More Weaving: Celtic Knot Warp-Faced Band

  For my first patterned band on the box loom, I chose a Celtic knot design. 

There's a 7-Pattern thread version in the Weaving Patterned Bands book by Susan J Foulkes.  This one is a much simpler than the 13 pattern threads below.   I plan to concentrate on the middle section, and won't make it so wide as a guitar strap with the extra borders.  

Although not strictly necessary, I purchased a double-holed rigid heddle from Harvest Looms in Latvia, as I thought it would facilitate making any of the 5-7-9 pattern threads from Susan Foulkes' book above.   It has extra slots for the pattern threads to help make them stand out easier for the pick-up technique.

I also purchased this exquisite shuttle made from plum wood.   Gorgeous, isn't it?

Here's some additional info and tutorials I consulted to make this Celtic Braid on the inkle loom.
Perhaps after I've mastered the 7=pattern thread version above, I'll try one of these more complicated versions?  The rest is just here for my own reference, filed away so I can find them when I want to revisit this in future.  ;-)  

I found this pattern online via The Curious Weaver, and decided this would be the first fancy pattern I wanted to try.   No cards with this one.  It's a pick-up pattern, but there were a couple of blog posts and videos to help me through it.

It looks like she uses a thicker yarn/thread for the pattern to help it stand out from the background.  It really helps to make it look 3-dimensional and textured.   One blogger suggested using multiple thinner threads (say 3 strands of size 10 crochet cotton), rather than just 1 strand.  


Celtic Knot Warp-Faced Band Weaving - Rigid Heddle Weaving

Pickup Weaving Techniques -  by Eve-the-Just

How-to: Basket Weave and Celtic Knot for the Inkle Loom - Crafty Girl's Spot
She uses a slightly different pattern.  There's more intertwining with this one.

Just for inspiration.  I love watching this woman turn the cards.  She knows what she's doing, and she makes it a nice meditation.  The board supports her cards -- They are not hanging in the air.  I love that well worn live-edge board!

Purple Batik and Blue Grunge Wayfarer Sling Backpack

Wayfarer Sling Back Pack - Front

Wayfarer Sling Back Pack - Back

 

Fabric Choices

The snowflakes and the purple batik are leftover from quilt backs.

 Video Demo by Siah Swag.

This video demo was very helpful.  Even though I've been sewing most of my life, I picked up a few good tips here. 

The designer had a number of testers make up the Wayfarer sling back pack, so you can see a variety of fabric choices and how it comes out.  

Although I like the way it turned out, I don't think I would make this bag again.  The supplies were more expensive than you might expect -- Although most of the fabric was leftovers from other projects, the woven interfacing stabilizer (SF101) is quite pricey--and you need a lot of it.  Having the right zippers made a big difference this time -- the right width and suited for bags specifically.  This bag has 6 (count them!) 6 zippers.  And they all went in pretty well!  Buckles, and swivel hooks, and D-rings.  Foam padding.  Some of the stuff had to be mail-ordered, which adds to the total cost. 

After a certain point, the layers get so thick, my domestic sewing machine had a difficult time working through all the layers.  Ideally, you'd use a dual feed / walking foot, but the foot was too wide to get into the narrow seam allowances, and it kept sliding off.   The last layer (the back panel) was so thick, I had to hand baste it to keep all the layers together and in place. As soon as I took off the little clips, it shifted, and the needle veered off it's path.  

In the video, she recommends binding the seams inside, instead of using the "birthing" method in the pattern.  I used the binding method on the denim backpack, and it gave it some nice structure, but I had such a hard time with the seam, I'm not sure I would have been able to bind through so many layers.

Pockets Galore!  I love all the pockets.  It was hard to imagine what pocket I'd want where, until it was in front of me, ready to use.  If I were to make it again, I might re-arrange some things.  But I'm not making this one again.

The 2 headed zippers are versatile, and let me hang it from either hip, and the openings won't let my stuff spill out upside down. 

I made the strap longer than recommended so that I can wear it as a hipster bag instead of a backpack.  

Hollyhocks Around the Barn Quilt is Complete!

Hollyhocks Around the Barn - Square Dance Quilt

Here it is--at long last.  This one has been sitting in the to be finished pile for at least 12 years now.  

I finally finished the last bit of free-motion quilting in the bits around the flowers.  I've been wondering what to fill it with, and finally went with one of my go-to fillers: Hearts and Vines.

Here are all the threads I used on the topside for quilting.

I'm not at all sure what I had planned for binding, so I pulled a leftover from The Farmer's Wife project.

 

Another detail shot of the quilting on the front side, flowers, vines and borders.

 

 

More quilting from the back side. 

 

 

Here it is in the washing machine.  How did the machine know this was the center of the quilt?

Now that it's been washed, I LOVE the texture the free-motion quilting adds. No--it's not perfect, as done by a computer, or pantographs.  It has a hand-drawn feel to it--more like doodling or sketching.  That is much more my style.   

The pattern is Hollyhocks Around the Barn from The Buggy Barn.

The batting is Hobbs 80/20 Cotton batting.  I love it because it makes a new quilt look old and antique after the first wash.  

The label.  

I did something different this time with the label.  I took a square of fabric, and folded it along the diagonal, and wrote in the text with a sharpie (heat set with a hot iron).  Then I tucked the triangle into a corner and bound the raw edges with the binding.  This worked out so well!  Now that the binding is finished -- so is the label!  

This is in the lower right-hand corner, so when it is hanging, you can flip up the corner and read the label. 

Previous Posts on this quilt:

Hollyhocks Around the Barn (2008)

Quilting Hollyhocks Around the Barn Quilt - Step One - Have a Plan

Quilting Hollyhocks Around the Barn - Step Two - Egg & Carton 

Quilting Hollyhocks Around the Barn - Step 3 Leaves

Quilting Hollyhocks Around the Barn - Step 4 The Flowers and Step 5 Revisiting the Barn Rails

Quilting Hollyhocks Around the Barn Step 6: Chicken Wire Borders

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farmer's Wife Blocks - Parade of Blocks

 Farmer's Wife - Parade of Blocks

 The music is Caledonia by Fish.  I had to cancel a Scotland trip planned for last September due to the pandemic.  So some of the time spent working on this project was accompanied by Celtic music.

 

Just a few blocks to re-make--or maybe I can live with them after all?   The next step is assembling the quilt top.

 

Here are the fabrics I picked up to compliment this mostly scrap quilt. Gorgeous Stonehenge blues and greens to set off the these Farmer's Wife Blocks.    The lighter one on the right might be the backing. 

I am so glad that Handmade Karma used batiks and a more contemporary color scheme with her project from 2015. Otherwise I would never have embarked on this pandemic project.  ;-)

Farmer's Wife Blocks - 93 Swallow - 95 Temperance Tree

 

 Block 95 - Temperance Tree

 

The last week of making Farmer's Wife blocks!  The pandemic project I started last September is nearly over -- at least the weekly block-making stage of it.   There is still the do-over set.  And then piecing the blocks together into a coherent top, and finishing the quilt.  There's a lot of project management to taking a quilt from start to finish.  

I was not looking forward to these 2 blocks (and I suspect that's why Hand Made Karma left them for last) because of all those half-square triangle blocks.  But once I sat down to do them, picked out the fabrics and began, it wasn't so bad. I'm getting pretty good at the HSTs, and because these blocks needed so many, they showed us the Magic 8 Method, which really helped to churn these puppies out in a hurry.  I picked three batik fabrics for the leaves: 1 green, 1 blue, and 1 blue green.  It wentfaster than I thought it would.

The hardest part of Temperance Tree was the tree trunk.  The measurements didn't quite fit what was required, so I wound up doing it again -- oversize, and then trimming it down to what the block needed. 

 

 

Block 93 - Swallow

 This one felt like one of those awkward dud-blocks. So I tried to rescue it with some really nice fabric.  This is nearly the last of the blue-green batik that I originally purchased for an iron caddy.  But I had so much left over, I made a cover for my Kindle, and a mask for the pandemic.   Also not much left of the viney background fabric either.  Only true scraps left now.  

For this one, too, I used the Magic 8 Method of churning out the HSTs.  It's fast.

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 39

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials.

 

Upcycled Blue Jeans Messenger Bag

Upcycled Denim Messenger Bag -Pockets on the Front Flap

 

Denim Messenger Bag -Open Flap showing the inside pocket

 

 Denim Messenger Bag - Back Side

This is where that inner pocket was supposed to be according to the pattern.

Denim Messenger Bag - Drop-in Lining, showing inner pockets.

I used more of the thrift store curtains I used for the denim backpack a few weeks ago. 

I'm still in the bag-making mode.  I caught this video on YouTube from Man Sewing with Amy Barickman from Indigo Junction:

Indygo Junction also has a $5 pattern that explains how to make these blue jean messenger bags.  It was helpful to hear her explain what to look for in thrift store jeans, and the best way to cut them apart to maximize the available yardage.  

From the video, basic supplies are:

• 2 pair recycled blue jeans (She explains what to look for and the optimal size on the video)
• 1/2 yard lining fabric
• basic sewing supplies (scissors, thread, pins, sewing machine, chalk marker, etc.)

 

What I would do different next time:

If I were to re-make it for my own purposes I would not use denim on the back of the front flap, as it adds to the overall weight of the bag without adding any real pockets or storage capacity. I'd probably use more of the lining fabric instead.  Alternatively, I might turn it into a real pocket unto itself.

I also shortened up that front flap, as it seemed too big and floppy in my rendition, so I trimmed off 2 inches along the bottom.  No regrets there. 

I added pockets to the lining inside the bag.

As it came out, it's very narrow -- only 2 inches wide.  Even though you cut the gusset strip at 3 inches, by the time you sew 1/2-inch seams it really digs into the available space in terms of the depth of the bag.  I'm not planning to carry a big ol' laptop in this bag anyway.  

Another bag done! Hurray!

This might be it for my forays into upcycling denim jeans.  My sewing machine did very well with the backpack a few weeks ago, but has been protesting with some of the extra thicknesses.  So I think I'll go back to regular fabrics and quilting for a while.

Farmer's Wife Blocks - 89 Steps to the Altar - 90 Storm Signal - 91 Strawberry Basket

    Block 89 - Steps to the Altar

This week's blocks have the red and green in common.  The red bandana fabric is left over from the Summit Pack bag that I made last week.   Just a little splash of red makes a big statement.  

This one went faster than it looks like it might have.  I sewed 2 strips of white and green, then sub-cut the 2 block units.  That helps keep them straight and not so wonky as trying to sew together lots of tiny little 1-1/2 inch blocks.  Once they build themselves into 4-patches, it was easy to put the rest of it together. 

Block 90 - Storm Signal 

This one makes me think of trains -- Is that where they use these kinds of storm signals?

Not a bad block to put together, if you treat it essentially as a 9-patch.  I am getting very comfortable with the hourglass and half-square triangles.  I owe that comfort with the practice this project has given me. 

 

Block 91 - Strawberry Basket 

My first thought with this block was to make it a blueberry basket, instead of strawberries.  But since I had the red bandana fabric on hand, the red won out.  Again -- like the Steps to the Alter block above, this one was not that bad to make because of the strip piecing and subcut method.

We're in the home stretch now!  Just 2 more blocks to go!

 

Tutorials from Handmade Karma for Week 38  

See Handmade Karma's full set of Farmer's Wife blocks and tutorials. 

 

 

 

Cloud Splitter's Summit Pack: Another Sling Bag

Smmit Pack by Pattern Cloud Splitter - Oshosh B'Gosh Color Scheme

As I was looking for sling bags and backpacks, I kept seeing these adorable Summit Packs in lots of colors combinations -- with so many people making these bags, it tells me it's a good pattern at a good price. For $7, I went ahead and bought it to try it out.  In truth, I think all the zippers on the Wayfarer Sling have me a little stymied, so this one will give me more practice on zippers.  And I get to use fabric from my stash!

Remember, I still have my fabrics and color combos laid out from the first forays with sling packs.

Ideas for color combos:

Oshkosh B'Gosh and red bandana denim

Since this fabric is leftover from an earlier project,I had just enough of the denim to eek out this bag. Plenty of red bandana fabric left.

 

Black Pear with gold flair

I'd still like to make on with this combination.  For fall harvest season.  

I'll call it the Abundance / Plenty Bag!

I was most impressed with how Cloud Splitter did the pattern pieces.  Because it's designed as a pdf pattern that you print at home, the pattern pieces have to fit 8-1/2 x 11 in sheets of paper.  So some larger pattern pieces needed to be taped together.  All the pieces are labeled with a letter of the alphabet, and when the pattern pieces needed to be pieced together, they were on consecutive pages, so you didn't have to go hunting for them.  She also included clear instructions of what goes where.  Clearly, this is not Cloudsplitter's first pattern!  A+ for that.

The longest step was probably cutting out all the pieces, because you need exterior, lining and stabilizer layers for almost every piece.  Be sure to watch the pattern pieces, because it will tell you if the pattern piece/fabric/stabilizer needs to be face up or face down (mirror image).  Label the pieces when you get them cut out and keep track of what's what.  There are additional square and rectangular pieces that are not included in the pattern pieces.  They are listed , though.  I cut them out of recycled brown paper bag, so I will have them for next time.

After that, I made it one step at a time in the evenings after work.  I wish I would have taken pictures to show the progress as the layers came together.  I think I cut out all the pieces on Sunday, and had a finished bag by Friday evening.  ;-)

 

 

Over all, I really like this bag.  ;-)  It's a good size, and I like the compartments.  It will be a good bag for bopping around town doing errands.  Not quite enough pockets for me to go back to work on site, though.

What would I do different next time?

Back of Cloud Splitter's Summit Pack

The zippers (4 of them!) were not hard as long as you follow the directions step-by-step.  The new things for me was the fabric zipper stops and cutting a hidey-hole for the back zipper.  I didn't quite understand how that was going to work -- You don't actually cut away any on the exterior fabric.  You cut the slit, then fold it under to make a space to reveal the zipper.  Some of the lining shows through.  If I were to do it gain, I would use the red bandana fabric for that lining pocket instead of the white.  The method/technique she shows in the pattern works out quite well for this type of "you're-slip-is-showing" zipper pocket.

Since I am just delving into making bags, I used the generic multi-purpose zippers I could buy locally (at Walmart and Joann's), instead of the wider-tape purse zippers the pattern recommends.  I think I would use the recommended purse zippers next time, with 2 zipper heads and a bigger pull.  Using the thinner ones required a few small adjustments to seam allowances and fitting the pieces together.  I also cut the zipper cover strip a little thinner so there wouldn't be so much overhang with the fabric.   No biggie.  I am concerned that the zippers I got locally won't hold up to regular usage, though. They seem a little lightweight.  We'll see ...

Instead of foam, I recycled padding from a mattress pad.  The layers didn't hold together very well when cut to shape, even after I fused it to the pattern pieces.  So I think I'd do a little more quilting to hold them together next time -- Otherwise, the amount of padding seems fine.

I would also probably use webbing for the lower part of the strap instead of the pinstripe denim (in fact, I might still swap that out) -- I would also make it longer piece than is recommended in the pattern because I like to wear it more as a cross-body and I need a little longer length for that.  Also the denim was a bit thick with so many layers at the end of the strap.

Because I prefer to wear it cross-body at my left hip, seems like I could also make it in reverse, so that the zipper pockets on the front come up on the opposite -- so they are facing up (skyward) when worn on the left hip. That will be my next task to reverse the pattern pieces for a left hip bag.

That SF101 fusible stabilizer can get pricey--and this pattern requires 4 yards of it, so I might look for an alternative stabilizer.  It's a fine cotton fabric with fusible attached, so I'm guessing the cotton is what makes it so pricey.  

If you are interested in making this bag, there are several resources for you (aside from the pattern).

There are multiple renditions of The Summit Pack in various fabrics and color schemes.  See the Pinterest board devoted to Cloud Splitter's Summit pack.

Many bloggers and YouTubers have chronicled making this bag:

Chatterstitch did a 3 part series on her blog about making the Summit Pack.

eSheep Designs also blogged notes about her experience making the Summit pack.

Blue Pond Ave demos making the Summit Pack in a practical 2 hour video if you need / want more guidance.