heck is going on for the week at the State House, a couple of pouches full of beads and yarn and yes, sometimes even the smallest Mirrix Loom. Sure, I throw in a pen or two, sometimes my laptop, a lipstick!, a notebook, the absolutely required Blackberry, and some tissues. It's a pretty packed briefcase (actually, it's not a briefcase at all . . . it's a lovely big tote bag.) My laptop lives in a handwoven tapestry that I made into a laptop house. It used to hang on the wall, but I needed something pretty a different to carry her in.
While "in Session" I make things. It's the only way I can listen. Other folks take notes (which they probably never read but the act of taking notes enables them to listen), secretly read newspapers or books or check their email, text message folks, play games on their phones (I am not kidding you!), anything to not fall asleep or start screaming at the person at the podium who could have wrapped up his or her speech in a tenth of the time but loves the sound of her/his own voice. So I make jewelry and I knit and I crochet and I even make baskets. It allows me to listen, to be patient (even though people always say: how do you have the patience to do that? . . . when in reality I don't have the patience to not do that!).
So on this day of our first snow, on this day after Thanksgiving, on this day when it seems the world is changing even in ways that scare us, in ways that change us (for the better, I hope), in ways that will make us think a little more and maybe consume a little less, let us be thankful that we are given this chance to grow.
One last note: this week the first of our two geothermal heat pumps was hooked up. The other one will be hooked up next week. We will never buy oil again. Our heat now comes right from the ground. I am hoping others will take the plunge and replace their oil driven machines with machines that take their power from the sun or the ground or the wind or the water. It doesn't just make sense. It is absolutely necessary because even if oil is suddenly cheap today it is destroying our planet both environmentally and politically. We should have done this in the 70s but we all fell asleep suddenly. We cannot do that again.
Now for a walk on my mountain on this day, the day after Thanksgiving.


.

Free Pattern with $150 purchase or more

This little offer ends September 31. I am not putting this notice anywhere but here. In order to receive your free pattern, email me at: mirrixlooms@comcast.net and please provide your email address and the pattern you want and I will email it to you directly. Please do not include pattern with your order because Google Checkout will charge you for it and this is supposed to be FREE.

Claudia

Bead weaving with a Cartoon

Although computers and graph paper are great tools for creating designs for bead weaving, there are other options. Designing an image to weave on a bead loom is not as daunting as it seems. If you look around your home, you will find the tools you need to create an inspired and unique design. Crayons, photographs, pastels for example, can hold the key to a great design. Any full-sized picture--tapestry weavers call such pictures "cartoons"--can be your muse.

This advice was gained through experience. As a tapestry weaver who wanted to experiment with bead weaving, I was skeptical whether beads could convey a sense of color and texture the way fibers can. Fiber absorbs light and beads reflect light. Fiber is soft and beads are hard. I was could make my own yarn through spinning and dyeing, but there was no way I was going to make my own seed beads. To get a real idea of the difference in these two mediums, I decided to create a bead weaving based on a photograph of a plate holding pears and peaches, the same photograph I had once used to create a tapestry weaving. I warped my loom to correspond exactly in size to the photograph turned on its side. I pored through my bead stash and found fifty tubes of size 11/0 seed beads whose colors could be found in that photograph.

Keeping in mind the method that tapestry weavers use, I placed the photograph behind the warp of my bead loom. I looked at the photograph and the edge that would be the first row of beads. Then I used my threaded needle to pick up beads that were the colors I saw. I didn't think about the picture; I just thought about a the colors I was seeing in the first row. The first few rows were not very impressive, and it wasn't until the tenth row that I began to see shapes emerging. Those little beads became the dots of color in a pointillist painting. Since the picture was on it's side, I did not allow my concept of what a plate of peaches and pears should look like interfere with the beaded piece my hands were executing.

I used all fifty colors. Some rows contained twenty or more colors. Many colors were closely related, like the five shades of white. After I wove in the last row, I turned my loom on its side. Sure enough, there it was: the plate of peaches and pears in all its glory. I walked across the room to look at it. To my astonishment, the image was crystal clear from fifteen feet away. My understanding of pointillism deepened significantly in that moment. I had been watching the weaving progress from a distance of inches. That the weaving translated best from many feet away was astonishing to me. A four-by-five-inch bead weaving is small format, and yet the beads seemed to speak as loudly from a distance as they did from close up.

After realizing that the tapestry method of using a cartoon could also work for bead weaving, my whole outlook on bead weaving changed. I could use anything as a guide. To prove that this was possible, I quickly made a small abstract sketch with pastels using some very lively colors to contrast with the rather dull colors I had used for the plate of peaches and pears. I used about twenty colors of Delica beads for this weaving. The color areas in my pastel sketch were not distinct. Between a yellow and green there emerged a third and fourth color. By looking very carefully at the space between colors, however, I was able to find beads to match so that the emerging bead weaving had the same feel as the pastel drawing. As the weaving progressed, I was thrilled to discover that beads could capture such subtle blending of color. I realized that any image could be created with beads since beads are simply points of color. If carefully arranged, those points of color can add up to a perfectly shaded, blended, complex design.

You can take any image--from a slice of a picture you've taken to the latest crayon creation taped to your refrigerator--and turn it into a bead weaving. Try making a collage of family photographs or finding a picture of your flower. Use your digital camera to take a picture of pebbles or the bark on a tree. Anything can become a beautiful bead weaving because beads make everything beautiful. Tell yourself you are an artist today, and with beads in hand the sim0plest of tools, you can create a masterpiece.

Warning: make sure you use a great loom like the Mirrix!

Tapestry Versus Pattern Weaving

Tapestry and cloth weaving have less in common than their sharing of the word "weaving" would indicate. Both are indeed weaving and share the following characteristics: They rely on the interlacement of warp and weft; the warps (the threads that are attached to the loom) run parallel to each other; the weft (the threads that are woven into the warp run at right angles to the warp and inter-cross. But that is the extent of their relationship since the balance of these two very different weaves produces final products that are radically different from one another.

Cloth weaving can be either simple or complex but the resulting fabric is always somewhat balanced. By this I mean that the ratio of warp to weft is fairly even so that both show, possibly one more than the other, but still creating enough of a balance that the warp and weft are visible. Tapestry, on the other hand, is completely weft-faced. This means that the warp does not show at all. Just this difference alone is enough to set these weaves completely apart. A fabric that is completely weft-faced will be much stiffer than a balanced weave and, because the warp does not show and hence does not affect the appearance of the fabric, the application of the weft is all that counts in creating a design. The difference does not end here. Tapestry involves the use of discontinuous wefts. No given weft ever travels across the entire weaving (generally speaking), whereas in cloth weaving wefts generally do travel across the entire weaving.

Cloth weaving can produce stunning works of art intended for both decoration and clothing, but in general its purpose is to produce functional material. Tapestry has been used to create functional items such as rugs, saddle bags, and other items intended to be sturdy and withstand wear. But tapestry is most famous for the wall hangings created to decorate and insulate the walls of castles. Many different cultures have created tapestries and within those cultures certain techniques dominate, creating some confusion as to the difference, for example, among a Navajo rug and a European tapestry or a Coptic tapestry. The basis of all these tapestries is essentially the same since the warp is covered and the resulting fabric is pictorial and that design is based on the placement of the weft alone.

Although both cloth weaving and tapestry can theoretically be created on the same kind of loom, there are dedicated cloth and tapestry looms that provide certain elements to facilitate the proper weaving of each. A cloth loom does not require the same kind of tension that a tapestry loom does. However, more than two shafts (the movable parts of the loom that hold the heddles and allow for the raising and lowering of the warps in order to create a shed, which is simply a word to describe the space between these two sets of threads) is preferred for a cloth loom in order to produce the stunning possible number of weaving structures. Tapestry, on the other hand, requires a lot of tension but only two shafts (although some tapestry looms, such as Navajo looms, do not have any shafts but rather employ a more manual method for separating the threads). There are looms that will accomplish both cloth weaving and tapestry, but in general it is best to have looms devoted to one or the other. A cloth loom will generally not provide the necessary tension to weave tapestry and will potentially provide options that are not at all necessary for tapestry. A good analogy would be the mountain bike versus a road bike. You can ride a mountain bike on the road but it's a lot more efficient and faster to ride a road bike on a road. It's nearly impossible to ride a road bike on a dirt trail. If you intend to do both with passion you are best off owning both kinds of bikes.

I find that the personality that loves tapestry does not necessarily love cloth weaving. I am of that ilk. The same applies in the opposite direction. Cloth weavers are able to patiently set up their looms over the course of hours and days and then quickly weave yards and yards of cloth. Tapestry looms are relatively quickly set up but the weaving takes a very long time. The relative nature of a cloth weaving is predetermined by the threading of the warp. Certain elements can be modified, of course, by the shedding pattern (which warps are raised) and the choice of weft, but since the warp shows its color and threading cannot be changed during the course of weaving, the major elements of a cloth weaving are set in place when you warp the loom. Since the tapestry warp is completely covered by the weft, it can only effect the tapestry by its set (how close or far apart the warps are spaced) and the size of the warp. The warp has to be in correct relationship to the weft so that the tapestry remains weft-faced.

Tapestry is like painting. The warp creates a canvas on which one paints with fiber. But unlike painting, the final and necessary structure of the "canvas" is only created once the weft is applied. Hence, tapestry becomes a very architectural kind of artwork since the structure is created from the bottom up. What was woven at the beginning cannot be changed after the fact. One does not have the luxury of the whole page to play with since the page only exists in the tapestry as the "paint" is applied. It's an interesting constraint that can create as many mistakes as accidental successes. But whereas tapestry is like painting, it is also still weaving and hence takes its own unique place in the world of art.

Night Beads

It was the first warm day in months followed by an almost balmy night. I went outside to visit with our resident horse, Shasta. We live in a very unlit place. There are no streetlights on the top of this very big hill and the few houses are separated by lots of space and trees. The night sky is not hampered by competing lights from humans. I walked out of the garage and looked up in astonishment. The night sky was a deep blue dotted with stars I thought I could reach out and touch. I felt like a person who had been blind all her life and was for the first time seeing the night sky. There was a closeness about this sky, an intimacy like touch. The branches of the trees created lattice work that connected the stars. I was frozen in place with my vision turning into a physical sensation like touch. It was so intense I had to turn away, and in so doing I found myself looking into the gaping hole that is a garage. My eyes traveled along the surfaces of human made objects in a large, unattractive human made box. It was the epitome of ugliness in stark contrast to the overwhelming beauty of the sky. In that moment I understood the virtue of beads.

Most practical human made stuff is ugly. I am referring here to the practical stuff humans make like shopping centers and ugly couches and demanding signs that obscure the sky. I am not referring to the objects humans make when they create art. Almost everything nature dishes out is beautiful. It's hard to find fault with her lines and placements. She always arranges everything correctly on the page of our vision. Humans create obscene ugliness with which most of us live most of the time. I escape it to some degree by living remotely and I have the great advantage of being able to focus on nature's beauty without interruption.

What I understood about beads in that moment of grace with the night sky is that beads are consistently beautiful and uplifting. They are little stars we hold in our hand. They are intimate and smooth and they glow from within. They give us something rare: pure pleasure from a human mad form. They are each perfect little universes. We make things from them and as we do so we soak in their beauty. W are given the opportunity to see and to touch stars grabbed from the night sky. It made sense to me why people become addicted to these beads and why they keep buying more and more. They are filling up their cup with stars, hoping to never run out. The stars must exist in our own cups which is why we must take them home.

Mirrix Looms

What's In A name

Whether or not an object is art has little to do with materials and functionality and has everything to do with intent and voice. The difference between an object that is craft and an object that is art is not the difference between a basket and a drawing. The medium is irrelevant. In fact, a basket has as great an opportunity to be a piece of art as a drawing and a drawing can be better crafted than a very artistic basket. A quilt intended to lie on a be can be a piece of art whereas a quilt that hangs on a wall could simply be well crafted. So what is the difference between art and craft and why should we care?

We should care because these words and their often confusing definitions leave those of us who practice an art (or create an object) using traditional (or not so traditional) fiber techniques are left without an appropriate way to name ourselves. We live in a world full of names and we are either misnamed or nameless. This is important because it effects the way others view what we do. We must clearly define who we are so that we can clearly define what is we make to the world that is our market.


The difference between art and craft--and hence the artist and the craftsperson--is astonishingly simple. A craftsperson masters a technique and a tradition. It is of paramount importance for a craftsperson to strive for perfection. To paraphrase Plato: 'If only there were enough time in life to perfect one's craft.' As any true craftsperson knows, there is never enough time. Perfection is enticingly elusive and endlessly inspiring. However, the craft alone that we strive to perfect is not necessarily art even when brilliantly executed. Artisits, working n whatever medium, push the boundaries of form, trying to escape from prescribed ideas while trying to express an inward intention. Artists retreat inside themselves for their answers whereas craftspeople explore outside themselves for theirs. An artist's medium can be anything. An artist is not necessarily a craftsperson. In fact, there are many artists who have not bothered to perfect their craft and therefore, although their work might be inspired, it can be very shoddy and temporary.

This leads us to the third definition of what we can be when we create things. It is this definition that causes the most obfuscation because it straddles the other two. It is also the thing that many fiber artists are: the artist/craftsperson. This person gets attacked from one side for being too technique oriented and from the other for assuming a grandiose self-image. The artist/craftsperson is simply an artist who is striving to perfect her or his craft. The concept is elegant in its simplicity, but it is also very slippery and hard to hold.

When set up on a kind of continuum, the line starts with craft as pure technique and ends with art as pure expression. Those of us who are makers of things necessarily lie somewhere on that line. And often our position on that line changes, sometimes day to day. There are times when we are still perfecting our craft and there are other days when we are passionately digging inside ourselves for the image that defines what we are. That is not an exalted image of an artist. Nor is it hyperbole since the act of creating a piece of art dwells so completely in the world of truth where everything ultimately is exposed. We may borrow techniques from those who have come before us, but when we create what is uniquely ours with the memory of what was we borrow only from the human experience we have shared. There is no confusion over what is art and what is craft. There is only disbelief.

Mirrix Looms

Beginnings

At long last, I begin this blog. This blog is basically dedicated to creativity: mine and yours. The other day a friend asked me: "What do you feel when you create artwork?"
I answered: "Peaceful and present. It takes me to a place that has no time, no starting point, no ending point, just the place in the middle where you want to stay. Eventually, you do want to leave that place. The bliss is vanished and you move to something else waiting for that moment when you will feel compelled to return to that place of utter presence. Creativity is about the present and how you feel inside that one moment as it falls into another moment and another moment without your noticing."

I then explained that I have seen myself deep in the past as the one who made baskets or pottery. I would have been very content there. I do not see my creativity as monumental. Rather I see it as necessary. It is what I must do to cope with life. It's my primary escape.

See if you can see yourself in this picture: you are feeling all scattered and out of place. You search around for one of the pieces you are currently creating. You pick one up: the 16 inch Mirrix loom with a tapestry on it. You weave for a minute or so. It's not centering you so you move through your studio and land on the necklace you are making in herringbone stitch out of those gorgeous rodium plated beads and suddenly you are lost in that necklace, lost in those like bead universes, and you stay lost there for three hours forgetting that you arrived scattered and out of place. When you lift your head and see that time has moved forward without you, you are ready to crawl back into life.

Mirrix Looms