Re-programming the Loom to Make a Different Pattern

Trying something new!

I finished the first waffle weave bath towel out of that kit.  And I have to say: I'm over it.  Overshot is so much more interesting!  I have enough warp left to weave 1 more bath towel, or 3/4 tea towels in some other pattern.  The heddles/shafts are threaded in a point twill pattern, which is basic and versatile.  If I use the same threading (the dots across the top of the diagram below) through the heddles and shafts, but change up the tie-ups (the upper right corner of the diagram below) for the treadles and the treadling, I can have a whole new pattern weave.  Add some color and voi la!

This is the first one I tried (actual woven fabric on the loom in the photo at the top of this post):  

 

The treadle order (the dots down the right side of the diagram) is almost the same -- just running up and down the 8 treadles. 

I think I am in love!  What an easy way to re-kindle my love for weaving. ;-) 

I am using some red Brassard cotton for the weft.  But I have other colors I can use, too.

It's pretty darn amazing that you can have such a completely different weaving pattern, just by changing the treadle tie ups -- which is easy enough.  I can't believe I didn't have to spend 2 months starting over with a new warp and threading all those heddles.   With a simple change in tie-ups (about 20 minutes), I can be weaving a whole new pattern!

There are lots of other possibilities with the same standard threading, just varying the treadle tie ups.  Here are some other possibilities I might try:

  

  

We are finally getting some nice fall color here.  Ahh! 

Progress on The Double Wedding Ring Quilt

Here it is laid out on the design wall.  It will stay here for a little while, until I determine that I like the placement for these blocks.

This one went pretty fast -- In part, because I did it in stages, and spent all of the Quilt Retreat working on this one project.  It wasn't really hard, just takes patience.  Also, the Cut Rite Template set worked really well for me, too!

Will I make another one?  Maybe ...   What colors?  Or do I make it entirely scrappy?  I'll have to start saving 2-1/2 squares again for the color patches.

Sandwiching Quilts

I had a very productive stay-cation this week in which I sandwiched 4 quilts over the course of 2 days.   I use 2 basting boards where I wind the top and the backing.  This keeps them nice and flat and straight and even as they are unwound over the batting.  It works very well!  The method is explained in this post:

From the Deli : Board Basting a Quilt Sandwich Revisited

 

 

 This is one of the Disappearing Hourglass 2 Quilts layered up with a Quilter's Dream Wool Batt.

 

 

 

 

I used this pretty sky print for the backing, but did not realize until I was almost done pinning that I'd wound it onto the basting board backwards or inside out.  You can't really tell from this picture, but the back of the quilt will be the lighter side of this print.  It still looks ok, just a bit fainter than I expected.  Oh well -- It will still work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 This is the Deep Blue Log Cabin Quilt layered up with a Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Poly Batt.

Gorgeous, isn't it?

 

The Hobbs 80/20 batts get a nice antique-y crinkle to them once they are washed.   I thought that would be appropriate for this very classic quilt block.

 

Now I just have to figure out how to quilt it ...  Traditional Feathers? 

 

 

Here's a shot of the backing fabric.  A nice fresh green watercolor print. 

 

 

The Sunset at Cherokee Marsh Easy Bargello also got the Hobbs 80/20 batt. 

 

 

This is the Blue Resistance Quilt, in the Disappearing Hour Glass 2 pattern.

This one has a traditional wool batt from my friend Laura.  Since this will be a nice warm comforter-type quilt, it will be too thick to sew through, and requires a different treatment for sandwiching: The Envelope Method explained in this post:  Tying a Quilt

 

In the photo above, I am preparing the batt.  I had to take a slice off the side and add it to the bottom, so I am basting the Frankenstein-ed section to the larger batt.  It's pretty easy.

 

  

In this photo, you can barely see the big basting stitches used to hold the new chunk'o batting in place. 

 

 

  

 

And here it is: Pin-basted and ready to be tied.

Gorgeous Quilt! 

 

I have at least 4 more quilt tops to sandwich -- Maybe I'll get to that during the week of Thanksgiving? 

Missives from Quilt Camp - October 2025

Zora, my little Singer Featherweight (c1941) 

For weeks leading up to Quilt Camp, I've been making preparations for projects to take to Quilt Camp in October.  I took my little Singer Featherweight (c. 1941), so I oiled it up and did some trial runs with it a few weeks ago.  Things were going so well that I wound up sewing 30 of the 96 arcs required for the Wedding Ring Quilt.  ;-)

 

Here's a shot of sewing the "chips" of color together on my 1941 Featherweight.  Each arc gets 6 "chips" of color.  They are wedge-shaped, so they naturally make the arc when sewed together.  The Featherweight sewed like a champ the whole weekend!

 

The "Chips" of color.  This project required 576 chips.

The chips were made from a "Seaside" layer cake, that I cut into 2-1/2 inch strips, and then sub-cut into 2-1/2 inch squares.  Then you use a template to cut them into wedges.  I did 4 layers on the turning cutting matt, and it wasn't too bad.  Did that a few weeks ago in preparation for Quilt Camp.  I did not worry too much about how I put the chips together in the arcs -- 6 chips per arc.  As long as I did not have the same colors next to each other.

  

The arcs were sewn oversize.  After they were pressed flat, I used a template to cut out the official arcs, so they would be a uniform size.  Also note the cut marks that help you meet the other pieces properly.  Although I used a regular-sized rotary cutter to cut the general arc shape, I used a mini rotary cutter to do the cut marks.  The templates are from Cut-Rite.

I thought I'd better cut out the background pieces -- in case I get that far at Quilt Camp.  It seems like all the cutting would be tedious and impossible -- Not something to look forward to.  But I can do 4 layers at a time; The templates have a bit of sandpaper on them, so they grip and don't slide around.  

 

I got the other 70 arcs sewn Friday night.  And trimmed by Saturday morning. 

 

  

One of the other Featherwight owners there for the wkd told me that you can get pre-wound bobbins for our old machines.  They use a wider flatter bobbin than my Vikings, so I can't use the pre-wound bobbins that I keep in stock.

As it was, I went through 5 bobbins sewing on this 1 project this weekend.

Before lunch on Saturday, I was starting to sew some of the curves.  Not as hard as you might think.  I found it easier to match the cut marks and pin them for sewing.  So I would pin as many together as I had pins, and then chain stitch them.  When I had a pile at the back of the machine, I could finger press them so they'd behave and lay flat until I could press them later.  It's amazing that those curved pieces do come together so well.

 

  

Me and Laura on Sunday morning.

Ha!  I may have to start wearing lipstick!

 

 

Table Mates.

Here you can see I started sewing on the melon/football shape in the background.  This actually went better than I thought it would. The edges line up pretty well once it's flipped to the right side out.  The L-shape side will need a little remedial work this week.

Laura is working on finishing yet another Dee Project. 

See that little iron in the foreground?  Laura bought that at St Vinny's for about $2.  It must be from the 1950s with a solid flat sole plate.  It heats up fast and perfectly presses our blocks--even after all this time! 

 From the trees outside, there was hardly any fall color yet on the trees.  It was 91 degrees on Friday when we drove out to Camp Lucerne.  Unusually hot for this time of year.  Ugh!

 

Laura was working on this Grandmother's Flower Garden.  Her friend Dee is 96 years old and is giving her unfinished projects to finish.  Dee had made the hexie blocks by hand -- She's a master quilter!  All Laura had to do was sew the blocks together.   And still impressive! 

One of the other gems from the weekend was this little jar of Black Walnut and Tea Tree Salve, good for all manner of skin conditions.  Available at Remedies in Oshkosh.   This was recommended by Donna, who was sitting 1 table over from us this year.  

Laura has such a huge stash herself from multiple lifetimes of quilting, that she always makes some kind of quilted gift for the ladies who come to this quilt retreat.  This year, she made these darling little chicken pin cushions.   I got the midnight forest chicken!  ;-) 

After I got home, I had to do a little "recovery" work, meaning some seam ripping.  When I sewed the arcs to the background Ls, I didn't leave enough room to make the next seam.  So I had to re-sew those seams closer to the edge, and then pull the too fat seams.  It took about 4 hours (?) to do this handwork.   It's a little hard to see on this blurry photo, but the dots are the old seam, so you can see I was able to recover about 1/4 inch this way.  Don't worry -- Those holes will eventually disappear.   

Now it looks more like it should!

 

Here is the block with pieces pressed as of Tuesday AFTER Quilt Camp. 

I still need to add the corner pieces and then sew the center curve to bring it all together.  By now, I have plenty of practice sewing the curves!  The rest should be easy!