Getting hooked on weaving with waste

Earlier in the year I tried to book on a workshop with Sarah Cooke, but unfortunately I’d discovered it too late and it didn’t go ahead as there weren’t the numbers for it to be viable, which was a shame. I hoped there might be another date at some point, but didn’t really think any more of it until one morning on our recent holiday when I saw it advertised in my sewing group’s facebook group. I couldn’t believe my luck and manically emailed the organiser to secure my place. What’s more, this newer date was much closer than the previous one, so it was a real bonus for me.

And so I turned up not quite sure what to expect, and not really sure I was going either - but that happens a lot as I’m continually discovering new places by attending workshops or exercise classes!

Sarah started the day by showing some of her makes, which you’d never guess what they’re made of. Clue - it’s all waste products, and for these two that I’m sharing here, they’re most likely food products we have in our freezers and in our store cupboards.

A striped weaving by Sarah Cooke made from Sensations crisp packets

A green and yellow striped bag by Sarah Cooke made from bags of frozen peas and frozen sweetcorn

So the two examples above use (clean) crisp packets and frozen vegetable bags, and you wouldn’t think to use them would you? But Sarah did and they are amazing, they’re also both really soft which I didn’t expect either. If you look at the pictures closely now you know what they’re made from you can see some of the text remains and almost gives it away.

Now you can see why I was so captivated, and inspired can’t you?

Sarah brought plenty of ‘waste’ for the group to use throughout the day, and there were things you’d expect like wool, ribbons, trimmings and material scraps, as well as things you’d probably not expect. For me the revelation were those plastic string bags that lemons, oranges and other fruit come in - they’re amazing to use, as well as old hi-vis jackets, plastic metallic streamers, oh and so much more.

We started by adding our warp to the frame - I opted for a cerise and a boucle red, and you’ll see these intermittently in my weaving. I should say that this is my first time weaving and while I’d love for my outputs to be as good as Sarah’s, I know I’ve a way to go and for me the day was about trying things out.

But it didn’t surprise me that when confronted by the tables of stuff I headed to my default colour scheme of pink, red, orange and yellow with a few variations.

From the bottom I’ve used: wool, plastic metallic streamer, more wool, a strip of orange hi-vis clothing, more wool, more plastic metallic streamers, more wool, a bobble trim with the bobbles poking out to the front, wool, plastic rope, wool, plastic twine (this isn’t as closely woven), wool, a material scrap, red mesh bags, wool, yellow mesh bags, wool, more hi-vis material, wool, orange mesh bags, wool, bobble trimming, orange mesh bag, wool, black and white plastic rope, a split row of the bobble trimming and a flat metallic plastic strip, black and white plastic rope and wool.

Mine grew pretty quickly on the day, and while wall hangings are nice they aren’t me. So my plan is heading more towards a placemat for our garden table. That said though I do like the effect of it on the frame against our white walls and MOH is going to put some hooks up in my craft room so I can enjoy it as transient art while it’s ‘in progress’.

It has grown a little since the workshop too, but there’s a little further for it to go yet.

Since the workshop I’ve added: wool, a velvet trim I’d kept from a t-shirt, wool, a velour strip, a red mesh bag and a ribbon from chocolates.

In the weft rows I’ve added since the workshop the velvet trimming and chocolate ribbon have come from my own stash - and I’ve plenty more that I could use. In fact I came home from the workshop so inspired I was immediately off to look out that velvet trimming which I’d kept for I didn’t know what until then. I’ve also found some plastic present wrapping ribbon which I’ve never used but fell in love with years ago at Ikea - these will feature in a future attempt.

I also have plenty of ribbons, and scraps of materials and edgings which I’ve known ‘will be useful one day’ and the great thing is their day is coming, well when I find the time. I didn’t really know I needed a new craft, but I’m happy I’ve found it!

I’m also commissioning MOH to make me a smaller sized frame, so that I can make smaller pieces and potentially use some of the crochet threads I’ve acquired over the years, but first on my list is to finish this one and to make complementary (and not necessarily matching) table mats to use.

Watch this space.

Starting my own floral fancy

As I said in my This January post I impulsively booked onto a workshop, and then wondered if I had the enough of the right skills and the right sewing stuff to do the ‘floral fancy’ panel justice (spoiler: I did) The workshop was run by Region 10 of the Quilter’s Guild of the British Isles (QGBI), and was taking place in a village about 15 minutes away from me - even better, I knew where the village was!

I needn’t have worried though as while there was quite a long list of stuff needed - some of which I didn’t have and so Amazon was my friend - I was told not to worry about the long list of stuff, but of course I did. The workshop itself was a fabulously creative, inspiring and friendly day, and I was so glad I went. I couldn’t decide between the two panels offered at the workshop, and opted to buy a kit for the material, so that was one less thing to worry about, though to be fair, I probably I could have sourced that from my craft room relatively easily. In the end there was only a kit left for the floral wreath, so the choice was made for me.

I did laugh though as when my Amazon parcel arrived MOH couldn’t help but wonder how I had a whole room of stuff and how I needed more, but as I said to him it wasn’t the right kind of stuff. Well, mostly anyway.

A stitch and flip background

The morning session consisted of assembling the background of the panel using a stitch and flip method, but before any sewing could be done I needed to cut and layout the background in a radial design, with the darker fabrics in the centre. This challenged me more than it should trying to get the different length fabrics (there’s three different lengths) from the fabric I had. Thankfully there were also some spares so I dipped into those, as I think did everyone else.

Despite trying to keep to the same layout, it seems that as I stitched and flipped at one point I must have flipped, stitched and flipped so one of my rows turned around. Of course I only noticed when I was way past sewing that strip, and so it stays. And to be honest this is the background so it’s not the focal point of my piece. So if anyone asks, you didn’t notice it.

After lunch the real creativity started

Having completed my background piece before lunch I had the whole afternoon for the most interesting part of the workshop, and that was the floral fancy. My floral fancy was the wreath version, though others were also making a vase of tulips (which was also gorgeous).

As we know all good wreaths start with greenery, and so did mine. I had several greens in my kit of material and so chose a selection of those and headed over to the Sizzix machines, which I’d not heard of before. Though I soon realised they were a die cutting machine for fabric, and worked very similar to my paper cutting die machine.

I choose two leaf dies and cut the designs randomly from my selection of greens, working on the theory that leaves aren’t all the same shape or colour, and the contrast of both would enhance my wreath.

And then I arranged them on a pencil circle line I’d drawn on my background, and rearranged, and faffed about with them some more until I was happy. Without my own fabric die cutting machine it was important to me to get all the cutting out done on the day, and that became my mission.

I cut five simple five petalled flowers from the fabrics that most appealed to me, and then realised they’d look better layered with the same shape offset in a complementing/contrasting fabric.

So back to my kit and I finally settled on the combination above - remembering to take a snap so I didn’t forget my choices!

After I’d added the flowers I realised they needed a middle, so I was back cutting various circles I could use from the offcuts, and then working out where they worked best.

It was good, but I thought it needed more flowers - and probably fatter flowers. So back I went to the die cutting machines again, though this time just taking three fabrics with me, reusing the bright pink material of the flower that’s at about 10pm in the photo above and below.

The fatter flowers also needed middles - and all of the middles for these were also cut from offcuts. Needless to say I spent a fair amount of time using those die cutting machines - and got everything I wanted cut out on the day. Though since the workshop I’ve decided I definitely need a Sizzix in my craft room - so I’ve been sussing them out online, and I’m planning to order one from Hobbycraft this week taking advantage of an online offer, and vouchers I seem to have accrued.

Finishing it off

With my design finalised and home safely (phew), this has definitely gone on my craft to do list to get finished. It won’t be a small job though as first I’ll need to dismantle it - I’ve already printed out a picture - and peel the bondaweb backing off each piece before ironing and stitching it into place. And that probably needs to be done in layers so the stitching builds up as you’d expect.

But I can’t wait (sort of). I’m keen to get going, but also keen not to mess it up! Though given that I wasn’t sure if I had the skills to get this far, I’m pretty certain I’ll be fine I just need to get on with it.

It was a great workshop and I left feeling really pleased I’d gone along as well as feeling like I’d really achieved something. It was also a really friendly and welcoming space so that helped too.

I also brought all the offcuts home as my plan is to make this into something bigger - I know running before I can walk again, but I’m aiming high, though I’m not sure just how high yet. I don’t want this panel to be a cushion cover, or a bag and I want it to live outside my craft room, so I’m thinking it would work as the central panel in a quilt for our spare room with more panels that complement it, but aren’t the same - that’s the bit that’s mulling over in my mind, and I think will continue to percolate for a while yet.

And anyway, I’ve plenty of other projects in mind before that - but keep an eye out on the progress I make with this one. This isn’t a project that’s going to sit in the cupboard I’m pretty sure of that.

Dyeing my own yarn

And doesn’t that sound grand?

Well technically I did, and it was easier than I expected, but it was at a workshop I booked on, and so I had a fair bit of help and lots of guidance. To be honest dyeing wool isn’t something I was brave enough to try for the first time at home, and in reality I don’t think it’ll be something I’ll do at home in the future either, but it was great to try it out and to get a greater understanding of the process. Clearly dyeing one or two skeins, is way easier and much less effort than doing anything even remotely ‘in bulk’ and so my hat goes off to the small businesses where dyeing wool is their thing, they are truly amazing.

I’d seen on Instagram stories that the wool shop in Nottingham where holding workshops, and had one coming up that piqued my interest, and so that’s how I came to dye my own yarn. I spent a couple of hours in their workshop room chatting to the shop’s new owner, while MOH ran a few errands and enjoyed a solo coffee.

Unusually for me I actually had a plan for what I wanted to do with my newly dyed yarn; I’d seen a short sleeved jumper in a knitting magazine a week or so before which had caught my eye. It’s knitted in the round and it has a decorative slip stitch pattern with a multicoloured yarn - I think there’s was named hydrangea and the main colour of the jumper was a delicate pastel green. But as I’m never one for following the colours in patterns, that didn’t faze me, nor did attempting anything in the round.

I have another knitting project on the go, which has been put aside for the summer, so the actual knitting part shouldn’t cause me any issues either. Before I learnt to crochet, I was a knitter - and I’ve knitted many complex patterns in the past, though sadly I have none of these picture jumpers today. Oh how I wish I did!

But anyway, having a plan made a lot of sense as there were a lot of colours to choose from. I decided to go with colours I wear frequently - so pinks, greens, yellows and oranges, though I skipped the orange at the final moment.

The workshop included three 20g skeins and one 100g skeins, so I opted for the multi-coloured versions of the smaller skeins and a plainer - but not completely plain/solid colour - for the larger skein.

The smaller skeins were up first and they’d been soaking in a water and white vinegar solution to prepare them for taking up the dye, so placed on clingfilm and armed with my squeezy ‘ketchup’ bottles of dye I dabbed and dotted colour randomly along their lengths. I used four colours on the natural coloured yarn, two pinks and two greens.

Happy with the dye I dabbed and squirted on, the clingfilm was wrapped up and my skeins were off to the microwave to cook, and set the dye - who knew - while I set about putting a lot of mustard dye on the larger skein.

While I wanted it plainer, I didn’t want the mustard skein to be a uniform colour - that seemed a big ask for a first time dyer to be honest, and so I’m pleased with the variations that came out, and even the small area which has an element of darker green.

I think if anyone really wants a very precise colour, then it’s likely that this process isn’t for them and they should stick to large manufactured wool where they aim to deliver a standard colour for each and every ball of wool.

The skeins were wound and tied when they were mostly dry, but they needed to finish drying at home. I set them up over the clothes horse in our plant room, which is a lovely warm small room I use to dry my washing. It’s worth putting an old towel or some newspaper underneath as the water has to go somewhere, and gravity can take over.

And so I ended up with some pretty colourful skeins of yarn, and I’m more than happy with that.

I realised though that I needed twice the amount of mustard yarn, I could have added an extra large skein to my workshop had I given it more thought in advance but I hadn’t, and in the back of my mind I was sure I had a mustard skein of yarn at home, which I probably should use before buying even more yarn…

Thing is though when I checked, it was the wrong colour mustard - a more brown pigment, still lovely but not a good match for this newer mustard. Then I saw another skein (yes I have a few) which was a better match for the mustard, but is more colourful than perhaps I’d like for this project.

But the tone is right, and so now I’m convincing myself that I can use these together. I think I can, but as I’m not starting just yet I’ve a little while longer to muse over this.

I think the plan will be to start with the third skein (on the right above) and then switch to the plainer mustard, using the multi-coloured skeins as planned for the decorative pattern. Well, I think that’s the plan, for now anyway!