Weekend Project: An Idea

"The old lemon throbbed fiercely. I got an idea."

--P.G. Wodehouse

After a couple of weekends with no progress on the Christmas towels, I was inspired to get back to work on them and measured out most of the warp (length-wise threads) for the next set of four. Here are a couple of my thread chains:

What inspired me was an idea that just might help me shorten the time it takes me to prepare the loom. "Threading" (or warping) the loom is the major time sink (for me) and it takes me on the order of 6-8 hours. This week it occured to me that maybe I could borrow a trick from sewing.

What do we have that is difficult to thread? The serger. And what method is recommended for threading the serger? Tie the new threads to the threads that are already in place and just pull them through...

There are some differences, of course. Mainly the 4 or 5 threads on a serger versus the over 400 threads on the loom... But, I'm hoping that it will still work. So, when I pulled the most recently completed set of towels off the loom, I left the threads on - ready to be tied (one at a time - yikes!) to the new threads...

Keep your fingers crossed for me that this works!

Meanwhile, ever helpful, Oliver checks out my most recently finished set of towels:

I think they pass inspection! ;)


Don't worry too much about Oliver - these pictures (and the one where he was chewing on my point presser) do not represent typically allowed behavior. I just let him get near my stuff for a minute or two, long enough to get a picture! And then my sewing tools and finished products are tucked safely out of his reach.

At least Ana got some sewing done this weekend. On Saturday she (basically) finished her patchwork purse:


She wants to put appliques on the lower left and upper right quadrants - that's why the seams aren't showing there. But we have to go shopping for just the right patches. It's not really my style, but she loves it! And that's what sewing is all about - getting to make exactly what you love. :)

I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are ready to face a new week and a new month!